Latest news with #biohacking
South China Morning Post
4 hours ago
- Health
- South China Morning Post
Does latest biohack trend NAD+ IV therapy actually work? All the rage with the likes of Hailey and Justin Bieber and Jennifer Aniston – who spend big on regular shots – experts add a note of caution
In the past few years, NAD+ intravenous infusions (IVs) have become one of the wellness world's favourite acronyms. In a 2022 episode of The Kardashians, Hailey Bieber declared that she was 'going to NAD for the rest of my life, and I'm never gonna age'. Jennifer Aniston has often mentioned it as part of her routine, and even Justin Bieber incorporated it into his recovery practice to flush out toxins. Marketed as giving its converts the ultimate wellness edge, the biohack lies firmly in the realms of high-end self-care. But is NAD+ really the miracle molecule it's made out to be, or just the latest designer placebo dressed up in buzzwords? What is NAD+? DripDrip NAD+ Drip. Photo: Handout Advertisement Let's start at the molecular level. 'Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) is a coenzyme found in every cell of the body, essential for converting the food we eat into usable energy. Think of NAD+ as the spark plug in an engine; it doesn't provide the fuel – that's your food – but without it, your cells can't start the process of turning that fuel into power,' explains Dr Michael Barnish, director of precision health at Reviv Global. In short, NAD+ helps keep your body humming. But as we age, levels drop. 'The natural decline might be linked to feeling more tired or less mentally sharp over time, which is why people are looking for ways to support it,' says Dr Christina Rahm, founder of Deep Rooted Causes Ventures. NAD+ IV drips vs. NAD+ supplements Artah Enhanced NAD+ Complex. Photo: Handout One method is to take NAD+ oral supplements, but by bypassing the gut entirely, IV drips deliver the coenzyme directly into the bloodstream for quicker, more efficient absorption. 'Oral NAD+ cannot significantly increase NAD levels in the blood as it is poorly absorbed in its intact form,' Dr Barnish explains, pointing out that by delivering the coenzyme directly into the bloodstream, it 'offer[s] improved availability for cellular uptake and use.' What are the claims made for NAD+ IV drips? Pause IV drips. Photo: Handout Luxury wellness clinics pitch NAD+ drips as the perfect blend of exclusivity and efficacy. Costing around US$500 a session, they're not cheap, but for many, they're a worthy investment in focus, glowing skin and more graceful ageing. 'There's been a big shift in how people think about ageing and performance – it's no longer just about looking good, it's about feeling sharp, energetic and resilient from the inside out,' says Dr Rahm. 'NAD+ is part of that conversation because it's connected to how our cells create energy and handle stress.'
CNN
a day ago
- Politics
- CNN
What biohacker Bryan Johnson says is the most powerful drug in existence
What biohacker Bryan Johnson says is the most powerful drug in existence CNN's Boris Sanchez spoke with controversial biohacker Bryan Johnson about the impact of the medical experiments he's done and what he thinks is the most underrated aspect of health. 01:08 - Source: CNN Vertical Top News 16 videos What biohacker Bryan Johnson says is the most powerful drug in existence CNN's Boris Sanchez spoke with controversial biohacker Bryan Johnson about the impact of the medical experiments he's done and what he thinks is the most underrated aspect of health. 01:08 - Source: CNN Trump reacts to win at the Supreme Court President Trump thanked conservative Supreme Court justices and explained what he plans to do next after the Court backed his effort to curtail lower court orders that have hampered his agenda for months. 00:46 - Source: CNN Supreme Court backs parents who want to opt out of LGBTQ+ curriculum The Supreme Court on Friday backed a group of religious parents who want to opt their elementary school children out of engaging with LGBTQ books in the classroom, another major legal win for religious interests at the conservative high court. 00:52 - Source: CNN Supreme Court limits ability of judges to stop Trump The Supreme Court backed President Donald Trump's effort to curtail lower court orders that have hampered his agenda for months. However, it signaled that the president's controversial plan to effectively end birthright citizenship may never be enforced. 01:32 - Source: CNN What we know ahead of the Bezos-Sanchez wedding After a stormy evening in Venice, CNN's Melissa Bell explains why details remain closely guarded ahead of the Bezos-Sanchez wedding. 01:25 - Source: CNN See moment suspect lights fire on Seoul subway CCTV footage released by the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office captures the moment a man lit a fire on a busy subway in the South Korean capital last month. The footage, from May 31, shows passengers running away after the suspect doused the floor of the train carriage with flammable liquid before setting it alight. Reuters reports that according to the prosecutors' office, six people were injured. The prosecutor's office says it charged the 67-year-old man with attempted murder and arson. 00:48 - Source: CNN Hear Zohran Mamdani's response to concerns by the wealthy over his tax plan CNN's Erin Burnett speaks with New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani about concerns over taxing the city's wealthy to fund his proposed initiatives, and whether it will cause them to leave the city. 02:27 - Source: CNN Details emerge of secret diplomatic efforts to restart Iran talks CNN's Kylie Atwood reports on The Trump administration discussing possibly helping Iran access as much as $30 billion to build a civilian-energy-producing nuclear program, easing sanctions, and freeing up billions of dollars in restricted Iranian funds. 01:11 - Source: CNN How Diddy's body language was 'different' in court today CNN's Elizabeth Wagmeister reports on Sean "Diddy" Combs' family in court for closing arguments in his criminal trial and a notable difference in Combs' body language. 01:18 - Source: CNN Anna Wintour steps down as Vogue editor-in-chief Editor-in-chief of Vogue, Anna Wintour, is stepping down and seeking a replacement, the magazine's publisher Condé Nast confirmed to CNN. She will shift to a role of global chief content officer, where she will oversee every brand's global operations. 00:34 - Source: CNN Fireball spotted across the sky A 'daytime fireball' was caught on video in the sky over South Carolina – causing a sonic boom, according to the American Meteor Society. CNN has reached out to emergency management officials in North Carolina and Tennessee, as well as NASA for comment. 00:36 - Source: CNN Gen. Caine shares video of 'bunker buster' bomb test At a press conference about the US strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Dan Caine, shared video of 'bunker buster' bomb test and shared information about what they know about the strike. 01:05 - Source: CNN Gen. Caine says moment after strikes gave him chills At a press conference about the US strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Dan Caine, discusses the pilots who carried out the strikes and the reactions from their families after they returned home. 01:09 - Source: CNN 'Daddy's home:' Trump leans into NATO chief comment NATO Chief Mark Rutte got the world's attention after referring to President Trump as "daddy" after he used the analogy of two children fighting to describe the conflict between Iran and Israel. In a press conference, Rutte, explained his reason for using the term "daddy." Trump spoke about the moment at a press conference, and the White House leaned into the term in a social media post. 00:50 - Source: CNN Trump's team credits him with creating a decades-old phrase White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt falsely claimed that President Trump came up with the phrase "peace through strength." CNN's Abby Phillip reports on how the phrase has been used for decades. 01:22 - Source: CNN Cuomo called Mamdani after conceding NYC mayoral primary New York state Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani was on the brink of a stunning Democratic primary win Tuesday for New York City mayor, with his top challenger, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, conceding the race. 00:38 - Source: CNN
WIRED
4 days ago
- Health
- WIRED
Snake Venom, Urine, and a Quest to Live Forever: Inside a Biohacking Conference Emboldened by MAHA
Jun 25, 2025 6:00 AM WIRED attended a biohacking conference filled with unorthodox and often unproven anti-aging treatments. Adherents revealed how the Make America Healthy Again movement has given them a renewed fervor. Photo Illustration:I have been to the undying convention. I have been pressurized in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber and bathed in flickering gamma-wave light. I have had my electromagnetic field manipulated. I have taken an IV drip of green liquid that looked nearly radioactive. I have been frozen in a cryochamber (and felt amazing afterward) and baked in a one-man, zippable sauna (I didn't). I have eaten more consecutive meals of beef than ever in my life, grinding unrefined Kalahari desert salt over the slabs of fat and protein. I have been told, after a scan, that I have the liver of a newborn baby (this is a good thing). I have caused a woman's jaw to drop by telling her I once took antibiotics. I have pumped my vaccinated fist alongside RFK Jr. fans and stem cell enthusiasts and piss-injectors to the pounding beats of Steve Aoki. Welcome to Dave Asprey's 2025 Biohacking Conference: a symposium of tech bros, wellness influencers, psychonauts, and scientists, all hoping to thwart the ravages of time with unorthodox—and often unproven—medical treatments. The conference was held over three days in late May at the Fairmont hotel in downtown Austin, Texas. It was a vast bazaar of speakers, ideologies, practices, and gadgets, all with the express goal to help attendees 'Live Beyond 180,' as goes the conference slogan, without the pesky red tape of the Western medical industry. And, while biohacking isn't new, the rise of RFK Jr.'s Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement, which champions alternative medicine and freedom of choice over proven interventions like vaccines, has given the concept renewed zeal. The Human Regenerator Jet bed, which claims to promote cellular regeneration. Photograph: Will Bahr 'We're tired of people saying we need permission,' Asprey, conference organizer and self-proclaimed father of biohacking, tells me on the first day of the gathering. Instead of blindly accepting pharmaceuticals, he says, this community marches to its own holistic drum. 'We take supplements that do the same thing. We figure out we don't need that drug because we got sunshine. Or maybe we just buy our pharmaceuticals from overseas without a permission slip, and we pay a tiny fraction of the outrageous things in the US.' He claims that biohackers are at the forefront of MAHA—but it's not about partisanship. 'We're leading the charge on making America healthy again and most biohackers are pretty much apolitical. Because having incredible energy in a sense of peace, in a sense of control of your own destiny, I don't think that's partisan.' Biohacking is a big tent, combining Silicon Valley technology, Burning Man spirituality, and health libertarianism. If anything unites this crowd, it is a distrust of the medical status quo—particularly the pharmaceutical industry—and an appetite for tech-heavy alternatives. Think folk medicine powered by AI. The movement started gaining major traction around 13 years ago, when Asprey began organizing a loose-knit band of health fanatics at his annual conferences. But its roots arguably go back much further. 'Where [biohacking] started 150 years ago,' says investor and so-called Ambassador of Biohacking Nick Zaldastani, 'was the snake oil salespeople.' In the mid-1800s, Chinese laborers on the Transcontinental Railroad first introduced their white counterparts to the anti-inflammatory oils of the Chinese water snake. It was the inert tinctures sold by white copycats that gave rise to the pejorative 'snake oil.' These charlatans, Zaldastani says, 'would go around and move from city to city, because the minute people found out it did shit—sorry about the French—they were chasing after them.' The resultant struggle with medical authority, the sense of persecution, and doubts about legitimacy plague the biohackers to this day. The Ammortal Chamber, a $160,000 machine that claims to provide multi-wave pulsed electromagnetic and multi-wavelength light therapy. Photograph: Will Bahr In these circles, autonomy is gospel. But if there is a preacher to this sermon, it is Asprey. Grinning cutouts of him greet you at the tops of escalators; his products stock the ad space in conference pamphlets. Patrons roam the halls in his signature anti-blue-light glasses, the auburn lenses making their eyes look like flies, trapped timelessly in amber. Asprey's personal goal is to live to 180 years old—'50 percent better than our current best,' he clarifies, referring to the oldest person ever recorded at 122. And he is working on it, hard. He claims to have spent $2.5 million of his multimillion dollar empire—generated largely by his Bulletproof coffee brand and diet plan—on reversing his age via a specialized diet, rigorous exercise, a torrent of supplements, countless stem cell treatments, baths in frigid ice water and shimmering red light, and injections of his own filtered urine as allergy therapy. Whatever myriad of elixirs Asprey is using, it does, on a superficial level at least, appear to be working. At 52, he looks great, standing out in a conference awash with obvious botox and plastic surgery. In his slicked-back hair, punk leather outfits, and signature glasses, it's hard to believe the picture he paints of his former self, resembling 'the 300-pound computer hacker from Jurassic Park.' He seems to have even achieved a younger man's temperament: rapping 'I'm a Little Teapot' onstage; dancing shirtless and gawky before the masses during Aoki's set, surrounded by a coterie of women, one of whom attempted to flash him, unhooking her bra before being whisked offstage. For a man desperately trying for timelessness, Asprey is certainly a man of the times—a wealthy entrepreneur at the head of a populist movement that vehemently opposes government regulation. He shares his de facto leadership of the biohacking sphere with a few other rich renegades, most notably Bryan Johnson, the venture capitalist whose Blueprint Protocol makes Asprey's centenarian goals look quaint. Johnson aims for immortality outright—'DON'T DIE' screams his own movement's slogan—and has even vampirically infused himself with his own son's blood in the quest for the fountain of youth. Not everyone at the conference strives for Asprey-Johnsonian extremes. Then again, not everyone at the conference is in their tax bracket. Some simply want to age with grace and vim, not blunted by medication or hobbling through hospice. In a true embodiment of the conference's 'Beyond' theme, some even have plans grander than this carnal plane. Attendee Joni Winston, who runs a wellness center in Costa Rica, tells me she is either 68 or 52, 'depending on which calendar you use.' At age 60, she started counting backward, so that when she reaches her intended 120, she can claim the nirvanic age of 0. 'I want to make as much progress in this life as I can,' Winston says, 'so that when I die I can go to a different dimension and not have to deal with this 3D Matrix shit.' In the meantime, though, she'd still like to look good. 'I'm not devoid of vanity. Spiritual evolution is my primary goal, but I'm still human, you know?' Others are simply afraid of the slow, painful crawl through old age and, of course, death itself. Melanie Avalon, 34, host of a biohacking podcast, tells me: 'I've been haunted by the concept of aging since I was 12 ... And ever since then I've been searching for ways to stall the aging timeline ... I don't know if immortality is possible, but if there is a way to practically move toward that, it's biohacking.' If the practice sounds inherently self-interested, that's because it is. By definition, biohacking requires profound interest—often supplemented by large investments of time, energy, and capital—in the self. A certain Ayn Randian individualism rang through the halls of the Fairmont. But there was also a highly communal, near-revolutionary air here: a fervor to spread the good word, to empower the masses, to enact a grand subversion. 'The biggest blessing of Covid might be an erosion of trust in corrupt authority,' Asprey tells me. 'We have the highest health care costs in the world and one of the worst outcomes for any developed nation. So the only logical conclusion is that someone's stealing ... and we know who it is, right? It's the pharmaceutical companies.' Since November, then, the biohackers have seen a bright new dawn. With Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s appointment as secretary of Health and Human Services—people here refer to him as 'Bobby,' affectionately, like an old friend—and the initiation of MAHA, years of work have come to fruition. MAHA's agenda legitimizes the biohacking ethos: that we must curb the pharmaceutical industry's influence on public health policy and research, that we are all overmedicated as a result, that self-governance over health is paramount. RFK's antivax crusade has set off alarm bells across the scientific community—most recently, he gutted the Center for Disease Control's vaccine advisory committee and appointed several new vaccine skeptics, just as the US is seeing a resurgence of measles outbreaks. But for the biohackers, it is an almost mythical underdog moment. David, at last, has been armed with his sling across the pit from Goliath. The PureWave vibroacoustic electromagnetic infrared biosynchonizer bed. Photograph: Will Bahr Despite the MAHA fandom, every biohacker I spoke to said they were apolitical. MAHA itself, they insist, is apolitical. What could possibly be partisan about wanting healthy kids? Having energy and vitality and a high quality of life? My only heated exchange over the conference's three days was with Siggi Clavien, founder of Equilibrium Labs, the company that scanned my newborn baby liver. 'Preserving, progressing, and saving the health of the children of this nation—that's what MAHA is. And if you take a side on that either way politically, you don't understand what we're doing. And how dare you take that aspect, and challenge us trying to help children's health?' (Clavien asks me 'how dare you' three times over the course of our short interview.) For the biohackers, decentralization is a feature, not a bug. It's a safeguard against corruption. 'The biohacking community,' Fabrizio 'Fab' Mancini, a chiropractor and frequent flier of the daytime TV medical circuit, tells me, 'is not owned by any one entity. It's actual individuals.' In a community for whom deregulation is entirely the point, though, how do you screen for bullshit? I ask Asprey about the vetting process for the slew of vendors and speakers hawking treatments on his trade show floor, many of them expensive, few FDA-approved. 'I don't look at anything as being fringe,' he tells me. 'It's either known or unknown, and it has evidence or it doesn't.' On the last day of the conference, I attend a talk on snake venom. A man named Sincere Seven is extolling the medicinal virtues of microdosing viper, cobra, and rattlesnake venoms directly into his patients' bloodstream. Flowpresso lymphatic drainage technology. Photograph: Will Bahr 'The snake heals its prey before it kills its prey,' he claims, before personifying the serpent. 'I inject venom into you that will induce a rapid healing. Flood the body with white blood cells, kill off viruses, kill off bacteria, kill off tumors, kill off cancers—cause I don't wanna eat that.' (Trace amounts of venoms are currently used in FDA-approved drugs and have been found to be effective in stroke treatment.) Seven is asked by an audience member if snake venom could be used to treat autism. While he hadn't personally tested it yet, Seven stresses, 'I'm willing to work with anybody ... Me and my colleagues, we are the clinical trials.' 'Oh, my gosh,' a woman breathes in the audience. Whether she is moved or horrified, I can't tell. At the end of the day, I get it. It's not fair to say that I hate my body, exactly—the thing certainly has its merits, and what's more, biohackers talk constantly of the power of positive language in manifesting your reality—but we've never really hit it off. One of my earliest memories involves my parents calling 911 when I had breathing trouble, the paramedics looming over me so tall I swear they scraped the ceiling. In college I was walloped with Lyme disease, my wrists frozen stiff one morning to the point that I couldn't open my dorm room door. I've broken several bones, had a (non-cancerous) lesion removed from my scalp, passed a kidney stone. I have insomnia and depression and a perpetually swollen ankle. I've had Covid at least five times. As of this writing, I'm days away from an appointment with my dermatologist, who'll carve a portion from my back to determine whether or not I have skin cancer. Part of me really wants to endorse a grand arsenal of magic bullets. I am sick, and I am tired, and I want answers. I, too, long to throw up my hands and write off Western medicine in all its byzantine expense, to embrace something different and eccentric and even expensive, as long as it means getting healed at last. There are other, better ways to transform health care, of course—ways that could lastingly help the millions who can afford neither chemotherapy nor a cryochamber—like universal health care, stronger regulation of the pharmaceutical industry, and a system more focused on preventative medicine. But these reforms will take political courage and considerable time. Instead we find ourselves entrenched ever further in a culture war, with politicians placing science in its crosshairs. This, at its core, is the biohackers' dilemma. Over and over at the Fairmont, I hear of the need for evidence-based science in medicine: for clinical trials and citations in the JAMA and double-blind placebo tests. In practically the same breath, I hear the vehement dismissal of evidence using those very safeguards—such as those used to develop vaccines—when it doesn't square with the biohackers' ideals. Though 'Live Beyond 180' is a sleek-enough slogan for this crowd, another strikes me as equally fitting: 'Science is dead, long live science.' 'The bottom line,' Dr. Fab says, 'is that anybody can actually put up a booth and actually sell whatever they feel. That's where an informed consumer is the key.' But that's a hell of an ask. Information, as we know all too well by now, ain't what it used to be.
Khaleej Times
6 days ago
- Health
- Khaleej Times
How to reverse your biological age? Somatic coach offers tips
After over a decade in corporate leadership, London-based Somatic & Nervous System Coach Estee Lantos found herself facing a wake-up call—her body was aging faster than it should, and chronic stress was taking a toll she could no longer ignore. What followed was a radical shift: she left her high-powered role, reversed her autoimmune condition, and began aligning her life with a more feminine, regulated, and sustainable rhythm. Today, she helps individuals and organisations reclaim vitality through nervous system regulation, somatic healing, and biohacking from the inside out. We sat down with Estee to explore her journey, the science behind stress, and what it really means to 'regulate' in a dysregulated world. Your personal wellness journey is deeply intertwined with your professional evolution. What was the defining moment that made you leave corporate leadership and fully commit to healing? You could say it was meant to be, timing-wise, as our company had just been acquired. After supporting the integration journey, it became a natural opportunity for me to take the leap and move closer to a more aligned path with deeper purpose. In parallel, I had measured my own biological age and realised that stress had caused me to age faster—I was eight years older than my chronological age. So I committed to reversing this, and after succeeding, I decided to turn that process into a programme to help others too. What does it truly mean to have a "regulated nervous system," and why is it such a game-changer in today's high-stress world? It means that you are flexible enough to return to calm states after facing challenges (whether that's emotional or physical). Having a regulated nervous system is transformative for different reasons, including better overall health (mental & physical), stronger relationships and more authentic connection with others, improved decision-making, creativity, and more resilience to further stress. You mention reversing your autoimmune condition and biological age—what were some of the core practices that helped you achieve that? It was a holistic approach—but the key strategy was to address factors where I do have influence. Because we all have certain genetic risks, but you can change a lot by working on other factors such as addressing the triggers coming from your lifestyle, improving your gut health, or improving your relationship with yourself. Plus continuing to focus on various health optimisation practices I have already been doing—including prioritising sleep and my circadian rhythm, cycle syncing—following the infradian rhythm of the female body, spending time in nature, etc. When I say addressing the triggers, in my case, that was stress and also gluten. And so I cut out gluten completely, transformed my stress through body-based and somatic modalities which were so powerful that they are now part of my programme as well, and I'm teaching it to my clients. But triggers can be unique for everybody—so it's always important to understand your unique situation rather than following a one-size-fits-all approach. (It may be hormonal changes, toxins, infections, etc.) For those unfamiliar, how would you describe the concept of nervous system regulation in simple terms? It's having more conscious control over when to speed up and when to slow down. Because stress is not good or bad—it's just mobilisation energy. It's needed and helpful, but we need to be able to turn it off. There is constant two-way communication between your brain and the body—so with nervous system regulation interventions, we find a way to influence how we signal safety to our system, so we can turn the stress response off when we don't need it anymore. Sadly, in today's high-stress world, many people are stuck in stress mode and sometimes not even aware of it, as it's so normalised. Can you explain how TRE (Tension & Trauma Releasing Exercises) works and what a typical session with you might look like? During a typical TRE (Tension & Trauma Releasing Exercises) session, we begin with seven simple exercises—gentle stretches and muscle activations—to prepare the body for release. While lying on a mat, natural involuntary tremors are activated, allowing the body to discharge deep tension and stress. This tremoring is completely natural and safe (animals do it too after stress), and while no talking is required, memories or emotions may gently surface to be released. The process is very gentle, and in fact, most of my clients smile the first time they activate the shaking—it's a unique and often surprising experience to witness your body letting go in a safe container. What are some signs that someone's nervous system is dysregulated, even if they 'seem fine' on the outside? There are a bunch of different signs—I will leave the list below—but let me share one which to me was the most surprising: when I notice myself getting more clumsy than usual, it's a sign of that too. It's great that I know it now, as I can slow down, stop, and bring myself back to a more balanced state before it gets bigger. But here are some of the most common ones I see with my clients: Mental & Emotional ● Chronic anxiety, worry, or restlessness ● Harsh self-talk ● Mood swings, irritability, or feeling easily overwhelmed ● Emotional numbness, disconnection, or inability to feel joy ● Brain fog, poor concentration, or memory issues Sleep & Energy ● Trouble falling or staying asleep ● Waking up tired or feeling unrefreshed ● Persistent fatigue or burnout, even with rest ● Sudden energy crashes or wired-but-tired states Physical ● Chronic muscle tension (neck, jaw, shoulders, lower back) ● Digestive issues (bloating, IBS, nausea—linked to vagal tone) ● Headaches or migraines ● Sensitivity to noise, light, or touch ● Heart rate staying higher than usual, breathing remains shallow or quick ● Heart palpitations, etc. Other Procrastination, over-controlling, perfectionism, or hyper-independence; Difficulty relaxing or 'doing nothing'; Startling easily or always feeling "on alert". You're both a biohacker and a coach grounded in trauma-informed methods—how do you blend hard science and somatic wisdom in your work? Just reading this question lights me up because this intersection truly excites me. I believe the right combination of strategies is key—they can be very complementary—but we have to start with the foundations first. You can't biohack your way out of dysregulation from the outside in; it has to begin from the inside out. In fact, I'm living proof, along with some of the people I've recently worked with, that doing just the cool biohacking stuff isn't as effective if your body is still stuck in survival mode or parts of you aren't fully integrated. For me, it's about marrying data with felt experience, precision with compassion. This fusion allows us to tailor interventions that are not only scientifically sound but deeply human, empowering clients to reclaim nervous system resilience at every level. Plus, somatic wisdom is increasingly validated by hard science, so it's only a matter of time before science fully catches up. There's a lot of noise in the biohacking space. What are three tools or practices you genuinely swear by? It all comes back to giving yourself support to get the foundations right. Number one for me is sleep. I make sure to get morning light in my eyes, filter out blue light in the evening, and use mouth taping to encourage proper nose breathing throughout the night. I've been consistent with these habits for over seven years, and if I skip them, my sleep data clearly shows a drop in restorative sleep. Since we've talked a lot about stress, I also recommend tracking heart rate variability (HRV) to understand your personal patterns and triggers—this is super helpful for managing and transforming stress. But just as important are the other basics: eating real, clean, preferably organic whole foods, staying properly hydrated, moving regularly, and your community/connections. You work with biological age testing—can you walk us through how stress shows up in those results and how your approach shifts it? Chronic stress is inflammatory, and when we test biological age, we look at markers of sustained low-grade inflammation—often referred to as inflammaging. This type of inflammation is one of the hallmarks of aging and plays a key role in accelerating biological wear and tear. How you nourish yourself, sleep, move, and respond to stress all deeply influence your internal environment—either fuelling or reducing that chronic inflammation. That's why, in my approach, I always start with the nervous system—helping clients shift out of survival mode and regulate their stress response using a combination of somatic and mind-driven tools. Once that foundation is in place, we layer in tailored recommendations for cellular health, nutrition, movement, and recovery—evidence-based strategies that not only enhance overall well-being but can also measurably improve biological age markers over time. And all of it is based on each client's unique test results.
BreakingNews.ie
7 days ago
- Health
- BreakingNews.ie
What's your ‘biological age'? And here's how to lower it…
It's no secret that wellness fads come as quickly as they go. From the low-fat diets of the Noughties to the UPF-free food of today – society loves indulging in the newest health hack. The newest wellness trend to step onto the scene is 'biohacking'. You may have heard of it via Bryan Johnson's infamous anti-ageing quest, or simply by the numerous podcasts that now discuss cell health and biological age. Advertisement View this post on Instagram A post shared by Bryan Johnson (@bryanjohnson_) But what really is biohacking? How do you find out your biological age? And does it really determine how long you'll live for? Doctors specialising in stem cell and longevity research explain what biological age really means, how to lower it and why it's fast becoming the ultimate wellness metric in modern medicine. What is biological age? Biological age – a measurement of how well your body is functioning based on factors like lifestyle, stress and cellular health – is different to chronological age, as it isn't fixed, and (perhaps thankfully) you can reverse it. According to longevity experts, biological age provides a more accurate picture of health span than the candles on our birthday cake. And increasingly, it's being treated as something we can influence. Advertisement Chief executive of Cellcolabs, Dr Mattias Bernow, who provided the stem cells for biohacker Bryan Johnson, explains that this measurement is, 'a marker of how old your body seems based on your health, lifestyle and cellular function.' In other words, you might be 50 on paper, but living like someone 35 – or 65. 'Two people who are both 40 years old chronologically might have very different biological ages depending on how they live, their stress levels, their metabolic health and more,' says GP and founder of London's longevity clinic, HUM2N, Dr Mohammed Enayat. What accelerates biological ageing? The good news is that many of the biggest culprits behind accelerated ageing are changeable. Both Enayat and Bernow point to chronic stress, poor sleep, lack of exercise, ultra-processed foods and environmental toxins as major accelerants. Parenting itself doesn't inherently age the body, but, as Enayat points out, the chronic sleep deprivation and stress associated with caregiving certainly can. Advertisement Lack of sleep caused by parenting can increase your biological age Inflammation is another central player. 'These factors contribute to increasing low-grade inflammation,' Bernow explains, 'which plays a key role in age-related decline and the development of chronic disease.' But this process, he says, is not set in stone. 'While we can't control everything, small, consistent changes to reduce these stressors can make a meaningful difference in how we age.' Which lifestyle changes have the biggest scientific backing when it comes to reversing it? When it comes to slowing the clock, it turns out the best advice isn't ground-breaking – it's just often overlooked. Quality sleep, regular movement, a balanced whole-food diet, meaningful relationships and avoiding harmful substances all rank highly on the evidence-based list. Advertisement Enayat also points to practices like caloric moderation, intermittent fasting and resistance training for their 'strong results in slowing biological ageing at a cellular level.' However, these diets impact each sex differently, with intermittent fasting in particular causing more stress on women's bodies while being effective for men, meaning they will affect biological age differently. How big a part do genetics play? Though it's tempting to think of ageing as a genetic lottery, our DNA doesn't write the full script. 'Genes load the gun, but lifestyle pulls the trigger,' Enayat says, noting that genetics may only account for 20 to 30 per cent of ageing outcomes. Bernow says that emerging research suggests as much as 80 per cent of ageing is governed by one's environment and behaviour. Advertisement Do supplements actually make a difference? Supplements claim everything from healthier skin to better energy to thicker hair – but it's fair to be sceptical of whether they really make a difference, or if it's all marketing. However, there are some supplements that have been proven to be helpful if taken correctly and absorbed properly. 'Protein is essential for preserving muscle mass,' says Enayat, while collagen 'may help with skin and joint health,' though its systemic anti-ageing benefits are modest. Some supplements can make a difference if taken and absorbed correctly Fish oil, magnesium, creatine and polyphenols all show promise too, but Enayat is keen to emphasise that supplement should support – not replace – healthy habits. Bernow cautions that while some supplements, like vitamin D, are well-supported (especially in sun-deprived regions), many products on the market are poorly regulated. 'Supplements are not a substitute for healthy habits,' he says, 'but in some cases, they can play a supportive role if used thoughtfully.' How to find out your biological age and what healthy habits the experts incorporate If this has sparked a curiosity to find out your own biological age, figuring it out requires a blood test. 'The most validated tests look at DNA methylation patterns,' says Enayat, and suggests well-known tests like the Horvath Clock, GlycanAge and TruAge. Bernow says that Bryan Johnson uses the DunedinPACE test, which claims to show he's ageing at just 0.66 years per year (66% of his chronological age). As for how these experts practise what they preach – they say it's all about balance and consistency. Moderate, low impact exercise can actually lower biological age Enayat's daily habits include either walking, strength training or stretching, prioritising plants and healthy fats, regular fasting, cold exposure and supplementing with omega-3, vitamin D, magnesium and creatine. 'The goal is consistency, not perfection,' he says. Lifestyle Paul Hollywood's sausage plait recipe Read More Bernow takes a similar approach, but with less exercise and more socialising, explaining he takes a short morning workout, has plenty of family time, eats balanced meals and drinks minimal alcohol. 'More than anything, I believe in consistency,' he says. 'Longevity isn't about extremes but about the things you do every day, for years.' So, while biohacking might conjure visions of futuristic and expensive tech, the real secret to ageing well is actually much simpler – by prioritising balance and relaxation – not difficult at all in today's world!
