Longevity scientist aims to ‘cure aging’ through biohacking.

Longevity scientist aims to 'cure aging' through biohacking.

Biohacking: Is it All Hype or the Future of Aging?

Optimizing your biology or biohacking is often seen as “skirting along the edges of science, and sometimes safety, to outlive us all,” Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN’s chief medical correspondent, says in his podcast Chasing Life as he explores whether it’s “biohacking or BS.”

“People will go through extraordinary lengths with the hope, the simple hope, of living longer,” Gupta says in his podcast. “Some people are going to put a lot more effort into this than most.” He added on CNN this morning that if “you did everything right” you can live up to 115. But how do we get that added 35 years beyond the current life expectancy?

Biohacking has become a more extreme approach beyond exercise, a healthy diet, and optimal sleep, which are known to help prevent illness and contribute to a longer life span. Some biohacking tactics, like exchanging plasma with younger people, are not recommended by the FDA nor approved for the purpose of reverse aging.

“Does any of this actually work? How do you measure success? And most importantly, might they do more harm than good?” asks Gupta. Unfortunately, the answers are murky because research verifying these hacks takes a literal lifetime to vet.

Targeting Aging Before It Starts

Dr. Nir Barzilai, the director of the Institute for Aging Research at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, believes there are ways to “target aging before it starts” by preventing age-related diseases perpetuated by the breakdown of cells as we age.

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“This is my mission. It’s to cure aging,” he tells Gupta on his podcast. Although there are only short-term studies around the effects of certain biohacking methods like fasting, research has shown that the diabetes drug metformin can address the hallmarks of aging, such as inflammation and cell deterioration.

Barzilai emphasizes the importance of expanding access to this medication, as “if we can target the biology of aging…then we stop not one disease and not two diseases, but all those diseases of aging—the cancer, the diabetes, the cardiovascular disease, the dementia. Aging is the mother of all those diseases.”

According to Barzilai, there are three main ways to biohack when addressing the hallmarks of aging: the Dorian Gray, the Peter Pan, and the Wolverine. The Dorian Gray approach slows the aging process for older individuals, while the Wolverine approach reverses aging, and the Peter Pan approach inhibits aging. Barzilai suggests that people in their twenties can “erase some of the epigenetics of aging” by measuring the hallmarks of aging every couple of months.

“There’s a need to solve aging for everyone and to increase the health span,” he tells Gupta. “For me, it’s not science fiction. It’s a total science now.”

However, biohacking is not the only way to extend health span. Some prefer other methods backed by more extensive research, such as getting enough sleep, hugging loved ones, and limiting screen time. It is also important to have a goal for living a healthier, longer life.

“How will me getting older and living healthy longer really impact the people and the world around me?” Gupta says. “I know I’ve thought about this a lot, especially as my three teenage daughters continuously grow older. What can we all do to try and get a leg up?”

In conclusion, biohacking offers an intriguing path towards extending human life and improving health span. While some approaches may be considered extreme or unproven, researchers like Dr. Nir Barzilai are dedicated to targeting aging and preventing age-related diseases. Expanding access to treatments like metformin could potentially address the root causes of various diseases, resulting in a longer and healthier life for all. However, it’s essential to explore other research-backed strategies and prioritize overall well-being to achieve the goal of living a healthier, longer life. Ultimately, the decision to embrace biohacking or alternative approaches depends on individual preferences and the desire to make a positive impact on oneself and the world.