Biohacker’s toolbox…
let’s open it!
You might have heard of Brian Johnson and his quest for immortality injecting his joints with stem cells and offering us products such as olive oil or nutty pudding. Or maybe you have come across of Dave Asprey giving a speech at some rather expensive biohacking conference in his signature light blocking glasses and selling his Bulletproof coffee… Yes, these two are one of the most high profile biohackers. Many of us might consider them rather unconventional.
Biohacking is a term that means different things to different people. For me biohacking is a process of us taking an incentive to improve our own biology in order to increase lifespan and quality of life using various means available.
It is fascinating to follow what some full time biohackers do and learn from their successes and failures. Nevertheless most people cannot or would not want to dedicate their life to such quest. Still with the availability of the latest scientific research which is published online, the advancement in knowledge on nutrition and fitness and with the new tech and screening available, biohacking is now more accessible than ever.
Is biohacking for me?
Let’s not fool ourselves, biohacking is not for everyone. It is expensive and sometimes painful for both, mind and body. Additionally it takes time. All this can be tough to sustain with a full time job of sitting in the office and putting the hours in. But it is a fascinating field full of latest research and curious minds. And sometimes a minefield full of people that try to sell you all sorts of things…
Being a biohacker does not win any popularity contest either. Luckily our society is moving towards more health conscious approach. This means that many of us would choose a smashed avocado and poached egg on toast over a pack of cigarettes. Nevertheless the culture of fast food, drinking on a Saturday night and and sending out emails at all sorts of hours are still applauded by many.
Biohacking is a journey
We all have different triggers for moving towards a health conscious way of living. It can be our friends that inspire to join a gym and start eating more veggies. Alternatively it can be seeing our parent’s health decline. We might start thinking about how we can learn from successes and mistakes of others. Also more than ever we can utilize the latest scientific knowledge in order to improve our health.
With all above in mind how does one become a biohacker in the first place? It is certainly not a thing that happens overnight. Instead it is an approach of slow and marginal lifestyle improvements in order to increase our life and health span.
Life span
A life span is a number of years expected to live.
Health span
A health span is a number of years you are most likely to live without any chronic illness or disability that would hinder our quality of life. As an example, a person suffering from Alzheimer’s disease might have a lifespan of 90 years which might sound like a great number but a health span of 75 as the last 15 years of their life have been crippled by a disease.
A biohacker aims to increase both a life span and a health span. There are numerous ways how biohackers aim to improve their life and health span.
Diet
There is no such thing as biohacking diet. Nevertheless most biohackers work on their diet by slowly eliminating unhealthy foods and and shifting attention not just to what food we eat, but also how is the food prepared and where it comes from. Some might use genetic testing to gain a better understanding of their genetic predisposition to certain illnesses. This enables them to tailor diet to what we would like to achieve.
A blood sugar monitor which measures spikes in blood sugar levels after we eat can be another way to guide us towards a better diet. Biohacking your diet is also thinking when you consume food and creating certain eating window. It can also include food tolerance testing in order to understand what foods we might struggle digesting.
Exercise
Biohacking exercise is not about losing weight or bulking up, the typical two requirements we hear from people going to any gym. More so it is about bringing variety into our workouts and ensuring that they don’t put too much strain on our body. It includes a mix of balance and stretching which increases a range of motion, flexibility and relieve from certain pains. Additionally it involves cardio and HIIT to improve our cardiovascular health, blood pressure and resting heart rate. And last but not least it involves weight training to build muscle, bone density and improve metabolism.
Nowadays we have many trackers that allow us accurately measure our exercise levels and understand what impact they have on our body. This knowledge combined with sleep and nutrition analysis can then guide us towards the most optimal amount of exercise for any particular person and day.
Supplements
The list of supplements that people use when they biohack can be endless. Nevertheless this requires caution as too many vitamins can be toxic. This is especially the case of fat soluble vitamins such as vitamin A, D and E which cannot be removed in urine and are stored in full.
Sleep
Would you like to know how to biohack sleep? Check out an article about exactly this: ULTIMATE GUIDE TO BETTER SLEEP!
Wellness and meditation
The pressure to constantly deliver, be best at something, get what we desire immediately are one of the attributes of the current society. At the same time the expectation that we need to endure certain level of discomfort is very low, instead many are looking for quick fixes. But many of these come with risks. Wellness and meditation might offer just the same results and without any risks but take time.
They can involve physical side such as harnessing benefits of steam and sauna (perfect after a workout). Both help us by improving blood circulation and relaxing muscle and joints. Another avenue could be meditation and mindfulness which improve concentration and reduce stress but also increase our self awareness and help us cope better in difficult situations.
Use of tracking devices
Biohackers love wearable tech. It provides us with 24/7 data which help us improve our health. They help setting fitness goals and monitor progress and impact, monitor sleep nutrition or intermittent fasting. These are accompanied by routine blood and urine tests and home blood pressure monitoring.
Less conventional approaches to biohacking
Stem cell injections
Stem cell therapy works by implanting stem cells into certain areas of the body. These cells are able to divide and transform into various specific cells such as muscle, nerve, blood or brain cells. The stem cells then repair damaged tissues by integrating in it and promoting healing. Stem cell therapy though has significant risk attached to it such as cancer formation and relapse, infection or blood clotting.
Gene therapy
The aim of gene therapy is to locate genes in our genetic makeup that accelerate aging. This is done by looking at cells that stop dividing. This state when cells are damaged and so cannot divide anymore is called cellular senescence. Cellular senescence is connected to aging and age related diseases. The scientists found out that there are certain genes that seem to promote this cellular senescence.
Gene therapy is done by inserting a healthy copy of a gene to the body which then can turn age accelerating gene off (gene silencing). Another method of gene therapy aims for a protein modification in the cell (gene editing). Third way of how gene therapy can work is gene addition when an entirely new gene is introduced. Some gene therapy has already been approved for use in the USA.
Prescription drugs
There are certain drugs that are used for treatment of specific illnesses that have proven impact on reversing aging in mice. Among such are Metformin and Acarbose. Both are normally used for treatment of diabetes. Another chemical is Rapamycin, an immunosuppressant used by patients treated for cancer or with organ transplants. Alternatively some biohackers use Selegiline, a drug used for treatment of Parkinson’s disease which works by preventing of dopamine breakdown in the brain. Aspirin is also used by some as it reduces inflammation and increases metabolism.
Biohacking! Facts and fiction
Biohacking world is a bit of a Wild West sometimes. And as it involves DIY, certain things might be beneficial for one person but harmful for another one. Or they might offer a short term improvement and long term impact is overlooked. Other procedures offer no impact whatsoever. Let’s have a look at some.
Antioxidants
Antioxidants are chemicals that protect against oxidation. They neutralize free radicals which get produced as a by product during processes such as digestion or breathing. Free radicals are unstable molecules that can cause damage to our cells and DNA. Antioxidants have been marketed for a long time as the superhero chemicals that can only help and we might think the more we consume the better. Just like with everything, the science is more complicated. If we have too many antioxidants we are actually increasing a risk of cancer.
Testosterone
An example of a popular hormone therapy is taking testosterone or taking a supplement of certain vitamins and minerals that promotes testosterone creation. Even though testosterone might give a short term boost of energy levels that are too high include significant risks such as blood clotting or a heart attack.
Plasma infusions
The idea behind plasma infusions is to add young blood into aging individual with an aim of rejuvenation. ‘At birth, our blood contains more regenerative factors—like oxytocin, which has been shown to rejuvenate skeletal muscle stem cells in mice—than aging factors. But as we get older, that balance gradually tips in favor of aging factors, like the protein eotaxin, thought to play a role in age-related diseases in which systemic inflammation occurs.’ (1) Nevertheless the benefits of plasma infusions have not been confirmed in humans. FDA even issued a warning against using these (2).
Let’s stay in touch!
Do you consider yourself a biohacker? How has your journey been so far? Or is there anything particular you would like to know about biohacking? Let us know on Instagram, LinkedIn or TikTok. Would you like to learn more about fitness? Head to Fitness section of Workout Bestie for the latest workout videos. Or join me here for a Kettlebell Express Workout!
Would you like to understand more about NMN supplement and longevity? Check out article Is NMN the answer to longevity in humans.
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Resources:
(1): Looking to Young Blood to Treat the Diseases of Aging, Melissa Pandika, ACS Cent Sci. 2019 Sep 25; 5(9): 1481–1484., PMCID: PMC6764071, PMID: 31572771, downloaded online 22/05/2024, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6764071/
(2) Statement from FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D., and Director of FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research Peter Marks, M.D., Ph.D., cautioning consumers against receiving young donor plasma infusions that are promoted as unproven treatment for varying conditions | FDA, downloaded 22/05/2024, https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/statement-fda-commissioner-scott-gottlieb-md-and-director-fdas-center-biologics-evaluation-and-0
