Health Freaks & Data Geeks, August 2023

What's biohacking? Further research for hungry minds ...

Hello fellow data geeks!

And a big welcome to the wave of new subscribers! Maybe you’re here because Substack recommended Taking the Hell out of Healthy as a best seller? Or you read this press interview on the success of Substack authors? Or maybe a fabulous friend recommended you jump on my 7-day free trial? Hi!

This is the space where you will find meaty scientific nourishment, outside the physical nourishment of Taking the Hell out of Healthy. I love this section. But then again, I am a committed nerd with a research degree from Oxford University (MSc) where my thesis specialised in medical anthropology. Experimenting in the kitchen is an extension of this passion, where, like a giddy sprite, I challenge conventional ways of choosing, cooking and prepping food. I squeeze the sesh into obsession.

Last month, we dipped our toes into the shallow end of the longevity pool. Dr Lucia Aronica’s interview on her work within epigenetics was definitely a favourite listen. Now for a deeper plunge! I hope you learn something interesting and enjoyable.

These days, people are not just living for longer. They are dying for longer. The discourse surrounding longevity primarily focuses on quality of years rather than quantity of years - optimising what we are capable of naturally. (The former, may of course fuel the latter).

Building on this theme, we're exploring the concept of health span and biohacking this month, the complexity of bio markers, easy things to focus on without shelling out for new devices or regular testing, and why this field is dominated by “the bros.”

Not everyone agrees on one single approach. In fact, scientists rarely find a unanimous consensus on anything! So it’s important to view this data as informative and not conclusive. We are each biologically so different, and consequently require nuanced treatments to suit our body, our behaviours, and our environment. 

Biohacking is about the optimum way(s) we can control and augment our biology. It’s about changing your body’s chemistry and physiology to increase vitality. It’s about resilience. No one is immune to stress. No one is immune to developing disease. But we definitely can augment our chances of bouncing back.

I think there's a culture of over testing within the biohacking sphere, but also in under testing here in Ireland. It's important to note both ends of the spectrum and explore where you might benefit or fit in. Enjoy!

(1) Exposing the data bias operating within science, that continues to fail women

Invisible Women (currently half price at Easons) by Caroline Criado Perez is an exceptionally well-researched book. It's a page-turner - equal parts revelatory and inspiring. It will change the way you see the world.

Perez reveals how, in a world largely built for men, we are systematically excluding half the population. As a woman, I can tell you that this is horrifying within the context of medical research. I promise this book is a pleasure to page through, and reads like a thriller rather than a rant.

(2) Biohacking - what women should know and focus on

One for the data geeks - this ain’t easy listening! The term biohacking is a little comical and egoic. I imagine it’s a tech-bro term but the concept is still helpful. I like to think of biohacking as simply managing our health in the face of adversity. It's interesting to hear specialists and enthusiasts talk about this space, from tweaking tried and tested behavioural changes, supplementation, dietary observations, thermo stressors, etc. I'm up for learning! (But also loyal to a growth mindset, so let’s view this arena as informative rather than conclusive).

And on to this podcast! Dr. Molly Maloof, a leading biohacker and medical physician in the US, talks to MindBodyGreen founder, Jason Wachob, on building gender inclusion within the bio hacking arena of longevity. (See Caroline Criado Perez’s book for a thoroughly haunting and brilliant insight into gender exclusion, why it’s still happening, and how it shapes our reality).

This episode is a good listen, but let me be bone-crunching honest … the word “like” is needlessly pumped into conversation so often that it sounds like a parody of a teenage American soap opera. It makes for difficult listening. However! Molly is clearly a brilliant researcher and physician, so stick with it if you can. There is so much food and nourishment here.

MindBodyGreen also just released a number of interviews with centenarian MDs on longevity and spirituality. How amazing! These interviews are much more accessible than the science-heavy conversation with Molly Maloof for example. So a good choice, if you're hoping to gently coax a loved one into taking the hell out of healthy.

(3) Actionable aging tips, to help you thrive no matter what age you are

Dr Mark Hyman's latest book, Young Forever, is easy to read, highly accessible and delightfully informative. Hyman favours a high protein animal diet over wholegrains, which is not for everyone (me included at this point in my life, but who knows?! This may change). Hyman’s work is worth exploring and taking on board. What makes humans so damn charming is our unique set of requirements. No two bodies are identical. We each have different needs, and different ways to meet these needs. A wide reading list is compulsory for health geeks! This book, as well as Jonny Bowden's, is an approachable read to good health and make lovely gifts (not too heavy on the science). Dr Mark (as he calls himself) has his own podcast show called The Doctor’s Farmacy.

(4) Simple, effective ways to live longer

Bowden’s book is great place to start, and much more accessible than bio hacking concepts or genome sequencing. Bowden does an eloquent job of helping readers to recognise health issues before they become health problems. This is the book you want to gift your loved ones.

Dr. Jonny Bowden (PhD not MD) is a qualified nutritionist and psychologist. A good combination if you’re hoping to be motivated in this arena, right?!

Bowden reminds us to rein in the four horsemen of aging - inflammation, oxidation, stress and sugar. Bowden has a lovely rhythm to his writing, without the crazy dogma that devils so many nutritional scientists. His book on cholesterol is fascinating too, but we'll cover that another day.

Dr Joel Fuhrman is likely a name you’re already familiar with - nutritionist and MD to many celebs. His emphasis, like Bowden’s, is on nutritional excellence. Fuhrman’s functional practice really highlights the beloved adage that “food is medicine.” Here, he chats to Simon Hill about SCFA’s (our April obsession!), plant based sources of protein, sleep regulation, challenging dietary behaviours, reversing chronic conditions, omega 3 and exercise. All the goodies! If you’re serious about your health, you can’t get enough of these wonderful interviews in your life. Consider them as part of your cheerleading squad to better health!

(5) What is inflammaging?

This episode is sponsored by Bioptimizers and InsideTracker, both “accessories” within the biohacking sphere. So even the ads in this podcast will help you build a picture of biohacking as an industry as well as a hobby!

The father of functional medicine, Dr Jeffrey Bland, sits down with Dhru Purohit to discuss biological resilience. Practical and informative.

(6) Outlive: a cult-status book on the art of longevity

Dr Peter Attia is an OG within this field, and has an entire podcast series called The Drive dedicated to rethinking modern medicine and the science of longevity. Attia is a maths genius, MD, surgical oncologist, amateur athlete, and prodigious researcher. While I have not read his book Outlive yet, I’ve listened to Attia on countless podcasts and could not seriously compile a list of longevity experts without including Attia’s body of work in the field. Always comprehensive and rigorous, Attia’s work is “full of surprising insights into the diseases of aging that will likely kill most of us, and the tactics and techniques that can help us live longer and in better health.” - Siddhartha Mukherjee

Here’s his free podcast series, which covers most topics in his book;

(7) Why and how we age - Sinclair’s legacy

Can we reprogramme our genes to stop aging? Or even reverse aging? Controversially, Dr David Sinclair (PhD) thinks we can. As the science in this arena is rapidly progressing, a knowledge of Sinlclair’s ground-breaking research will keep you abreast of developments and its subsequent bifurcations. (Much of the research that followed Sinclair’s seminal paper in 2005 either disproves or supports Sinclair, dividing the field into two camps).

While I’m not crazy about Sinclair’s message of quaffing industrial amounts of resveratrol (1000mg daily), fasting 22 hours a day, or his view that “aging is simply a disease,” I can nevertheless appreciate his research journey and admire his stellar body of work. If he’s not going to live forever, he’ll die trying.

One thing I can confidently, if reluctantly, glean from a number of interviews with Sinclair is that this biologist seems surprisingly intolerant of those who disagree with his findings. Not typically a hallmark of a rigorous academic, but I shouldn’t be surprised that scientists get attached to their discoveries! Especially of the legendary status.

Anyway, listener beware. Perhaps I’m being unfair - let me know what you think!?

Sinclair is Professor of Genetics at Harvard Medical School, author of the book Lifespan: Why We Age & Why We Don’t Have To, one of TIME Magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world, and prodigious author of original research in the field of longevity.

If you’re naturally inquisitive or even anthropologically curious about Sinclair’s work, you can listen to him being interviewed by one (or all) of the following medical experts;

Prof. Andrew Huberman interviews Prof. David Sinclair (Huberman is an exceptional interviewer and neuroscientist. This interview is an easier listen than the science-heavy session with biologist Dr Rhonda Patrick). Two great scientists discuss methods to offset aging, and behaviours to promote cell autophagy (clearance of dead cells). Sinclair explains his controversial opinion of aging as a disease, although I’m still not convinced as I watch my 13 year old son Benjamin rapidly age and grow. We’d hardly call a toddler or a teenager diseased! Aging, in my limited experience and unscientific opinion, is more approachable as a verb and not a disease.

Dr. Rangan Chaterjee interviews Prof. David Sinclair mostly about fasting, inflammation, and “adversity genes.”

Dr Gil Blander, founder of InsideTracker, interviews Prof. David Sinclair (although Sinclair is chairman of the Scientific Advisory Board for Inside Tracker so a subtle conflict of interest exists here).

Biologist Dr Rhonda Patrick sits down with Prof. David Sinclair and nerds out on cellular reprogramming, cellular rejuvenation, metformin, NMN (nicotinamide mononucleotide) a potent precursor to NAD, and the science behind fasting. Lots of visual charts. One for the data geeks.

(8) Disparities in the field of longevity science

With our obsession for an extended lifespan, has science been led astray?

Watch an excellent interview with Professor Charles Brenner unpicking the disproportionate attention given to the science of longevity. Professor Brenner helps elucidate the controversy surrounding, for example, Dr David Sinclair's influential research on aging. Essential listening for a much more rounded exposure in this trending arena.