“Hacking” has been synonymous with exploitation, intrusion, and cheating your way into something you shouldn’t. But in modern health science, it’s actually a means to longevity and enhanced overall wellness. Who would’ve thought?
If you’ve been curious about biohacking but feel unsure if it’s for you, the best first step is to learn it from an objective viewpoint.
This guide discusses how biohacking works, its brief history, and its different types. We’ll also explore popular examples as well as any potential risks to help you decide if biohacking is for you.
What is Biohacking?
Biohacking, as the portmanteau suggests, is a DIY approach to hacking one’s biological process to improve overall wellness. This encompasses physical and mental health, employing gradual but continuous changes in lifestyle and nutrition, oftentimes with supplementation, and may also include extreme measures of self-experimentation using unregulated biological materials.
Regardless of the methodology, biohacking aims to achieve a specific health goal like fitness, improving gut health, enhancing cognitive performance, or reversing the aging process.
The practice draws methods from biology, neuroscience, and genetics, among others, to optimize the human body’s natural response to stressors and changes in health conditions.
Biohacking employs the same philosophy as “computer hacking,” where you figure out a way to access something you’re not fully aware of but want to understand; to take control of it, and change the way it works to your liking. In the same way, biohacking means taking full control of your health instead of leaving it to genetics or chance.
Although controversial, biohacking has been considered an option worth exploring by individuals who are either trying to optimize their health or are undergoing treatment but find conventional medical solutions lacking and ineffective.
The History and Evolution of Biohacking
It’s unclear who was the first to coin the term “biohacker” but it was popularized by IT geek Dave Asprey, now known as the father of biohacking.
But more than just a mainstream trend, biohacking is a global movement that emerged in the mid-2000s, although the practice itself started decades before that.
The first DIY biologists are mostly scientists and engineers with a university degree, and students in the same or related fields. With the goal of making biology more accessible, they performed research outside laboratories and without organizational support, usually doing experiments on and by themselves. This eliminated the need for the lengthy traditional process that requires approvals, forms, ethical committee meetings, and even consent.
Over time, as boundaries were pushed and access to technology became easier,
the community grew to transnational levels, with conferences held in various parts of the globe. It’s even expected that biohackers may outnumber traditional scientists in the future.
Biohacking Types and Examples
Believe it or not, any activity strategically done to enhance biological function is a biohack. This makes the possibilities of biohacking endless, and the complexity doesn’t even matter. It can range from simple changes in health habits to genetic engineering and body implants.
Let’s take a look at the different types of biohacking and their examples:
Biologics
DIY biology, sometimes also called garage biology, promotes “citizen science” without gatekeeping scientific knowledge and with more freedom when it comes to improvisation. This extends to other fields like synthetic biology and microbiology, and the use of the following products and methods, among others:
- Prescription meds
- Non-medical intravenous therapies
- Stem cell injections
Molecular
This promotes the use of either natural or synthetic molecules, usually in the form of supplements, to induce desired biological effects. This is often used in biohacking methods for brain function and aging, like the following:
- Nootropics and psychotropics for brain biohacking
- Anti-aging supplements with breakthrough active ingredients
Physical Health
This might come as a surprise, but exercise itself, when done right, is a biohack. It boosts beneficial physiological processes like cellular repair and regeneration and energy metabolism. This type of biohacking is commonly done by athletes. Some practices under this biohack include:
- HIIT exercises
- Ice baths
- Heat therapy
- Saunas
Energy
One of the most explored areas of biohacking, it revolves around sleep quality and stress relief. As we all know, poor sleep patterns and chronic stress are detrimental to efficient energy metabolism. Combining nutrition and technology, it commonly includes:
- Light therapy to regulate sleep cycle
- Sleep tracking devices
- B vitamin supplements
Grinder Biohacking
“Grinders” make up the more extreme subculture of biohackers. They’re into body modification, which involves the use of device implants. Grinder biohacking is a form of transhumanism, where individuals aim to merge humans with machines, practically turning themselves into cyborgs.
Nutrigenomics and Dietary Hacking
Nutrigenomics focuses on how food and nutrition can influence genetics in the long term. Used under the broader dietary biohacking practice, which can be aided by nutritional supplements, it aims to improve health through specific diets. Its goal is to prevent and treat disease, going as far as creating a personalized nutrition plan based on DNA analysis. Part of this practice means avoiding foods linked to diseases that your genes are predisposed to. Most biohacking diets are used for weight loss like the following:
- Intermittent fasting
- Ketogenic diet
Lifestyle Biohacking
This combines physical and dietary practices tweaked to suit an individual’s lifestyle and desired outcomes. It may also include the use of other biohacking products and practices like the following:
- Health supplements
- Meditation
- Weight loss diets
Functional Music
One of the lesser-known biohacking practices, functional music can be used to induce a desired mental state. This can be anything from improving focus and boosting creativity to enhancing memory and falling asleep. Here are some interesting examples:
- Binaural beats
- Brainwave entertainment
- Amplitude modulation
- White noise
Technology-Based Biohacking
This method leverages wearable technology or advanced equipment and machines
to monitor health or stimulate physiological changes faster. Advanced technology like Artificial Intelligence, Augmented Reality, and Virtual Reality are now used in biohacking as well, but the most widely used examples are:
- Smartwatches and fitness trackers
- Blood sugar monitor
- Hyperbaric chamber
- Red light therapy for age biohacking
These biohacking examples and practices are commonly combined to achieve better and more personalized results. For beginners, it’s best to start with simpler, safer methods.
Safety, Risks, and Legalities
Understandably, the non-conventional methods employed in more complex biohacking practices continue to raise ethical and legal concerns.
The idea of democratizing scientific knowledge comes with both risks and positive possibilities. Some biohacking experiments involve self-administration of new drugs that are yet to be regulated, with some involving genetic manipulation. Such extreme biohacks may risk new mutations and even new diseases. However, biohacking isn’t an entirely risky endeavor that disregards safety.
Most of the risks only come from scientific oversight from biohackers who do not possess the level of knowledge needed for the advanced self-experiments they’re conducting. The other end of the spectrum sees a mild level of experiments that only include diet and lifestyle changes.
As a way of resolution, there are biohacking communities that work with authorized professionals in scientific communities to promote safer experimental activities and mitigate risks. This is particularly helpful for biohackers who do not have sufficient skills in their chosen project.
In recent years, some states have taken steps to start regulating biohacking activities, with efforts to possibly include the practice in formal learning arenas. The FBI is also known to have been engaging with biohacking communities since 2009 to prevent misuse of biological materials.
But until proper regulations are in place, it is recommended to stick to safer biohacking practices that do not involve extreme measures. For more complex biohacking experiments, they can be safe when done under the guidance of medical professionals.
Is Biohacking For You?
If you’re still on the fence, take time to review your lifestyle. Pay attention to your current diet, fitness level, and typical activities, then think about the changes you want to make to optimize your health for longevity. Do your research to understand the potential risks of your chosen methods and find out how to maximize the benefits. If you have safety concerns, look for evidence-based information and consult medical professionals to be certain.
Keep in mind that biohacking is not a one-size-fits-all method. It’s a personalized process that requires lifelong learning and commitment to adopting new practices in the long term.
Beginner-Friendly Ways to Get Started on Biohacking
Here are some beginner-friendly biohacks we recommend for a safe start:
- Find a healthy but realistic diet you can stick to
- Take vitamins and biohacking supplements
- Start exercising to improve your fitness level
- Use wearable technology like smartwatches and fitness trackers
- Practice meditation and incorporate it into your daily activities
- Create a playlist with functional music to improve your mood and focus when you need it
- Reduce blue light exposure
Conclusion
Evolving from a small initiative to the global movement it’s now known as, biohacking is recognized today as a lifestyle and health modification process with strategies that range from simple to complex methods, but with one goal in mind — to optimize personal health without the constraints of traditional health science. When done safely and with proper discipline, biohacking can be the key to the best version of yourself.
