Biohacking is the latest buzzword in health and wellbeing, with some proponents claiming it can wind back the years. But what is it? And is it possible to “hack” your way to longevity?
Chances are, you have already low key dabbled in a bit of biohacking.
That’s because the term encompasses a wide range of DIY attempts to improve mental and physical health. It’s the practice of making intentional changes to body and lifestyle – ranging from diet tweaks to advanced tech – to optimise wellbeing.
At one end of the scale are things like intermittent fasting, wearing a fitness tracker or taking supplements.
At the other end of the scale are middle-aged multimillionaires who experiment with things such as total plasma exchanges to try and return their biological age to that of a teenager.
There’s plenty more in between — cold plunges, infrared saunas, red light therapy and cryotherapy – but is any of it necessary to live a long, healthy life?
No stranger to exhaustion and ill health, Rankin credits author Dr Frances Pitsilis for restoring her joy for life and tireless work ethic. (Source: Seven Sharp)
Extending health span, not lifespan
Richard Beddie, CEO of Exercise New Zealand, isn't lining up for plasma exchanges but says he still enjoys trying different practices for being as healthy as possible for as long as possible.
"I don’t want to be 85 years old and live for 10 years in a bed," he said. "I want to be active reasonably close to the point that I am no longer on this planet – whether that means I’m 70 or 80 or 90, but enjoying [life]."
Biohacking or longevity hacks are phrases that become popular to throw around, Beddie said.
"That's way more popular than saying 'do something that might be good for you'," he said. "[But] what I call modern biohacking is around enabling the body to recover."
His own health and wellbeing regime currently includes an infrared sauna and red light therapy set-up in his home. He also wears a smart ring that tracks various health and sleep data.
"I do this because I enjoy it," Beddie said.
"I find it interesting; I love the tech component, giving me metrics and numbers — but I don't obsess over it."
Is biohacking the key to a healthy life?
Not everyone is sold on biohacking, however.
Neuroscientist and CEO of The cGP Lab Dr Amanda Wiggins saysasking what we can do to make ourselves healthier and live longer is a valid question but some practices are murkier than others.
"There’s some really good and sound [health] advice that now seems to have come under the banner of biohacking; things like get a good amount of sleep and get some exercise each day, eat plenty of colourful fruit and vegetables – that all makes sense," she said.
"I think where things have got a bit mucky is some of the less proven techniques out there."
Wiggins is also concerned people can fall into a mindset that they need to put their money where their health is.
"Things like red light therapy, electromagnetic field therapy, infrared saunas, nutrigenomics [which is how food interacts with your specific genes], they’re all things that cost money," she said.
"If you're a person who's listening to an influencer or reading about an influencer recommending these things, you've got to ask yourself, what's the pitch there?"
Wiggins said people don’t need to spend money on these kinds of practices to have a healthy life.
"I think it would be it would be convenient if we could all just pay some money and be fixed and be healthy with a sauna or a genetic test that told us what to eat," she said.
"That would be super convenient."
But she said everyone should know that processed snack foods aren't the best option, for example.
"No matter what your genetic makeup is, it's probably not the right thing to do if you want to be in good health. We don’t need to send away for an expensive test result to tell us that information."
Wiggins said people could take some lessons from the world’s "blue zones" – regions where life expectancy was longer with lower rates of chronic disease.
"Do you think these people send away for expensive genetic tests or have electromagnetic field therapy? The answer is no, they don't do that," she said.
"What they do is stay active, eat whole foods and they tend to be really involved in their community, so they have that real sense of purpose and belonging, which is one of the emerging areas of research showing how important that is, that social connectedness piece.
“Connecting with your family, connecting with your friends ... that’s a nice, free and easy and very enjoyable biohack.”
Advice for the biohacking curious
If people do want to try a few new biohacking practices, both Beddie and Wiggins have similar advice – deploy a little scepticism and do some research beforehand.
"To me, it really comes down to looking at the quality of the research [too]," Wiggins said.
"Look for peer-reviewed medical journals or reputable sites like Harvard Health as opposed to getting advice off someone on the internet who isn't a doctor, a health practitioner or a researcher. Look for the fundamental research that shows it's effective and safe.
"Just go in with a level of scepticism and do your research before you part with your precious money."
Beddie agrees.
"My first advice to anyone is don't believe me — do your own research first," he said.
He advises being wary of anyone espousing health benefits for a certain practice or product, too.
"If someone is trying to sell an idea, are they also trying to sell the product that goes with it?" he said.
"Make sure when someone's making a claim that you can actually follow that up with ... a great piece of research."
He also has some advice for those who are dubious about the benefits of biohacking.
"Scepticism is healthy to start with but be open to, 'does it work?'" he said.
However, people should be careful not to take the practices too far either, Beddie said, adding they should "enjoy the journey, not just the end".
A group of cold swimmers gather at Christchurch's North Beach, including Tamatea Wihongi who is partial to a hair flip. (Source: Supplied)
But what do the medical experts say?
Dr Luke Bradford, medical director of the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners, told 1News people will get different benefits from different therapies and that no one therapy suits all.
"Infrared saunas are a more efficient way of heating the body to induce sweating. The effects can reduce stress and help cardiovascular health and aid muscle recovery," he said.
"[However], as with any sauna there are warnings that should be followed regarding comorbid health conditions, hydration, pregnancy and epilepsy."
Bradford said red light therapy is "early in our understanding" of its benefits, risks and effectiveness, while cold water plunges have been shown to aid muscle recovery post-workouts and may have other benefits.
"[But] any sudden cold water immersion has potential risks of cardiac arrythmia and this needs to be considered," he said.
When considering any therapy, Bradford said people should assess what health benefit they are seeking, the safety of that therapy and any associated health warnings or advice.
"If in doubt, you can discuss it further with your GP."
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