What is biohacking & should I try it?
Biohacking gained popularity in the health and fitness world within the past decade however, some of its practices are ancient like meditation and adjusting sleep patterns to benefit your health. What is biohacking? “Biohacking is a do-it-yourself (DIY) form of human enhancement or augmentation, in which people attempt to change aspects of their biology to improve their health, performance, or well-being. Some types of biohacking have been around for many years, such as intermittent fasting.”
Why do people want to biohack their bodies? “Some do it because they don’t feel well and want to go beyond traditional medicine to address health concerns. Others want to use engineering to explore unconventional ideas and have full control over their own bodies. Still others do it because they want to try to halt the aging process and attempt to live forever.”
“Biohacks promise anything from quick weight loss to enhanced brain function. But the best biohacking results come from being well-informed and cautious about what works for your body.” There are various forms of biohacking a person may want to try, some are; nutrigenomics, intermittent fasting, cold water therapy, and caffeine. There are also extreme methods of biohacking called “grinders”, those are people who implant devices under their skin for human augmentation. Another extreme biohacking behavior could be taking certain medications to alter your biology. These extreme practices are not recommended before consulting a doctor. For the purpose of this article, the focus will be on non invasive forms of biohacking.
One way to help gather data about your body is from a smart watch or other wearable fitness tracker. This data can help inform you about what is happening with your body and then you can form a plan of what to tweak to reap the results you desire. Another way is to learn about your DNA by having your saliva studied and then change your diet according to your DNA needs, this is called nutrigenomics. This form of DIY biology changing is controversial expecting that different nutrients can affect how you feel, think, and behave. Blood tests may be an important key to biohacking to discover the body’s various levels of nutrients present and aspects like plasma and cell count.
Nutrigenomics may be a positive piece to the healthy body puzzle. By finding out what your DNA is predisposed to, you may be able to decrease your chances of getting a certain disease. Nutrigenomics may also help to lose weight or lower depression symptoms. It could also favorably effect blood pressure or gut bacteria. “Food does impact your genes. But not everyone’s bodies respond in the same way to changes in diet or habits. A 2015 review of current nutrigenomics research suggests that minor gene expression changes are only one piece of the larger puzzle. Other factors like exercise, stress levels, and weight all play a role in your body’s response to food.”
“Intermittent fasting works by prolonging the period when your body has burned through the calories consumed during your last meal and begins burning fat.” A popular plan to start with is eating for an 8-hour period and not eating for 16 hours. It is encouraged to eat a healthy diet during the eating period to a achieve the benefits of intermittent fasting. Another intermittent fasting approach is 5:2, eating regularly for 5 days of the week and only eating about 500-600 calories on the other 2 days. Longer periods of fasting such as 2 -3 days might not be better for losing weight as the body may be triggered to start storing fat for starvation. Johns Hopkins neuroscientist Mark Mattson research show, “it can take two to four weeks before the body becomes accustomed to intermittent fasting. You might feel hungry or cranky while you’re getting used to the new routine. But, he observes, research subjects who make it through the adjustment period tend to stick with the plan because they notice they feel better.” There can be so many benefits to intermittent fasting; improved thinking and memory, overall heart health, physical fitness, prevention of type 2 diabetes and obesity and tissue health. However, there are certain groups of people who should not experiment with intermittent fasting such as, children under 18 years old, women who are pregnant of breastfeeding, people with type 1 diabetes who take insulin and people with a history of eating disorders.
Cold water therapy is the practice of immersing the body under water that is below 59 degrees. This can take place in open water such as in a swimming pool, ocean, or ice bath. Some people believe that exposing their body to cold can help burn fat faster. Other positive benefits can be seen in the cardiovascular system, immune system, endocrine system and mental health. “However, there is a risk of death in unfamiliar people, either due to the initial neurogenic cold shock response or due to a progressive decrease in swimming efficiency or hypothermia.” Under the supervision of a trained professional, a person may want to try an acclamation program to gradually go longer periods of time in the cold water.
Caffiene can help increase alertness, productivity and focus. However, just like with most things in life, moderation is key. Some negative side effects of caffeine can be increased blood pressure, heartburn and headaches.
So, does biohacking work? It’s tough to say for sure since there is inconsistent reporting of results and lack of regulation. Therefore, if you decide you want to try biohacking your biology, the best rule of thumb is to always consult your doctor first!