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Over the past six years, biohacking has been rapidly gaining popularity. We understand why people around the world spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on medical examinations, insert chips into their hands and transfuse blood
What is biohacking
Biohacking is the improvement of the functioning of the body with the help of medications, nutrition, training and other methods. All this helps to stimulate brain activity and age more slowly.
For biohackers, the human body is a kind of operating system. By analogy with computers, “bugs” can occur in the body – overwork, illness and death. But any system can be improved and protected from external factors.
History of biohacking
The term “biohacking” was known as early as 1988. At that time, genetic engineers were called biohackers, who were engaged in science outside the university laboratories and set up their own experiments.
Biohacking began to gain popularity in 2002, when the human genome was first deciphered. Soon after, many wanted to study gene editing. Not all of those who were interested were professional scientists: amateurs also created research groups.
Over the next ten years, biohackers began to be mentioned in print and online publications. For example, in 2010, the scientific journal Nature published an article about Rob Carlson, a physicist who became interested in biology and created an entire laboratory for DNA research in his garage.
In 2014, Silicon Valley entrepreneur and programmer Rob Rinehart launched Soylent, a meal replacement drink. It does not have a very pleasant “rancid” taste, but it satisfies hunger without spending extra time on cooking and eating food. With the advent of Soylent, biohacking was talked about in Silicon Valley.
Since 2015, startups that have studied biohacking methods have received millions in investments. For example, the Andreessen Horowitz Foundation invested $2 million in Hvmn, a startup developing nootropics, drugs that activate the brain and help you think faster.
In our country, biohacking was mostly talked about thanks to businessman Sergei Fage. In 2017 Sergey wrote an article “I am 32 years old and I spent $200 on biohacking”. The Russian-language adaptation on vc.ru collected 000 views and 750 comments. Sergey told what biohacking methods he uses. A businessman measures sleep stages, monitors nutrition, plays sports, meditates, visits a psychologist and monitors body parameters using blood and DNA tests. According to the results of the tests, he takes dietary supplements and nootropics.
Famous biohackers: what they do to live as long as possible and be productive
One of the most famous biohackers is the American entrepreneur Dave Asprey. He spent over $1 million to live to be 180 years old (though he is only 47 so far). Asprey is best known for creating Bulletproof Coffee, coffee with butter or coconut oil added. According to Dave, a caffeinated high-fat product improves focus, prevents age-related diseases, and helps you lose weight.
A programmer from America, Chris Dancy, is called a “conscious cyborg”: he measures from 300 to 700 indicators daily. Chris is sure that this helps to fight excess weight, diseases and bad habits. For example, he noticed that tobacco smoke was unpleasant to him immediately after water, milk and orange juice, so he began to use these drinks more often to quit smoking.
There are also biohackers who perform risky experiments on their own bodies. For example, American bioengineer Josiah Zayner at the SynBioBeta conference in San Francisco injected himself with an experimental DNA injection to block a gene that inhibits muscle growth.
Biohacking methods
Traditionally, there are three main methods of biohacking:
Now these methods are used less frequently. In recent years, biohacking is more often understood as a trend towards preventive medicine. Here are the ways biohackers use today:
- Measurement of biomarkers
Any intervention in the body – sports, drugs, diet – is tracked by biomarkers. Biohackers check several indicators at once: from the amount of sugar in the blood to the content of bacteria in the intestines. This is necessary in order to assess health risks and prevent deviations from the norm in time.
Ekaterina Ivannikova, endocrinologist, nutritionist, candidate of medical sciences, senior researcher at the laboratory of the Russian Gerontological Scientific and Clinical Center:
“It is still difficult to say how useful frequent tracking of biomarkers is. Still, biohacking is a new direction, it differs from traditional patient management. In essence, it is preventive medicine, and it is aimed more at finding potential diseases, rather than already existing ones.
- A diet inspired by nutrigenomics
Methods can be more traditional, as in a healthy lifestyle: more greens and vegetables, less sweets. And there are also specific nutrition systems – for example, cyclic fasting. As a result of starvation, the body begins to release ketones – an alternative source of energy for the body. Biohackers claim that diet helps you stay healthy and work more productively. But scientists believe that this type of diet may not be safe.
Vadim Fedotov, CEO and co-founder of the biotech company bioniq:
“Cyclic fasting must be used wisely, be sure to monitor what effect it has on the body. Such a system is not suitable for everyone: for example, it is worth giving up this type of food if there are problems with the liver, thyroid gland or glucose levels.
- Sport activities
Biohackers don’t just go to the gym three times a week to keep their bodies in shape. They track how a particular sport affects the body.
Denis Varvanets, biohacker, biogerontologist and sports physiologist:
“Best of all, the body pumps the sport that improves aerobic characteristics: mitochondrial function, oxygen consumption system, cardiopulmonary system, muscle microcirculation. Any cyclical endurance sport, such as running, will do. There are studies that prove that aerobic exercise prevents various diseases – first of all, type XNUMX diabetes. And distance runners live longer than normal people.”
- Nootropics, stimulants and dietary supplements
Many biohackers take antidepressants, vitamin complexes, and hundreds of different supplements. Some use medications for other purposes, such as taking the diabetes drug metformin to ostensibly delay old age. This also includes another fashionable trend in Silicon Valley – microdosing of LSD and psilocybin.
Ekaterina Ivannikova:
“Because of the uncontrolled intake of dietary supplements and vitamins, the kidneys and liver suffer first of all. At the end of July 2021, a study was published on how liver functions change over time due to the intake of dietary supplements. The data is very sad: the incidence of drug-induced hepatitis increases almost eight times. Therefore, no vitamins and dietary supplements can be taken without preliminary tests and doctor’s prescriptions.
According to the general opinion of nutritionists – both ours and foreign ones – we can get all the vitamins and microelements we need from food. But it is important to understand that in this case, nutrition should be balanced.
As for nootropics, they, like all drugs, have indications, contraindications and side effects. Only a neurologist can prescribe them, because sometimes nootropics have no effect. Before the appointment, you need to undergo a series of examinations to exclude the development of chronic diseases. Taking drugs without a prescription is also dangerous because it can mask a serious illness and aggravate its course.”
- Gadgets and neurostimulators
Many biohackers use gadgets to track sleep cycles and devices for electrical stimulation of the brain. In 2017, German scientists conducted a study in which they asked subjects to find associations to words. It turned out that those who were subjected to electrical stimulation offered more non-trivial combinations.
Vadim Fedotov, CEO and co-founder of the biotech company bioniq:
“Now sensors and gadgets are actively developing in our country. For example, Verbles technology, which you can carry with you all the time. This is, in fact, a phone that shows how many steps you walk, what is your pulse and what temperature. There is also a Whoop watch and an Aura ring. They can measure temperature and pulse, track the quality of sleep.
Biohacking combines both medicine and technology. The totality of this helps to understand how a particular person can improve his condition.
What does biohacking have in common with a healthy lifestyle and evidence-based medicine
Many biohacking methods intersect with healthy lifestyle principles, such as diet and exercise. But if a healthy lifestyle offers recommendations that are general for everyone, biohacking promotes a more personalized approach: not just eat more vegetables or eliminate sweets, but use biomarkers to track how nutrition affects the body.
Artem Vasiliev, founder and head of the Biohacking Laboratory:
“Biohacking can be perceived as an add-on to a healthy lifestyle. This happens when a person has been exercising for some time, eating right and noticing improvements. At some point, he wants to feel even better, and this is where biohacking comes into play. You can collect information about yourself with the help of gadgets, sensors and medical tests, and this information will help to work out weaknesses in the body.”
Biohacking has much more in common with evidence-based medicine: all prescriptions should be discussed with a doctor who has the results of your tests. For example, you cannot read the article “5 signs that you are not getting enough iron”, look for these signs in yourself and buy capsules in a pharmacy. You need to donate blood and consult with a medical consultant on exactly how to make up for the deficiency – by correcting nutrition or, for example, with droppers and pills.
Is biohacking safe
If you do not take biohacking to extremes, do not donate blood every day and consult a doctor before introducing new methods, there is no danger. But there are also strange methods.
- Transfusion of younger blood
In 2014, scientists from Stanford conducted an experiment: they combined the circulatory systems of old and young mice. It turned out that young stem cells are able to cure diseases, form new neurons in the brain and increase muscle elasticity. This experiment has inspired other scientists to create startups that aim to turn young blood into an “elixir of youth.” Neuroscientist and co-founder of startup Elevian Li Rubin suggests that stem cell research will help to cope with all age-related diseases.
- The transfer of microbiota from a healthy person to a sick person
Usually, fecal microbiota transplantation is used in medicine when other methods no longer help a person with a diseased intestine, but some biohackers believe that this can also cure an intestinal disorder. For example, in 2016, Josiah Zayner transplanted microbiota into himself in the hope of curing gastrointestinal diseases. The experiment was caught on camera and turned into a short documentary Gut Hack.
There are also more general cases when biohacking can do harm. For example, people can take tests, decipher them on their own and take dietary supplements or medications without the consent of a doctor. In our country, this is easy to do: many drugs are sold without a prescription.
Artem Vasiliev:
“We had a case: a man went to the clinic, got tested for testosterone. I saw that the values are below the reference ones, I bought the drug in a pharmacy and began to take it. As a result, we got a picture close to diabetes, the body practically stopped producing testosterone.
The thing is, you can’t self-diagnose. When deciphering the analyzes, you need to take into account additional factors, to see the big picture.
What will happen to biohacking in the future
Artem Vasiliev:
“Biohacking is developing very quickly. A year in 2017, when we were just opening the “Laboratory” and speaking at conferences, only two people in the hall knew what biohacking was. Now 80-90% of listeners raise their hand.
I think the first thing that should happen in our country is that more people will adhere to a healthy lifestyle. This is how it works: first nutrition and regular physical activity, and then additional methods that biohacking can offer.”
As of 2020, millennials are more likely to participate in wellness programs than older generations. According to health researchers, everyone will soon be able to track biomarkers at no extra cost. It will only be necessary to reprogram already familiar smart watches so that they automatically monitor body indicators and warn of possible diseases.
Vadim Fedotov:
“I think in the next three to five years, technology will allow us to collect all biological data directly on smartphones. It will start as something very simple – for example, questionnaires that will inquire about well-being. And then, as technology develops, people will take biochemistry, DNA, and microbiota with the help of a smartphone, control sleep, temperature, glucose.”
Many already assume that life expectancy will increase many times over in the future. British specialist in regenerative medicine Aubrey de Gray is sure that potentially scientific progress will lead to the fact that people will live up to a thousand years, remaining as active as in 20. And American neuroscientist Bill Maris believes that in the future it will be possible to prevent all diseases.