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BioHacking

The term “biohacking” has become a buzz-word in the realm of wellness. Personally, I greatly dislike this term as “hacking” to me has a negative connotation. 

From tech enthusiasts to everyday individuals seeking vitality and longevity, biohacking represents a desire to take control of one’s health using science, technology, and lifestyle strategies. My concern lies with people seeking to improve their health falling prey to clever advertising and falling down the proverbial rabbit hole. This is where the qualified natural health practitioner is able to support people in navigating biohacking safely and effectively with evidence-based natural health principles. 

What is Biohacking?

Biohacking encompasses a broad spectrum of practices aimed at improving physical, mental, and emotional performance. On one end, it includes simple, healthy habits such as improving sleep hygiene, optimising nutrition, or incorporating mindfulness. On the other end, it ventures into advanced interventions like cryotherapy, nootropics, wearable health monitors, genetic testing, and even implantable technologies.1,2

While some biohacking methods are rooted in sound science, others are based on pseudoscience or carry significant risks.1,2 For the growing number of individuals drawn to these practices, the guidance of trained health professionals is vital.

Why is Biohacking So Popular?

People are seeking ways to combat chronic stress, fatigue, ageing, and modern health challenges, often through highly personalised approaches. This self-driven ethos resonates particularly with those interested in wellness, empowering them to experiment and take charge of their health.2

However, the overwhelming abundance of information—often anecdotal or conflicting—leaves many unsure of what actually works. This creates a significant gap where natural health practitioners can step in.

Navigating Biohacking Safely

While biohacking holds great potential, it’s important to emphasise safety and sustainability. Some extreme biohacks, like implantable devices or untested and inferior supplements, may carry significant risks.1 Your practitioner will be able to educate you on distinguishing between promising innovations and unproven or harmful practices. Additionally, your practitioner has the training and therefore, ability to interpret and integrate data from wearable technology, genetic tests, functional pathology, or microbiome analyses to ensure you get actionable, science-backed insights rather than becoming overwhelmed by information.

How your practitioner can help

Supporting Healthy Metabolism

A healthy metabolism is the cornerstone to a long healthspan, reducing the risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease.3 Both naturopathic experts and biohackers aim to influence metabolism at a cellular level via key enzymes and pathways such as sirtuins, AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), the nicotinamide pathway and the nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor (nrf2) pathway.4 Supplements containing isolated nutrients,5 medications such as metformin,6 and lifestyle practices such as fasting  and specific exercise regimens7 are touted to enhance these pathways. But which ones actually work, and which do more harm than good?

Encouraging Physical Fitness

Research shows that physical fitness is one of the greatest predictors of healthspan.8 The guidance of a natural healthcare practitioner can be vital in helping people remain active, and augment the effects of exercise with herbs and supplements to get the greatest benefits. I prefer to use the term “movement” rather than exercise which often conjures the image of slogging it out at the gym or pounding the pavement for kilometer after kilometer. Moving the body every day to promote health and fitness is recommended.

Maintaining a Healthy Brain

The ageing brain is susceptible to oxidative stress and neuroinflammation, increasing the risk of cognitive decline and neurodegenerative disorders.9 Maintaining a healthy mind and a healthy brain is key to improving both lifespan and healthspan. Biohackers often use nootropics to enhance their cognitive function.1 Some of these are safe and well researched in healthy people 10, while others are decidedly experimental and potentially dangerous (such as off-label use of psychotropics).11 Your practitioner can provide guidance on evidence-backed supplements and help you avoid potentially harmful substances.

Nutrition and Fasting

Biohacking often incorporates strategies like ketogenic diets, intermittent fasting, and nutrigenomics (personalised nutrition based on genetic data).1 Many of the diets recommended can actually create detrimental long-term health problems. This is an area where seeking the guidance of a qualified naturopath is essential to help navigate these approaches, ensuring they are nutritionally sound and tailored to your individual needs.

 

Biohacking is more than a trend—it’s a cultural shift toward self-empowerment in health. Regardless of the term, let’s work together using sound evidence-based evidence to support health well into the future.

 


References:  Above information is based on technical data compiled by Integria Healthcare

  1. Healthline. Guide to Biohacking: Types, Safety, and How To [Internet]. New York: Healthline Media; 2019. Available from: https://www.healthline.com/health/biohacking#takeaway
  2. Sarmah B, Vidhate SS. Yoga and biohacking: A comprehensive overview. UGC Care. 2024; 48(2):30-40.
  3. Li X, Ploner A, Wang Y, Zhan Y, Pedersen NL, Magnusson PK, Jylhävä J, Hägg S. Clinical biomarkers and associations with healthspan and lifespan: Evidence from observational and genetic data. EBioMedicine. 2021 Apr;66. DOI: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2021.103318
  4. Maiese K. Sirtuins in metabolic disease: innovative therapeutic strategies with SIRT1, AMPK, mTOR, and nicotinamide. In: Sirtuin Biology in Cancer and Metabolic Disease 2021 Jan 1 (pp. 3-23). Academic Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-822467-0.00006-1
  5. Lucius K. Botanical Medicine and Phytochemicals in Healthy Aging and Longevity—Part 2. Alternative and Complementary Therapies. 2020 Apr 1;26(2):70-8. DOI:10.1089/act.2020.29268.kha
  6. Foretz M, Guigas B, Bertrand L, Pollak M, Viollet B. Metformin: From Mechanisms of Action to Therapies. Cell Metabolism. 2014 Dec;20(6):953-66. DOI:10.1016/j.cmet.2014.09.018
  7. Di Nicolantonio JJ, McCarty MF, O’Keefe JH. Nutraceutical activation of Sirt1: a review. Open Heart. 2022 Dec;9(2):e002171. DOI:10.1136/openhrt-2022-002171
  8. Lavie CJ, Sanchis-Gomar F, Ozemek C. Fit Is It for Longevity Across Populations. Journal of the American College of Cardiology. 2022 Aug;80(6):610-2. DOI:10.1016/j.jacc.2022.05.030
  9. Baierle M, Nascimento SN, Moro AM, Brucker N, Freitas F, Gauer B, et al. Relationship between Inflammation and Oxidative Stress and Cognitive Decline in the Institutionalized Elderly. Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity. 2015;2015:1-12. DOI:10.1155/2015/804198
  10. Lorca C, Mulet M, Arévalo-Caro C, Sanchez MÁ, Perez A, Perrino M, et al. Plant-derived nootropics and human cognition: A systematic review. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition. 2023 Aug 29;63(22):5521-45. DOI:10.1080/10408398.2021.2021137
  11. Schifano F, Catalani V, Sharif S, Napoletano F, Corkery JM, Arillotta D, et al. Benefits and Harms of ‘Smart Drugs’ (Nootropics) in Healthy Individuals. Drugs. 2022 Apr;82(6):633-47. DOI:10.1007/s40265-022-01701-7