What Does ‘Biohacking’ Actually Mean?

As longevity science becomes more popular, should we be receiving regular plasma infusions and looking at uploading our brains to robots? Or is the secret to biohacking actually much more down to earth?

A recent study suggests we might all live to 150 years old — and beyond. Which sounds… well, quite tiring. It’s all part of a new trend towards longevity science. Led by rich tech bros, the aim is to keep our bodies feeling and working well for as long as possible. Admirable, useful aims, for sure. But can’t we do it without getting all sci-fi? It turns out, the latest biohacking advice is simpler than we thought.

What do we mean by biohacking?

At the cutting edge of longevity science, biohacking takes from the latest findings in the fields of genetics, neuroscience and nutrition to try to improve our physical or mental performance – whether that’s micro-dosing to stay focused at work or something as simple as using black-out curtains to improve sleep quality. It might also involve ‘hacking’ what you put in your body, as Reema Pillai, a nutritionist at Dietitian Fit, explains. “Biohacking can be used to describe incremental changes to one’s diet and lifestyle, with the aim of improving their health and promoting peak performance, including various markers such as sleep, physical exercise and diet and mental health,” she says. In the case of certain Silicon Valley tech giants, the aim is usually to expand lifespan and health span simultaneously, meaning not only do they aim to live longer, but they want to feel younger and fitter at the same time. So, a biohacking 70-year-old might aim for the biological age of a 50-year-old, and the vitality of a 20-year-old, and so on. According to biotech expert Alexey Strygin, chief digital health officer at Gero.ai – a biohacking company with the aim of “Curing root causes of chronic diseases and slowing down ageing itself” – these tech giants first popularised the term and it then spread via social media. It checks out: the search term ‘#biohacking’ currently returns 111.4K hits on TikTok. Alongside the advent of social media biohacker influencers, Pillai points to a general interest in wellness as to why more and more of us are becoming curious about the term. “People are becoming increasingly invested in their health and are looking to enhance their biology in some way,” she says. “If we can change our environment and circumstances to have more control over our health, people want to do so, with social media and advancing technology like fitness trackers empowering us to make educated changes to better our health.” “It is not a great intellectual leap from thinking if you can hack a computer, you can hack the ‘software’ or ‘firmware’ of your bodily functions,” Strygin adds. Which sounds interesting, but does this stuff actually work?

Who are some famous biohackers?

To test the efficacy of biohacking, it’s worth looking at some of its most famous – and richest – proponents. The tech giants below all have a massive lead on the average person in terms of time spent ‘hacking. And they all have near-infinite resources to invest. All of which means that if it works for them, there’s every chance it could work for you.

Larry Page

The former managing director of Google is also known for forming the California Life Company, an Alphabet subsidiary designed to explore new technologies in the fight against ageing and age-related diseases. At the time, it was so exciting that Time magazine joked that the company known as ‘CaLiCo ’“might one day defeat death itself.” Yet, despite billions of dollars of investment, there’s been little visible progress to show. Brin shouldn’t be too worried. He’s 51 with a net worth of $136.3 billion so he has plenty of time – and money – left in his search for eternal life.

Bryan Johnson

Johnson is one of the most well-known figures in the biohacking community, gaining attention for his unique approach to reversing aging. One of his more unconventional methods includes receiving plasma infusions from his teenage son, which he believes helps slow down the aging process. Johnson invests $2 million annually in maintaining his health and youthful appearance. At 46, he claims his regimen has given him the heart of a 37-year-old, the skin of a 28-year-old, and the lung capacity of a much younger individual. Beyond biohacking, Johnson is an accomplished pilot and has summited Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Toubkal, showing that his dedication to health and fitness is clearly paying off.

Jack Dorsey

Labelled the ‘Gwyneth Paltrow for Silicon Valley,’ the 47-year-old former Twitter CEO shares the Goop founder’s commitment to ageing well. As well as eating just one meal per day, Dorsey is said to fast on weekends – which means you’ll have eaten more by breakfast time Wednesday than he will all week. Also believed to be in his arsenal: daily meditation sessions of two plus hours, a 5 a.m wake-up call and regular ice baths.

Dmitry Itskov

The Russian entrepreneur’s 2045 Initiative seeks to “create technologies enabling the transfer of a individual’s personality to a more advanced non-biological carrier, and extending life, including to the point of immortality.” Or, in other words, he wants to implant human minds in robot bodies – bodies with powers well beyond those of a human. “Reassuring” is not the word we’d use here.

Is it dangerous?

It depends on your definition. Biohacking like the billionaires do just isn’t attainable for most of us. And as with everything, there is a lot of bad information out there. “Biohacking can range from a piece of general health advice (get better sleep, eat less sugar and more leafy greens to feel better and become more productive) to radical untested gene therapies,” says Strygin. “I would strongly recommend avoiding any practices that a medical professional would not support.” Pillai agrees. For her, any attempt at biohacking should focus on “the main aspects of health” which she defines as including: diet, exercise, sleep and stress. “Look at reliable sources like scientific journals and articles from trusted health websites, written by the correct health professionals,” she says. I.e. not online influencers. You should also consult your GP before making any lifestyle change. Once you’ve done that, Pillai says you should “look at what changes you can make slowly, and what impact they may have.” Your fitness tracker can help you keep an eye on health markers enabling you to reflect on any progress – or lack thereof – over time. “Ensure that the advice you’re following doesn’t promise quick fixes or huge changes,” Pillai says. “In reality, nothing is a quick fix, and it is important to concentrate on slow progress and consistent effort overtime. If there are practices that seem unsafe or unethical, avoid them.”

What can I do to biohack my body without turning myself into a robot?

Not keen on skipping most of your meals or uploading your brain to a computer? Fear not: Pillai and Strygin have plenty of advice for affordable, easy – and crucially – safe ways you can biohack your way to improved performance today.

Intermittent fasting

Intermittent fasting is already popular, and involves a period of eating following by a period of fasting. “The 16/8 method is popular, with 16 hours of fasting, followed by eating in an eight hour window,” Pillai explains. It works, too. “Research has shown that IF can reduce oxidative stress, which otherwise can lead to cell damage, as well as benefits for those with epilepsy and Alzheimer’s disease,” she says.

Breathing techniques

“It sound simple, but I would recommend exploring breathing techniques,” says Strygin, calling them a “readily available, noninvasive (and absolutely free) set of tools to “hack” your central nervous system.” Any breath-work can help, as Strygin explains: “A recent meta-study has shown the efficacy of breath-work on stress and mental health. Another paper explored high-ventilation breath-work practices’ physiological effects (including arousal).”

Cold showers

Sorry about this one. “Benefits of a quick burst of cold water in the shower are linked to a benefit in circulation and recovery after exercise, which may be due to the reduction in inflammation from cold water, speeding recovery time,” says Pillai. How’s that for biohacking at its simplest?

Keep an eye on the latest research

We may have spoken too soon about Johnson’s vampiric habits. “On a more radical side, I would recommend keeping an eye on therapeutic plasma exchange (but not trying it yourself until more human data becomes available),” says Strygin. “It has been shown to decrease biological age in animal models and early human trials, with the former showing vision restoration and deceleration in age-related cognitive decline.” Although Strygin stresses that you should absolutely not try something until it’s been certified safe for humans.

Early morning walks

How’s this for biohacking with minimal effort? “Get outside within one hour of waking for just 15 minutes of natural morning light can this help you absorb vitamin D,” says Pillai, with other benefits of natural light including improvements in overall sleep quality, as well as mental clarity and focus. “Not only this, improvements in blood pressure have been seen with early exercise,” says Pillai. The first step on your biohacking journey? Setting your morning alarm.