Biohacking is a multifaceted movement focused on self-optimization, health improvement, and longevity, encompassing a wide array of methods that range from dietary interventions and physical activity to supplementation, mental health practices, and advanced technological monitoring.

The popularity of biohacking is evident in its massive online presence, with 951 million views on TikTok and a 900% increase in Google searches for the term, reflecting its rapid growth and widespread adoption .

The core philosophy of biohacking is to leverage both established and experimental techniques to enhance physical and mental performance, often through self-experimentation and data-driven approaches.

**Nutritional Strategies** are foundational in biohacking.

Many practitioners adopt specialized diets such as the ketogenic diet, which is high in fats and low in carbohydrates, aiming to promote fat burning, reduce inflammation, and optimize metabolic health .

The Bulletproof Diet, a variant of keto, emphasizes high-quality fats, moderate protein, and low carbohydrates, often incorporating "bulletproof coffee" (coffee blended with butter and oil) to boost cognitive function and energy .

Gluten-free and dairy-free diets are also prevalent, with the goal of reducing inflammation and optimizing gut health.

While individuals with gluten intolerance or dairy sensitivity may experience significant improvements in gut health and athletic performance by eliminating these foods , the scientific evidence supporting these diets for the general population is mixed and inconclusive .

Anecdotal reports suggest that well-planned plant-based, gluten-free, and dairy-free diets can support muscle growth and recovery, but rigorous clinical research is needed to clarify their efficacy for those without specific intolerances .

**Intermittent Fasting (IF)** is another cornerstone of biohacking, involving cycles of eating and fasting, such as the 16:8 model or the 5:2 diet .

IF is promoted for weight management, improved metabolic health, and potential longevity benefits.

Clinical studies indicate that intermittent fasting can lead to weight loss, improved insulin sensitivity, lower blood pressure, and reduced inflammation .

For example, a randomized clinical trial found that time-restricted eating resulted in greater weight loss and better cardiometabolic health compared to unrestricted eating .

IF may also enhance metabolic flexibility and promote autophagy, a cellular cleansing process linked to longevity .

However, the total caloric intake remains a critical factor for weight loss, and some studies suggest that IF is not necessarily superior to traditional calorie restriction .

There are also concerns about the psychological risks of IF, particularly the potential for disordered eating patterns and exacerbation of male eating disorders, especially when practiced without medical oversight .

**Supplementation** is widespread among biohackers, who often consume a variety of vitamins, minerals, nootropics (cognitive enhancers), adaptogens, and other nutraceuticals to support physical and mental health .

Notable figures like Bryan Johnson reportedly take over 100 supplements daily in pursuit of anti-aging and cognitive benefits .

Common supplements include collagen, MCT oil, creatine, omega-3 fatty acids, and spermidine, the latter believed to promote cellular health and longevity by activating autophagy .

While some supplements, such as omega-3s, have established benefits for cardiovascular health and inflammation reduction , the efficacy and safety of extensive supplementation regimens remain debated, with many products lacking robust clinical validation .

**Physical Activity and Recovery** are integral to biohacking lifestyles.

Enthusiasts often engage in high-intensity interval training (HIIT), strength training, endurance sports, and extreme exercise regimens to optimize physical performance and longevity .

Recovery techniques such as sauna use and cold exposure, particularly ice baths, are employed to reduce inflammation, accelerate muscle recovery, and enhance metabolic function .

Scientific analyses support the use of cold water immersion for reducing muscle soreness and inflammation post-exercise, with a 2023 review of 20 studies confirming its efficacy for short-term recovery .

However, excessive cold exposure may impair muscle strength and growth over time, and risks such as hypothermia and cardiovascular complications necessitate caution and professional guidance .

**Medical Screenings and Monitoring** are increasingly adopted by biohackers to personalize and optimize health interventions.

Regular assessments may include tests for oxidative stress, body composition, and inflammation biomarkers such as cytokine levels .

Advanced protocols like Helixafe focus on non-toxic interventions and biomarker monitoring to prevent chronic diseases by managing inflammation .

Wearable technology, such as smartwatches and continuous glucose monitors (CGMs), enables real-time tracking of heart rate, sleep, physical activity, and metabolic markers, facilitating data-driven decision-making .

The integration of artificial intelligence and big data analytics further enhances the ability to identify health patterns and optimize interventions .

**Mental Health Practices** are a key component of biohacking, with many practitioners incorporating meditation, mindfulness, and neurofeedback therapy to enhance cognitive function, emotional resilience, and stress management .

Neurofeedback, an experimental technique that retrains brain electrical activity, has shown promise for conditions such as depression, anxiety, and OCD, with some individuals reporting significant improvements where traditional treatments failed .

However, the evidence base for neurofeedback remains limited, and its efficacy is not universally established .

The use of AI-driven wellness apps and chatbots for mental health support is also rising, offering accessible assistance but raising concerns about regulatory oversight and potential misuse .

**Community Support** plays a significant role in the biohacking movement.

Online forums and local groups provide platforms for sharing experiences, techniques, and results, fostering a sense of belonging and motivation .

Community engagement can enhance the effectiveness of biohacking practices by promoting informed health choices and reducing isolation .

However, the culture within biohacking communities can also create social pressure to conform to extreme health standards, potentially exacerbating anxiety, obsessive behaviors, and feelings of inadequacy .

**Scientific Support and Criticism** of biohacking methods is highly variable.

Practices such as intermittent fasting, ketogenic diets, and structured exercise have substantial support from clinical research for benefits related to metabolic health, inflammation reduction, and cognitive function .

For example, intermittent fasting has been shown to improve insulin sensitivity, lower blood pressure, and reduce inflammation, all of which contribute to cardiovascular health .

The ketogenic diet and anti-inflammatory diets may help manage chronic inflammation and support immune function .

However, many other biohacking practices, especially those involving extreme self-experimentation, unregulated supplements, or implantable technologies, lack robust scientific validation and may pose health risks .

Critics warn that obsessive pursuit of self-optimization can lead to anxiety, disordered eating, and psychological stress, particularly when individuals feel pressured to maintain idealized health standards .

**Risks and Ethical Considerations** are inherent in biohacking, especially with extreme or unregulated practices.

Self-experimentation without medical oversight can result in adverse health outcomes, including nutritional deficiencies, excessive physical strain, and psychological distress .

Implanting devices or using unregulated supplements can lead to serious complications, as illustrated by cases requiring emergency medical care following DIY surgeries .

The lack of regulation and scientific consensus in the biohacking space further exacerbates safety concerns, and ethical challenges arise regarding privacy,

Biohacking is a multifaceted movement focused on self-optimization, health improvement, and longevity, encompassing a wide array of methods that range from dietary interventions and physical activity to supplementation, mental health practices, and advanced technological monitoring.

Biohacking is a multifaceted movement focused on self-optimization, health improvement, and longevity, encompassing a wide array of methods that range from dietary interventions and physical activity to supplementation, mental health practices, and advanced technological monitoring.

The popularity of biohacking is evident in its massive online presence, with 951 million views on TikTok and a 900% increase in Google searches for the term, reflecting its rapid growth and widespread adoption .

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Content: Tuesday, November 28, 2023

Anticipated health and wellness trends for 2024

Dance is a form of exercise, self-expression and healing. Picture: Pexels Yan Krukau

Published 2h ago

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“As people prioritise health and wellness - be it physical or mental - we are seeing a need for spaces that tick these boxes.

“Ultimately they are becoming a home of sorts, and a meeting place for like-minded people who are on a journey seeking betterment,” said Robyn Schaffner from the Light House, a new holistic haven in Cape Town.

Schaffner shares her thoughts on what the wellness trends will be for 2024.

Biophilia exercises: communing with nature

There is a growing inclination for outdoor exercise. With this in mind, studios globally will feature a biophilic design that seamlessly integrates the indoors with the outdoors, allowing fresh air to permeate during temperate weather.

Pools - previously only a space to swim laps - are now becoming a hub for innovative experiences such as Watsu water healing, cold plunging, and water breathwork.

Dance as exercise, movement, and healing

Dance is a form of exercise, self-expression, and healing globally and this will be visible at Light House too. “By embracing the trend of free-form movement, we champion ecstatic dance as a conduit for releasing energy, achieving emotional catharsis, and reconnecting with the body's innate wisdom.

“By promoting ecstatic dance, we shine a spotlight on its profound potential for holistic healing and personal transformation.”

Free movement: redefining exercise

In the realm of fitness, Light House embraces a back-to-basics philosophy with a twist.

“Celebrating the essence of free movement, our classes encourage participants to connect with their bodies on a deeply intuitive level,” explained Schaffner.

“The unique ‘Akasha’ class, blending Vinyasa flow, dance, and personal exploration, exemplifies this philosophy.

“Additionally, ecstatic dance and power and balance yoga sessions provide opportunities for uninhibited self-expression and playful engagement. It’s a matter of embracing movement in your own personal style.”

Bio-hacking: elevating wellbeing

The pursuit of optimal wellbeing remains a steadfast trend which is being explored through the lens of bio-hacking.

“By hosting enlightening talks and workshops with industry experts, delving into diverse well-being subjects, we are arming our clients with the information they need to improve their health.

“This includes an exploration of the intersection between spirituality and science, presenting a comprehensive perspective on holistic living.

“Workshops on topics ranging from mushroom stacking and sleep syncing to meditation and intermittent fasting will be offered,” said Schaffner.

Cacao: wellness in every sip

Recognising cacao’s potential as an alternative to coffee, it is the ideal companion for those seeking sustained energy, focus and tranquillity.

In the realm of beverages, cacao is fast replacing the likes of flat whites and cortados thanks to its myriad of health benefits.

Need for mental and physical clarity: supplements abound.

Nootropics, adaptogens, and functional medicines will take centre stage in 2024.

These meticulously crafted supplements are designed to support mental and physical wellbeing, fostering a harmonious balance that empowers individuals to navigate the challenges of modern life with enhanced clarity and vigour.

The core philosophy of biohacking is to leverage both established and experimental techniques to enhance physical and mental performance, often through self-experimentation and data-driven approaches.

The core philosophy of biohacking is to leverage both established and experimental techniques to enhance physical and mental performance, often through self-experimentation and data-driven approaches.

The core philosophy of biohacking is to leverage both established and experimental techniques to enhance physical and mental performance, often through self-experimentation and data-driven approaches.

**Nutritional Strategies** are foundational in biohacking.

**Nutritional Strategies** are foundational in biohacking.

Many practitioners adopt specialized diets such as the ketogenic diet, which is high in fats and low in carbohydrates, aiming to promote fat burning, reduce inflammation, and optimize metabolic health .

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Real Life Wellness-Power Up Your Cells!

By Dr. Bill Hemmer
Over the last two weeks, I have been discussing how to handle your stress more effectively. First, you must heal your Brain. Next, you must calm your Nerves. Then you must build cell power. To build power in your cells, you must take care of the power plants of your cells called the mitochondria.

Mitochondria are found in every cell in your body, but they are descendants of prehistoric bacteria that have adapted over millions of years to produce energy inside our cells. They have their own DNA. No other organelle in our cells have this other than mitochondria. This is important because DNA can be damaged or can mutate and decrease the effectiveness of the energy production of those mitochondria.

Mitochondria are also very interesting because they are recycled just like other parts of the cells are. You must remember, millions and millions of cells die and are recycled every day. The same holds true for your mitochondria. If you recycle both things correctly, the next generation of cells and mitochondria can be just as strong or stronger than the generation before it. If it is poorly recycled, the next generation will be weak.

The good news is you can help yourself and your recycling capabilities by doing a few things with your lifestyle. First, you must eat more good fat in your diet! Remember, fat doesn’t make you fat. Good fat makes you skinny. I know it doesn’t make sense from everything we have all been taught, but they were wrong.

Good fat is the preferred fuel of your mitochondria. When you eat good fat, it burns much cleaner inside your cells and doesn’t throw off near as many toxins as burning sugar or protein for fuel. The more fat you eat, the better your metabolism is and the more fat you burn. Therefore, people lose a lot of weight eating Keto.

The next thing you can do yourself to increase your Mitochondrial health is start intermittently fasting. Intermittent fasting is a technique that is gaining quite a bit of popularity for a good reason. Research has shown if you eat all your calories in a limited period each day, your body switches from burning sugar to burning fat more effectively. This is called metabolic flexibility. The more flexible your metabolism is, the better energy you can enjoy all day long.

Another benefit of Intermittent fasting is weak cells and mitochondria die at a higher rate and their contents are recycled into new healthy cells and mitochondria. This slows the aging process and builds your ability to look better, feel better and live longer.

Finally, there are specific supplements that help to build mitochondrial health. They include Coenzyme Q10, Alpha Lipoic Acid, Fish oil, B Complex vitamins, and many specific amino acids. Many books are being written about mitochondrial health because this foundational part of health is the future of true health care.

Next week, I will finish my discussion about Stress. The fourth piece to the Stress puzzle is to heal glands and organs. You can do it yourself, but you need someone to provide you with a simple to follow roadmap to do so. This is what I will provide to you next week.

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Pushing out of bed, feet touching the floor, I stood, expecting to fall back, wincing in pain.

But my right knee felt fine. I took a couple of steps. The knee was fine and I was pretty sure it shouldn’t be.

The evening before I’d taken a late class at CrossFit WV. The workout had included front squats, which can be hard on my knees.

I could have taken it easy on myself, reduced the load, but I’d chosen the prescribed weight, what the fitter people in the gym would do, because I am vain and stupid.

Halfway through the workout, my right knee began to ache. I kept going and when I finished the workout, smugly satisfied, I could only limp to my car. I limped as I shopped at the grocery store afterwards and struggled to get up the driveway to my house without screaming my head off.

I hurt and expected to stay hurt for a couple of days – the just rewards of a middle-aged ego.

After dinner, I swallowed ibuprofen, put a bag of ice on my knee and fidgeted on the couch for an hour or so. Eventually, I limped off to bed, certain I’d be taking a day or two off from the gym.

But when the alarm went off at 5 a.m., I felt ok. Nothing hurt and that was weird.

During this month’s “Whole 30” project, I expected to lose a few pounds. Losing weight is usually the point of a dietary change. But what really interested me were the other claims the diet made –like improved recovery after exercise and less soreness.

But sure, I’d lost weight. Whole 30 eliminated many high calorie foods like pasta, rice, bread, beer, and cheese. Instead, I filled up on chicken, broccoli, and lots of apples, which contain fewer calories.

In 26 days, I’d lost 15 pounds, which was pretty good, even if half of that was water weight.

My clothes were loosening. I felt lighter and people commented that I looked slimmer.

All good stuff, but what intrigued me most was the claim about reducing inflammation. As I’ve become more active over the past few years, I’ve also dealt with quite a bit of soreness.

Still, over the last couple of weeks, there seemed to be a little less of that. I was managing to keep upright and mobile a little more than usual. I still worked hard at the gym, but I bounced back quicker.

Because I wanted to talk to an expert on the Whole 30, I reached out to Melissa Urban, who co-created the plan in New Hampshire and co-wrote a couple of bestselling books on the subject. These days, she lives out in Utah and oversees a kind of community that has sprung up around the Whole 30 lifestyle, which has its roots in CrossFit.

I had no idea, even though one of my CrossFit coaches, Caroline Price, tried to give me one of Urban’s books when I mentioned I was spending a month learning about and trying out the Whole 30.

There was a stack of them in the office at the gym.

Melissa told me the diet/lifestyle was born in April of 2009. She and her then-partner, Dallas Hartwig, were sitting around on the floor at a CrossFit gym in Boston when they decided to put themselves through a dietary experiment based on what they’d heard at a CrossFit nutrition seminar put on by Robb Wolf.

At the time, Wolf was the CrossFit nutrition guy (he later severed ties with CrossFit).

In the seminar, he talked about how some generally accepted-as-healthy foods, like beans or whole grains, might have some inflammatory or metabolic side effects. He told people to consider eliminating some of these foods to see if it improved their athletic performance.

Around the same time, Melissa said Hartwig was reading papers and researching ways to help his sister, who had rheumatoid arthritis. Some of the literature suggested that some of these same foods might increase joint pain.

Hartwig asked Melissa, “What if we went ultra-squeaky clean with a diet based around a paleo framework for 30 straight days?”

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He asked her while she was munching on Thin Mints, but Melissa told him she was willing to give it a shot.

Even before she began that very first Whole 30, Urban said she’d thought she ate very healthy. Her diet included very little processed food (Girl Scout cookies would be an exception) but included things like grains and low-fat dairy.

Roughly two weeks into the Whole 30, Melissa said her energy levels went up, her sleep improved dramatically, and she noticed that she recovered from exercise much faster.

“And I was able to hit my workouts harder,” Melissa said. “My strength to weight ratio improved. I got stronger.”

Melissa pointed out that foods eliminated by Whole 30 weren’t necessarily bad, only problematic to some individuals to varying degrees. Several of the foods like wheat gluten, soy, or legumes (peanuts, in particular) are among known food allergies.

As intended, Whole 30 really has two parts. The first part is to remove problematic foods for 30 days and see if there’s any change. At the end of 30 days, these foods are methodically reintroduced to detect adverse reactions.

“It’s a way to scientifically figure out which foods do and don’t work for them in a very structured fashion,” Melissa said.

Not everyone will have a reaction to the same foods. Some may not react at all.

She said the overall goal of the Whole 30 was to create a personal, dietary road map, “so, you never have to do it again.”

Over the last dozen years, Melissa said she’d put herself through the program eight times and had developed a good picture of what foods worked for her and even in what amounts. She told me she regularly ate oatmeal, white rice, and popcorn, as well as had the occasional package of Justin’s Peanut Butter Cups – none of these items are on the approved list for Whole 30.

“And I’ve figured out how to include those things in my diet that feels sustainable and delicious,” Melissa said.

As far as my trouble locating grocery store items (like Whole 30 compliant pickles) or trying figure out how to eat Whole 30 in West Virginia, Melissa said the Whole 30 website had lots of resources.

“Not only is the diet free, but we have how to shop for Whole 30 on a budget, how to do Whole 30 with Walmart and Aldi, which tend to be found in rural areas,” she said.

Whole 30 was a major shift for Melissa that went beyond food.

As a former addict with 22 years in recovery, Melissa said Whole 30 made her reevaluate her relationship with food. How she used food to soothe herself and as comfort reminded her of how she’d used drugs before.

“The Whole 30 might be about food, but it’s about so much more than food,” she said.

As my time on the elimination portion of the diet was coming to close, Melissa cautioned me against blowing off the reintroduction process. I needed to be patient and follow the reintroduction plan, which would take weeks.

“People miss pizza and ice cream and beer and then dive right back in and then they miss the opportunity to identify any foods that might be giving them a negative experience,” she said.

Really, the 30-day diet might have been the easy part. What if it turned out that a little dairy or some wheat gluten really ratcheted up the aches and pains for me?

How much pizza and ice cream was I willing to give up to keep running and jumping?

It was a lot to think about.

Bill Lynch covers entertainment. He can be reached at 304-348-5195 or lynch@hdmediallc.com. Follow @lostHwys on Twitter and @billiscap on Instagram.

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Content: Do Ice Baths Work for Recovery?

You’ve probably seen athletes or other fitness trendsetters on social media taking an ice bath or tried one yourself to reap the benefits of the potential health benefits, including faster recovery, increased metabolism and reduced stress.

“People want to try (an ice bath) usually for three reasons: the physical benefits, the mental benefits or because it’s trendy and they want to know what the hype is about,” says Alex Corbett, a physical therapist with BreakThrough Physical Therapy, with locations throughout North Carolina.

But is that bone-chilling dip worth the purported benefits?

What Is an Ice Bath?

An ice bath is a planned exposure to cold water. It can be water made cold by ice, or it can be water in lakes or oceans that’s seasonally cold. In the latter example, it may be called a cold plunge. Some people even partake in charity cold plunges or ring in the new year with an icy cold shock.

An ice bath temperature is typically below 60 degrees Fahrenheit and often ranges from 50 to 59 degrees. Sometimes, people may want their ice bath temperature to be even lower.

Ice baths are different from cryotherapy, which involve exposure to very cold air (typically -220 to -240 degrees). However, cryotherapy doesn’t involve any submersion in water.

[READ: Tips to Spice Up Your Fitness Routine.]

Ice Bath Benefits

Fans of ice baths claim that they have several potential benefits, including:

— Quicker recovery after intense exercise and reduced muscle soreness.

Fat burning by stimulating the body’s production of brown fat

— Improved circulation

— Improved mood, focus, and stress relief

— Reduced inflammation and pain

A 2023 analysis of 20 studies published in Frontiers of Physiology concluded that cold water immersion performed immediately after exercise could help lower muscle soreness and speed up fatigue recovery. However, despite their initial benefits for muscle recovery, some research has found that ice baths can actually reduce muscle strength and growth over time, Corbett says.

While an ice bath can increase your metabolism and help with fat burning, you’re not likely to see overnight benefits with just one ice bath session. Studies have noted that while researchers have seen decreases in body fat in people who take cold plunges, much more research is needed to recommend ice baths for weight loss.

Beyond physical health benefits, ice baths can also give your mental wellness a boost.

“Ice baths make people feel refreshed and invigorated, leading to a sense of overall well-being,” says Dr. Yoshua Quinones, a board-certified internist with the Medical Offices of Manhattan in New York and a contributor to the website Lab Finder.

[The Afterburn Effect: Tips, Workouts and Recovery]

Dangers of Ice Baths

Before you take the plunge, it’s important to first consider some of the potential dangers of ice baths.

These include:

Frostbite. This is more of a risk if you stay in an ice bath for too long.

Hypothermia. This occurs when the body loses heat faster than it can create heat and can cause confusion, shivering and — in severe cases — organ failure.

Cold shock. Sudden immersion in cold water can cause increased blood pressure, heart rate and breathing, which increases the risk of drowning. This is due to blood vessels contracting when your body is exposed to cold. People who have cardiovascular issues are at higher risk for experiencing this type of response to cold.

Because of the potential dangers of hypothermia or cold shock, make sure there’s someone else keeping an eye on you while you plunge into the cold, no matter how experienced you are with cold temperatures.

[Read: Best Full-Body Workout.]

Who Shouldn’t Take an Ice Bath

For most healthy people, it’s OK to try an ice bath. However, you’ll want to avoid an ice bath or check first with a health care provider if you have:

An open wound or infection. An ice bath could slow healing.

Cardiovascular disease. Immersing yourself in cold water will likely raise your blood pressure and heart rate.

Peripheral neuropathy. A type of nerve damage that may cause tingling and numbness, this condition is often associated with diabetes.

Raynaud’s disease. An ice bath could make your condition worse.

Respiratory issues. Cold water immersion may cause breathing problems.

Uncontrolled high blood pressure. Increased blood pressure can occur during an ice bath.

You should also check with a healthcare provider or avoid ice baths if you are pregnant or hypersensitive to cold.

Ice Bath Tips

If you’re ready to take the plunge with an ice bath, keep these tips in mind:

— Plan to have someone with you or someone nearby who can help in case you need help during the ice bath.

— Start gradually, as you would with an exercise routine. Don’t go too cold or for too long during your first time.

— Aim for water that’s uncomfortably cold but still feels safe.

— Less is more. A few minutes is good, but more than 30 minutes is too long.

— Listen to your body. Exit if you feel dizzy or uncomfortable.

— Plan to warm yourself up gradually after exiting an ice bath.

— Don’t take any medication that might impair you before an ice bath.

— Stay hydrated after an ice bath.

Additionally, consider when is the best time to do an ice bath and how often you’ll incorporate it into your routine.

“If you’re using it for muscle soreness, then doing an ice bath after exercise is the optimal timing. Ten minutes post-exercise may help with delayed onset muscle soreness,” says Dr. Justin Mullner, a primary care sports medicine physician for adults and children with Orlando Health Jewett Orthopedic Institute in Orlando, Florida.

For general mental health benefits, like mood and focus, you can do an ice bath three to four minutes at a time, a couple of times a week for its benefits, he adds.

Ice Bath Alternatives

If you want the benefits of an ice bath but can’t fathom immersing yourself in that frigid water, you still may be able to obtain some of the same benefits in other ways:

— For overall well-being, try activities like listening to music, spending time with a pet or meditating.

— For active recovery after intense exercise, try low-key, easy activities — like slow pedaling on a bike — and making sure to cool down after every workout.

— Consider using a foam roller to help with muscle soreness.

— Use ice packs when needed to target specific areas of the body that need recovery after exercise.

More from U.S. News

Ways to Reduce Inflammation

How to Lose Weight: the Best Foods for Weight Loss

Mind-Blowing Benefits of Exercise: Why Exercise Is Important

Do Ice Baths Work for Recovery? originally appeared on usnews.com

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The Bulletproof Diet, a variant of keto, emphasizes high-quality fats, moderate protein, and low carbohydrates, often incorporating "bulletproof coffee" (coffee blended with butter and oil) to boost cognitive function and energy .

Gluten-free and dairy-free diets are also prevalent, with the goal of reducing inflammation and optimizing gut health.

Gluten-free and dairy-free diets are also prevalent, with the goal of reducing inflammation and optimizing gut health.

Gluten-free and dairy-free diets are also prevalent, with the goal of reducing inflammation and optimizing gut health.

While individuals with gluten intolerance or dairy sensitivity may experience significant improvements in gut health and athletic performance by eliminating these foods , the scientific evidence supporting these diets for the general population is mixed and inconclusive .

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Many people living with diabetes use continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) to track their blood sugar levels. These small devices, often attached to the back of your upper arm or abdomen, send data to an app on your phone. This allows you to see, in near real-time, how your blood sugar levels spike or drop depending on what you eat or how active you have been.

The benefits for people living with diabetes are obvious, as failing to keep abreast of blood sugar levels can be dangerous. But these devices are increasingly being advertised as health aids to the broader community, including health-conscious non-diabetics and elite athletes.

But our own research has found using these pricey devices provides little benefit for healthy athletes without diabetes. And there’s very little research to support their use in healthy active people with normal glucose control.

That said, there are several areas which warrant further research.

Do these devices benefit athletes without diabetes?

If your blood sugar levels drop below normal range (known as hypoglycaemia) during endurance exercise, your athletic performance suffers.

So it’s easy to see why it might seem logical to track blood glucose in real time during endurance exercise. Many assume this data could signal when it’s time to consume more carbohydrates during or after exercise. Carbs help maintain your blood sugar levels, fuelling your body to ensure it has enough energy to complete the session.

However, glucose regulation during exercise is incredibly complex. It is influenced by a range of factors such as how much and what you eat or drink, recovery and stress. Even exercise can sometimes make your blood sugar readings go up. Results from current studies have reported mixed findings when exploring fuelling practices (meaning what or how they eat and drink).

Despite enthusiastic marketing and athlete testimonials about the use of continuous glucose monitors, our research concluded there’s not enough clear evidence to support the use of continuous glucose monitors as a tool to improve an athlete’s fuelling practices

We need more research before we can promote these devices as a useful addition to the athlete toolbox.

What are the possible downsides of using continuous glucose monitors?

Using continuous glucose monitors presents several practical limitations.

First, they’re expensive. These monitors may cost around A$90-$100 per fortnight (as monitors last a maximum of 14 days) and may require costly subscriptions to certain mobile apps.

They can also be knocked out of place if you’re training, in competition, sweating, or even doing everyday tasks such as showering.

It’s also easy to misinterpret the data, which can cause unnecessary anxiety. Our initial studies stress the importance of working with a sports nutrition professional when wearing a continuous glucose monitor to ensure you’re not misinterpreting the data.

Elite athletes may also find their sport’s governing body has restrictions around these devices. For instance, the world governing body for sports cycling, Union Cycliste International, has banned the use of continuous glucose monitors during sanctioned races.

Healthy people obsessing over blood sugar readings

As these devices make glucose readings available 24 hours a day, it’s also easy to end up obsessing over the data.

This can cause people to make unnecessary and overly strict changes to eating behaviours, leading to what some doctors have termed “glucorexia”.

It’s quite natural for your blood glucose to go up in response to eating carbohydrate-rich foods and fluids.

Alarmingly, there are influencers suggesting glucose should never “spike” and should always remain within a very tight range, even during the window immediately after meals.

In fact, it is prolonged increases in glucose levels outside of normal range that are the concern to health and wellbeing.

This underscores the danger of people without robust nutrition and physiology knowledge misinterpreting data from continuous glucose monitors.

If you’re active and plan to trial a continuous glucose monitoring device, you should consider consulting an accredited sports dietition so you’re properly informed about what’s a normal response.

More research is needed

Given the utility of continuous glucose monitors and the fact they can be worn by athletes while training and resting, we have started to explore whether data from these monitors can help elite athletes adjust their diet in response to exercise.

In our studies, we have been particularly interested in tracking how data from continuous glucose monitors changes in response to a day of training and eating. They may also be useful for exercise scientists trying to understand whether an athlete has been overtraining.

But the fact is, most people are not elite athletes.

Ordinary people who have the cash to splash on these devices should understand there’s not much research showing a benefit to healthy individuals using continuous glucose monitors.

If you are particularly concerned about your own blood sugar levels, we recommend seeing a GP and/or a dietitian. That’s better than stressing about and scrutinising yet another data set that isn’t yet particularly useful.

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Anecdotal reports suggest that well-planned plant-based, gluten-free, and dairy-free diets can support muscle growth and recovery, but rigorous clinical research is needed to clarify their efficacy for those without specific intolerances .

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Content: I’m 58 but have a biological age of 21 – this is how I did it

After eight rounds of failed fertility treatments and a rheumatoid arthritis diagnosis, Leslie Kenny changed her lifestyle with the aim of reducing inflammation – the results, she says, were dramatic

Leslie Kenny was 39 and had endured eight rounds of failed fertility treatments, including IVF using a donor egg, when her doctor delivered even more bad news: the pain she’d been feeling in her wrists and fingers was rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and her blood tests showed signs of the disabling autoimmune condition lupus.

“The doctor prescribed me immunosuppressants and said, ‘You have five good years left’,” Kenny says. “I don’t know what that meant but I took it as ‘that’s all you’ve got’ – that this was the end. I was crushed.”

Lupus is an autoimmune condition in which the immune system attacks the body’s own tissues and causes inflammation that can cause permanent damage to the skin, joints, heart, lungs, kidneys and even the brain. There is no known cure, although it may relapse and remit. RA, another autoimmune condition, affects the joints leading to inflammation and thickening in the joints, which causes pain and reduced mobility. Again, there are treatments available, but it cannot be cured.

That bombshell diagnosis came in 2004. Today, Kenny is 58 and a slim, healthy woman with boundless energy. Her arthritis and lupus – a diagnosis she now questions – have gone into remission. But more than that, she appears to have beat the ageing process: recent blood tests show her biological age is just 21.

She took the “GlycanAge” blood test while attending a conference on longevity in the US. It is offered by a London-based bioinformatics company and measures levels of inflammation in your body. The results are based on determining the process of ageing as an accumulation of damage to your body over time by over-activation of the immune system, leading to inflammation of the tissues and cells. The result generates an estimated “biological age” depending on the average level of inflammation observed in the body at various points during a normal lifespan.

“Inflammation is the thing that I have been paying attention to for the last 19 years, so I suppose it’s not a surprise,” Kenny says.

Kenny is likely one of only a handful of people who could achieve such results. She is one of a breed of ‘biohacking’ devotees who swear by putting cutting-edge research into cell rejuvenation into practice in their own lives to keep their bodies and minds young, and to fight off the common causes of ageing, including inflammation, high blood sugar and cardiovascular degeneration.

The most well known of these biohackers is Bryan Johnson, the American multi-millionaire entrepreneur and venture capitalist. At 46, he spends $2m (£1.5m) a year on treatments and techniques – including restricting calories, taking large amounts of daily supplements, a strict sleep schedule that involves early nights and very early mornings, and blood transfusions – in an attempt to stop the ageing process.

He claims to have reversed his heart age by five years and has the lung capacity of an 18-year-old. Of his particular quest, Kenny reflects: “That very British saying ‘horses for courses’ comes to mind… but he is biohacking for immortality, whereas I prefer to think of myself as ‘bioharmonising’ for a healthy lifespan.”

Kenny is the co-founder of a not-for-profit group, the Oxford Longevity Project, whose aim is to get the latest groundbreaking ideas and research findings on anti-ageing and longevity to the widest possible audience – and she’s testing them out on her own body.

She set up the organisation with Oxford biologist Professor Denis Noble; Dr Paul Ch’en, a GP with a special interest in the ageing process; and academic and multiple marathon runner Sir Christopher Ball. Kenny brings lived experience as a patient who has seen her own health transformed by putting the latest academic findings into practice.

It was the shock of such a devastating diagnosis at such a young age that prompted Kenny to start doing her own research into autoimmune conditions and inflammation. It encouraged her to turn away from the pharmaceutical answers given by her doctors and find a new approach.

“I did try immunosuppressants and I really hated them. You had to jab yourself in the tummy. There are lots of bruises and it hurts. I just felt I shouldn’t be doing this,” she explains. “I have more of an Asian philosophical orientation, of the idea of bringing the body into balance rather than ‘let’s squash this symptom’. What I wanted to do was bring the body back into harmony.”

Back in 2004 the internet was still in its relative infancy, but patient groups had already started forming to share information on common health conditions. Kenny searched for anything she could find about the link between autoimmune disorders and inflammation in the body. She found there were common causes of inflammation including poor diet, lack of sleep, stress and undiagnosed allergies.

Kenny quit her job (she was, at the time, running a matchmaking agency) to reduce stress and improve sleep, and then overhauled her diet. Allergy testing found she was reacting to wheat and dairy, so she cut both out, and also reduced her sugar intake.

“At the time the idea that sugar was bad for you was kind of a new thing, but I removed sugar from my diet as much as I could and then took lots of foods that were anti-inflammatory,” she says. This involved a largely plant-based diet, also including oily fish such as salmon, lots of extra virgin olive oil and plant milks. She followed guidance from Dr Barry Sears, whose bestselling book The Zone Anti-Inflammatory Diet, had been recently released.

Then, after much discussion with autoimmune sufferers in the US, Kenny took a very radical – and expensive – step: online patient networks in the US were recommending intravenous immunoglobulin, a treatment that resets the immune system by replacing antibodies in your blood but was not recommended on the NHS. Kenny underwent two eight-hour blood transfusions at a hospital in Denver, Colorado in the United States, costing £24,000 and funded by health insurance provided by her then-husband’s employer. It is offered as a treatment for some conditions on the NHS, but not for lupus or RA.

Six months later her blood results had been reversed. The three readings her doctor was monitoring – C Reactive Protein, cytokines and TNFalpha, all of which measure inflammation and the function of the immune system – had reduced rapidly. Her doctor reported that her lupus appeared to be in full remission and she was free of disease and in control of her arthritis symptoms.

Kenny’s rapid success at improving her health kicked off a passion for self-management of illness and ageing that has defined her last two decades. “I really feel that patients need to have a chance of a fair fight,” she says, adding that not everyone can afford expensive blood infusions, but there are many things we can all do cheaply to improve our health.

Living in Oxford and surrounded by academics, Kenny began discussing her results with local friends and neighbours, including Lachlan MacKinnon, who was working on commercialising biotechnology for the Oxford Science Enterprise. He introduced her to Prof Katja Simon and Dr Ghada Alsaleh, who were both working at the Kennedy Institute for Rheumatology at Oxford University at the time, who had discovered something quite surprising – spermidine. “He [Lachlan] said, ‘It’s a terrible name, but it’s really interesting because it seems to be helping with the immune system’.”

In mice, spermidine – a polyamine found in high levels in plants such as mushrooms and fermented foods – was able to boost antibody levels in elderly subjects, keeping the immune system strong, and activate the process of autophagy: a natural cell rejuvenation process that usually happens during periods of fasting.

You may have heard the word recently due to Rishi Sunak’s commitment to a 48-hour fast every week. Consuming spermidine is believed to make the same cellular process happen, but without the inconvenience of starvation. Studies are ongoing but the first published papers also show the same effect in humans as mice.

Kenny has been taking a spermidine supplement ever since, and now promotes these findings alongside other new research through the Oxford Longevity Project.

Kenny also follows a ketogenic diet, very low in carbohydrate and higher in protein, which some academic research shows can help to preventing and treat diabetes, controlling blood sugar spikes and reducing inflammation.

Kenny’s daily routine also includes supplements of collagen, antioxidant-rich raw cacao, and glutathione, which helps repair tissues. She takes HRT to manage her body’s transition through the menopause and says the progesterone helps with restful sleep.

Two days a week she fasts for 16 hours, but she admits “I’m not slavish about it”. More important is the foods you do eat. “The Japanese drink and smoke like chimneys but they only lose four years of life to this, but in the UK we lose 10. It’s because they’re microdosing every day with green tea, they’re eating natto, which is full of spermidine; they’re eating fish full of Omega 3, and lots of fermented foods.”

Kenny walks her dog for at least 30 minutes a day and has an active life. She uses katsu bands, a product from Japan similar to a blood pressure cuff, which pulls the blood into one limb for 30 seconds then when it releases “the blood hits the pituitary gland and says ‘I’ve been lifting heavy weights’, and sends hormones to repair the body,” she explains.

She also uses an inversion chair – a small stool that makes doing a headstand easy for anyone, whatever their age – that trains the core and stimulates the vagus nerve, responsible for the regulation of organ functions such as digestion, heart rate and respiratory rate.

The efforts of figures like Kenny are being watched by experts. Vasa Curcin, professor of health informatics at King’s College London, says the “exciting work” going on among the global community of biohackers is “a huge opportunity to raise awareness and identify challenges for novel therapies and lifestyle tech interventions”.

But he adds: “We need to start considering pragmatic methods that would allow for these efforts to stop being just anecdotal evidence and start contributing to larger knowledge bases to support scientifically rigorous validation studies.”

So what is Kenny’s advice to the rest of us? “The most important thing is to get started and just do one thing. Whether that’s diet or putting a weight by the kettle and doing a bicep curl while you boil it. Just ask yourself to do it once a week, and the next week do it twice a week. Do it slowly and then it becomes a habit.”

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Content: The best protein supplements of 2024 – but do they work?

Whey, leucine and collagen can have especially good benefits for midlifers and older adults, not just gym bros

Protein supplements are not only for young men looking to bulk up in the gym. Emerging research suggests that they may hold benefits for midlifers and older adults, as our protein requirements increase with age.

To combat the steady loss of muscle, which occurs with age, nutritional experts have suggested that we should increase the amount of protein we consume in a day.

The current daily protein recommendation for UK adults is 0.75 grams per kilo of body weight, according to the British Heart Foundation.

“The British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences are suggesting that older people do require more,” says Dr Colleen Deane, a lecturer in muscle cell biology at the University of Southampton. “They probably need about 1 to 1.2 grams, which I would agree with.”

But in practice, this isn’t as easy as it seems. For a woman weighing 60 kilograms (9st 6lb), that means going from 45 grams of protein per day to 72 grams, an intake that, Deane says, equates to approximately two-and-a-half chicken breasts (100 grams of chicken contains around 30 grams of protein).

“The issue is that as we get older, we also lose our willingness or ability to eat as much,” she says. “So things like supplements can help with taking on protein and maintaining muscle.”

How do protein supplements work?

Protein supplements, which typically come in the form of powders to be mixed into water or milk, are designed to be both highly convenient and easily digestible.

If you’re looking to build muscle tissue, you need to both exercise and consume sufficient quantities of protein to stimulate a biological process known as muscle synthesis. “You can’t just eat protein and grow muscle,” says Deane. “And exercise alone also does not put your body in a growth-promoting state.”

Abigail Green, senior health and wellbeing physiologist at Nuffield Health, describes the main benefits of these supplements as being quick and easy, cost-efficient and versatile.

“Protein powders are dynamic and can be added to cakes, cookies, oats, breads, smoothies, porridge and much more,” she says. “It’s a quick and convenient way of increasing your intake after a workout. You might feel like eating a full plate of chicken and rice at 10pm, whereas a shake sits easier on the stomach before bed.”

However, she emphasises that they should always be viewed as supplements to protein in your diet, and that they are not necessary for maintaining or building muscle.

If you’re already meeting your daily protein requirements, any excess from supplements will just end up being broken down into amino acids which circulate in the bloodstream. As a result, Deane says, scientists are still trying to figure out whether too much protein might even be bad for our health.

“For some people, just eating a meal high in protein does the same thing,” says Green. “Most people don’t need to supplement their diet with protein powder.”

When it comes to choosing a protein supplement, there are an abundance of different options. Here are some of the most popular choices and what to use them for:

Whey protein

Whey protein is by far the most widely studied protein supplement, with Deane describing it as “the bedrock” of all protein supplement research.

Whey is a dairy product, being the liquid that is left over when milk is processed into cheese. As an animal product, it has the advantage of naturally containing all nine essential amino acids, the building blocks of protein that our body requires for tissue growth.

It typically comes in two forms:

  • Whey concentrate, which is cheaper and contains a mix of protein, carbohydrate and fat.
  • Whey isolate powder, which is more expensive and has been processed so that the powder is more than 90 per cent protein. It also has a lower lactose content which makes it a better choice for anyone who is lactose-intolerant.

According to Dr Swrajit Sarkar, a senior lecturer in nutrition at City, University of London, various studies have found that whey protein is capable of increasing skeletal muscle mass, overall muscle strength and even gait speed in older adults who combined the supplements with resistance training. The effect was more profound in those who consumed whey isolate.

“If they’re healthy and they take it alongside doing lower or upper body exercise, it definitely will make a difference,” says Sarkar.

Casein

Like whey, casein also originates from milk. In fact, it is the casein protein that gives milk its white colour. Studies have also suggested that casein can be effective in building muscle, but the main difference compared with whey is that it is slower to digest. Sarkar suggests that this could make it less appealing to older individuals who do not digest things as easily.

However, it has made casein popular with both amateur and professional athletes, as casein is thought to encourage muscle repair over a more prolonged period of time, for example during sleep.

“People who are very physically active might take casein before going to bed,” says Sarkar.

Leucine

Leucine is thought to be especially potent in driving muscle growth.

Last year, a study in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that when leucine supplements were given to 37 adults aged between 20 and 65, all of whom were on a calorie-restricted diet to lose weight, it helped to preserve their muscle tissue.

Deane says that one of the advantages of leucine is that it offers benefits even in relatively low doses. “It’s a really potent essential amino acid as it really stimulates a growth response in muscle,” she says. “As you can still do this with low quantities of leucine, it’s a promising supplement for people with less appetite, such as older adults.”

While leucine can be consumed through either leucine capsules or leucine-enriched protein supplements, Sarkar says that consumers buying the latter should look for products containing at least 40 per cent leucine.

“If it contains 40 per cent leucine that can increase both lean body mass and muscle function,” he says. “And one thing you want to do is to improve both so you can do more physical activity.”

Creatine

Creatine, a compound that is stored in muscle tissue and the brain, has attracted growing interest for its ability to rapidly regenerate adenosine triphosphate (ATP), a chemical that cells use as energy.

As a result, creatine supplements are thought to be potentially valuable for muscle performance and providing bursts of energy during workouts.

While people who eat a high-protein diet will already have more than enough creatine in their muscles, as the substance is commonly found in seafood and red meat, some studies have suggested that people who eat a plant-based diet, or those who are relatively new to exercising, may benefit from creatine supplements.

In some cases, research has shown it can improve the amount of weight people can lift by up to 32 per cent and increase muscle mass by 7.2 per cent, particularly in the upper body.

One review paper from 2021 indicated that creatine may be especially effective for women when used in combination with resistance exercises. Because some creatine is stored in the brain, the review also suggested that it could help boost mood and cognitive function.

Soy

For vegetarians and vegans, animal-derived supplements such as whey protein and casein may be off-limits. Dr David Rogerson, a researcher in the Academy of Sport and Physical Activity at Sheffield Hallam University, also points out that these supplements may not be suitable for people with certain allergies.

“Some people experience issues with dairy products in terms of their tolerability,” he says. “Whey and casein can aggravate that, and so they might find a plant-based source easier to consume.”

Soy is arguably the most heavily researched alternative to animal protein supplements, and last year a review paper found that in some cases, soy can be just as good at promoting muscle growth as whey protein.

Rogerson feels that for the majority of people, the differences between animal and plant-based protein supplements are likely to be relatively negligible. “Whether whey protein, for example, is better than another type of protein, it’s marginal at best,” he says. “So what someone chooses to use really comes down to personal preference.”

Pea protein

Along with soy, pea protein is another popular plant-based protein supplement. Sarkar describes it as being quite easily digestible, while Deane says that it does contain the same nine essential amino acids as whey protein and casein, but in smaller quantities.

“You would need to have a lot more of it to get the same response as something like whey,” says Deane. “This means it might cost more for people, because they’re having to take larger amounts, and with older people who don’t want to eat as much, they might not adhere to that.”

Collagen

Collagen, a type of protein, is present in astonishing abundance in our skin, cartilage and other connective tissues. Nearly a third of all the proteins in the human body are various types of collagen, but from our 20s onwards, our ability to produce them ourselves dwindles, making us progressively wrinklier and stiffer.

This has created an enormous market for collagen supplements, many of which are targeted at skin health. While the jury is still out on whether these supplements can really help retain youthful skin tone and elasticity, scientists are interested in whether they can help prevent frailty. Researchers at Liverpool John Moores University are currently examining whether they can make older adults less vulnerable to tripping and falling.

“Collagen is a poor source of the nine essential amino acids, so it isn’t as efficacious for helping to maintain or grow muscle as things like whey or pea protein for example,” says Deane. “But it’s rich in the other 11 amino acids so there may be benefits in these other areas.”

Blended protein powders

Rogerson says that blended protein powders, sometimes containing a mixture of whey, casein and egg proteins or different plant-based proteins, are becoming increasingly popular.

One of the best-known blended brands is Huel, but as with many other blends, Rogerson says he would categorise the product as more of a high-protein meal replacement than a supplement.

“Different blends of proteins have been around for a while now, and they’re often higher in calories because they contain carbohydrates and fat,” he says. “Some of the benefits are that they’re processed to be easy to consume, super convenient and they contain things like fibre and other nutrients. But if you’re not careful, they can really increase your calorie intake if you’re having them on top of meals. They should also be an occasional choice rather than a full replacement for a proper meal.”

What to watch out for with protein supplements: calories, chemicals, kidney issues

While supplements are a good way of boosting your protein intake, Rogerson urges consumers to always check the ingredient list carefully as many manufacturers will add in extra sugars to increase the palatability of their product.

“You don’t want these extras that are adding calories,” he says. “If you’re not careful, some of these supplements can be quite high in carbohydrates.”

Two years ago, a report from a US-based non-profit organisation called the Clean Label Project drew attention to the issue of contamination within protein supplements. After screening 134 different products, it found that many supplements contained heavy metals such as lead, arsenic, cadmium and mercury, a chemical found in plastics called bisphenol-A (BPA), pesticides or other known carcinogens. The levels of these contaminants was often dangerously high, with one particular protein powder containing 25 times the allowed limit of BPA.

“This created a bit of controversy,” says Rogerson. “But my perception is if you’re buying quality products, you probably don’t need to worry about it as much.”

The other consideration, particularly for older adults with underlying kidney problems, is to be careful of consuming higher amounts of protein without careful consultation with a doctor or dietitian. This is because removing the waste products from protein is stressful for the kidneys and forces them to work harder, and so people with chronic kidney disease are often encouraged to eat a low-protein diet.

“We need to be really cautious about recommending higher amounts of protein to older people if they have kidney problems,” says Rogerson.

Are there any other benefits in protein supplements?

Increasing the amount of protein in your diet can also have other benefits for your health, other than muscle mass and function.

“There is a little bit of evidence that suggests having protein supplements before a meal could help with things like blood glucose regulation,” says Rogerson. “Some pieces of research have looked at whether this can help curb appetite in people who are overweight or obese. Protein in general, as a nutrient, we do know that it’s helpful in a weight loss context, because it’s a really complex thing to digest and absorb. So it tends to make people feel fuller for longer.”

Verdict

While supplements can be a useful option, overall experts feel that consumers are best advised to try to get their protein requirements from their diet. “In general, I would say that you can get all the proteins that you’re looking for from a natural diet,” says Sarkar. “And as your requirements rise with age, you just increase the amount of protein that you’re eating to around half of your plate.”

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Content: Home » The Revolutionary Helixafe Protocol: A New Approach to Cancer Prevention

The Revolutionary Helixafe Protocol: A New Approach to Cancer Prevention

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“The Helixafe protocol is truly revolutionary. For the first time we are focusing on a non-tumor. This allows us to intercept any risk conditions in advance to intervene immediately.” Thus Adriana Albini, oncologist at the European Institute of Oncology (Ieo) in Milan and head of the research group for cancer prevention at the American Association of Cancer Research (Aacr), in Rome on the sidelines of the Consensus Conference ‘New approach in prevention of tumors, the first ‘Cancer Driven Interception’ model in the world in Italy. “The technology allows us to implement non-toxic interventions, such as actions on lifestyle modification, nutrition, physical activity. This is possible thanks to an innovative technology that combines many different parameters that constitute the drivers of an oncological problem”, he says in the event that took place in the Senate, promoted by the Bioscience Foundation, a non-profit association born from the collaboration between the Tor Vergata University of Rome and located at the San Raffaele Hospital in Milan.

What is the Helifaxe protocol

It is the new frontier in the fight against cancer, active prevention of conditions that can give rise to a tumor. It’s called ‘Cancer Driver Interception’. “It is scientifically proven: carcinogenesis lasts for years. At the beginning, some predisposing conditions occur which, if intercepted and modified, can stop the process, preventing the onset of the neoplasm. Conditions now clear and studied with dozens of scientific publications, which they can be monitored with simple tests. In Italy the most innovative operating model in the world has been developed: the Helixafe protocol”, says Albini.

See also  the 4 symptoms that reveal the disease

“A real revolution – underlines Rossana Berardi, full professor of Oncology at the Polytechnic University of Marche and member of the national board of Aiom (Italian Association of Medical Oncology) – It radically transforms the point of view on the approach to tumors, which today focuses exclusively on on early diagnosis and therapies, starting from the identification of ‘cancer drivers’ that intercept and treat the pathophysiological conditions that determine the development of tumors. As with cardiovascular diseases, we can control blood pressure and cholesterol levels, risk factors really important, today we can verify the mutations that lead to the onset of tumors.” As? With the analysis of genomic instability, the control of chronic inflammation, the imbalance of the immune system and the intestinal bacterial flora.

“Genomic instability is the main driver – highlights Giuseppe Mucci, president of the Bioscience Foundation – The DNA of each of us receives several thousand lesions daily which are however repaired by tumor suppressor genes. However, if these genes stop working and no longer repair damage, somatic (acquired) mutations are formed. These represent the indicator of the inactivity of the tumor suppressor genes and therefore of the prodromal condition of the development of solid tumors. This occurs through the sequencing of circulating free DNA, which is obtained with a simple blood sampling. Not only that: it is also necessary to control chronic inflammation, with the analysis of 9 cytokines to highlight a condition of systemic inflammation”. Furthermore, “the measurement of the CD4/CD8 ratio, monocytes – continues Mucci – highlights the balance or imbalance of the immune system. While with the sequencing of a stool sample it is possible to analyze a fourth driver function, which is the imbalance of the flora intestinal bacterial infection”.

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As Luca Quagliata, molecular biotechnologist at the University of Heidelberg in Germany, recalls, “the sequencing techniques of free circulating DNA represent an epochal turning point in the prevention of cancer, because they allow the evaluation of the consequences due to the genotoxic impact accumulated in the DNA and which it can become a driver of cancer. As studied by the spin-off of the Tor Vergata University, the result of Italian research”.

The national president of Aiom, Saverio Cinieri, also spoke to reiterate the importance of the protocol. “The absolute number of tumors in Western countries – he recalls – is increasing, but mortality is decreasing, thanks to early diagnosis. In Italy in 2022, 390 thousand diagnoses were recorded, 14 thousand more than in 2020. We must intervene on primary prevention with the correction of incorrect lifestyles, especially smoking, overweight and sedentary lifestyle, and now also on active prevention. For this reason, an important communication and education project must be developed among clinicians, but above all among family doctors”.

“Our task – comments Pier Luigi Bartoletti, national deputy secretary of the Fimmg (Italian Federation of Family Doctors) – is precisely to reduce the burden of oncological disease. Being able to intervene through prodromal checks represents a notable step forward”. Adds Roberto Messina, national president of Senior Federanziani: “Cancer is a disease that mainly affects the elderly, but which develops over the years from a young age. This is why it is important to act on primary and active prevention with these new tests, to have a old age free from major diseases such as oncological ones”. From the first national conference on active prevention, concludes Mucci, “a long educational and cultural journey begins, aimed at doctors, institutions, patient associations and the population”.

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Content: Millionaire Bryan Johnson takes 111 pills a day and wears a 'jet pack' to bio-hack his body into aging backward

Bryan Johnson, a millionaire gave an interview to TIME recently and said that he takes 111 pills a day to reverse his biological age.

He also claimed to use various electronic devices to track the biological processes in his body. For example, he wears a baseball cap that projects a red light onto his scalp.

He also collects his own stool samples for analysis. Furthermore, Johnson sleeps with a 'tiny jet' pack attached to his penis to track his night-time erections.

Why millionaire Bryan Johnson takes 111 pills daily?

Johnson wants to reverse biological aging in his body and aims to get his 46-year-old organs to function like 18-year-old's.

He eats his dinner at 11 am. He starts the day with a "green giant" smoothie, which includes collagen, spermidine and creatine, according to the Fortune report. According to reports, he's worth $400 million.

Bryan Johnson claims that these pills help him reverse the biological process of aging, hence helping him stay young for longer. Monitoring his body processes helps him understand his body's requirements, helping him plan his meals and supplement intake accordingly.

Johnson made his fortune in his 30s when he sold his company Braintree Payment Solutions to EBay for $800 million in cash. He told podcast host Steven Barnett:

"Everyone should know these three things: (how) much you weigh, how fast you're aging, and the duration of your nighttime erections."

He added:

'This data is really important because it represents psychological health and sexual health."

He also drives his electric Audi extremely slowly, around 16 miles per hour on the streets of Los Angeles. According to the TIME report:

"Driving is the most dangerous thing we do. What would be more beautiful irony than me getting hit by a bus and dying?"

He even swapped his blood with his teenage son to help him reverse his aging. According to the aforementioned Fortune report, he takes daily body fat scans and routine MRIs, monitored by a team of 30 doctors. His team of doctors calls this plan the "Project Blueprint".

When asked about cardiovascular health, Bryan Johnson said:

"Cardiovascular health (for people are not familiar) you can go to the gym and build big biceps or whatever, but people are not familiar that nighttime erections are actually a meaningful health indicator."

It's not known whether these practices help reverse age or not. Bryan Johnson's way of tackling premature aging is controversial and is heavily debated online.

Indranil Biswas is a nutritionist and personal trainer with a diploma in dietetics and personal training with a specialization in sports nutrition and strength training.

What do you think of this story? Tell us in the comments section below.

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**Intermittent Fasting (IF)** is another cornerstone of biohacking, involving cycles of eating and fasting, such as the 16:8 model or the 5:2 diet .

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Health & Medicine

Intermittent Fasting Doesn’t Have Long-Term Effects on Weight Loss

— February 24, 2023

Fasting isn’t as effective as calorie counting, research shows.

A new study published on in mid-January in the Journal of the American Heart Association revealed that the common “fad” diet practice of intermittent fasting is in fact not effective for weight loss over time. While immediate results may be noticeable, they’re not sustainable. The research team at John Hopkins University found that when trying to lose weight, the amount of food a person eats is much more important than the time of each meal. The study consisted of 547 individuals, all of whom were asked to record both the size of their meals and the timing of when they ate on a mobile app daily over the course of six months. The scientists then recorded the participant’s weight over the course of roughly six years, five years before they began logging their meals, and roughly six months after, using electronic health records.

Within the study, the participant’s meals were divided into three distinct size categories: meals with fewer than 500 calories, meals that ranged from 500 to 1,000 calories, and meals consisting of over 1,000 calories. The results of the study demonstrated that those who ate the most large and medium meals gained weight over six years, and those who ate smaller, fewer meals lost weight.

These results are consistent with the long-standing belief that keeping your eating within a calorie deficit is what contributes to weight loss. There was no link found in the study between weight change and limiting food intake into a specific time window, which is the practice referred to as intermittent fasting. They also found no relation between weight change and the timing of a person’s first or last meal of the day.

The study accounted for several variables, and its participants included people of various weights, including overweight and severely obese individuals. The weight changes that were observed in the study were fairly small overall, but people who ate an extra daily meal saw less than 1 pound of weight gain per year, on average, relative to those who did not eat the extra meal.

Researchers who worked on the study say that the results provide evidence that restricting meal size can be effective for weight loss, even after adjusting for baseline weights. They also noted that on average, people will gain 1 or 2 pounds a year, which can amount to significant weight gain over time.

However, other research has found that the timing of meals can matter. A study that was published in October 2022 reported eating earlier in the day may contribute to weight loss, perhaps due to an increased feeling of fullness throughout the day, or because it helps people burn calories because they’re more likely to move about during the daytime.

Another factor worth considering is the nutritional value of the foods people consume, and that the quality of a person’s diet is also a large determinant in weight gain or loss. If someone consumes a large amount of highly processed food, for instance, it can lead to weight gain. On the opposite end, having a diet that consists of lots of organic foods can help with losing those extra pounds. All in all, the value of one’s food intake is likely more important to weight management than the time of day in which intake occurs.

Sources:

Intermittent fasting wasn’t associated with weight loss over 6 years, a new study found

Comparison of weight-loss diets with different compositions of fat, protein, and carbohydrates

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Content: The idea of precision medicine is a disruptive approach to healthcare, with care and wellness tailored to the individual genetic makeup, lifestyle and environmental factors of each person. It is an approach recognizing the uniqueness of each person, and that treatment should vary depending on an individual's specific characteristics. Since the mapping of the human genome 20 years ago in April 2003, genomic data has been used to determine predisposition to diseases and predict the efficacy of different forms of treatment, and to develop drugs targeting the basic biology of diseases. It is guiding the development of new drugs, therapies, and delivery mechanisms. By tailoring treatment to the specific needs of each patient, the promise of precision medicine is no less than to improve the quality of care, the efficacy of prevention, reduce the risk of adverse outcomes, and to improve the economy of healthcare delivery.

The growth of digital health technologies, and big data and AI in particular, are shaping the predictive, diagnostic and clinical aspects of precision medicine. A significant part of the future growth of precision medicine will come from emerging digital technologies and data-driven strategies. Some key trends and developments to keep watch on include:

  • The increasing developmental pace of AI technologies and computational methods are accelerating the development of digital and precision medicine technologies. In many ways, precision medicine is only possible with the work that can be done by AI. The collection and synthesis of a vast amount of genomic, clinical, lifestyle, social and environmental data will provide unprecedented insights and opportunities not available to human researchers to develop a whole new level of precision. This will be especially true with drug research and development, where AI can be deployed to reduce the significant time and cost of bringing new treatments to market. And diagnostic equipment such as ultrasound and x-ray machines will see great benefits with the infusion of AI.
  • A growing trend in precision medicine will be a focus on preventive medicine, with a particular focus on mental health and well-being. The impact on lifestyle, and changes to diet and exercise, with a growing emphasis on mental well-being, are areas of intervention primed for continued technological advancement. In the mental health field, for example, AI algorithms can create insights from range of sources, including social media, online forums, and wearable devices, to identify patterns that could be associated with specific mental health conditions.
  • Patient portals and other digital health applications and tools focusing on patient-provider experience are creating platforms for patients to interact with their medical and health provides to access personalized health information. Connecting patients with their treatment providers (which itself will become a much broader concept) through digital technologies will help people connect with their genetic test results, understand the implications of findings, and provide opportunities for deep engagement with health care professionals should improve their health outcomes. Digital health tools that assist both the provider of care and the patient to make sense of that complexity and provide patients, family members, and health care professionals with a platform to contextualize genetic information could help improve the patient experience, support shared decision-making, and support patient-centred care based on their unique needs, preferences and values.
  • Regulatory frameworks for the development of precision medicine technologies and AI and digital technologies cannot stifle innovation. The research and venture capital communities must come together with policymakers, and there must be harmonization across the globe. Certainly, the legal, ethical and social issues facing AI will be challenging, and there is a complicated landscape with layers of involvement by multiple levels of government and overlapping government agencies, regulated health professionals, health institutions. Nevertheless, the regulatory pathways that allow for innovation and commercialization at the intersection of technology and medicine.

Longstanding concerns about access to and equity of precision medicine technologies may become more pronounced with digital and precision health technologies. The high cost of accessing gene testing, for example, or the absence of some populations in health data, will be challenged with the trustworthiness and bias of AI systems for precision medicine technologies.

Short term funding challenges will persist with the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and the worries of wider implications for start-up and early growth stage companies. Beyond this, however, the headwinds for precision medicine technologies look to clear up, and the intersection of digital health technologies and AI has the potential to allow precision medicine to live up to its promises.

About BLG

The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.

IF is promoted for weight management, improved metabolic health, and potential longevity benefits.

IF is promoted for weight management, improved metabolic health, and potential longevity benefits.

IF is promoted for weight management, improved metabolic health, and potential longevity benefits.

Clinical studies indicate that intermittent fasting can lead to weight loss, improved insulin sensitivity, lower blood pressure, and reduced inflammation .

Title:

Content: 20-Year Vegan Athlete Takes Gold In European Duathlon Championships

20-Year Vegan Athlete Takes Gold In European Duathlon Championships

An athletic career high has been attributed, in part, to a plant-based diet

By

2 Minutes Read

Vegan athlete Lisa Gawthorne, representing the Great Britain duathlon team, took gold in the European Championships in Venice last month.

In her last major competition, the World Championships in Romania in 2022, Gawthorne maxed out at bronze medal. But this year’s win comes as Gawthorne reached another important milestone: 20 years as a vegan.

Aptly, Gawthorne completed the race – which consisted of a 4.7km run, a 23km cycle, and a final 2.8km run – in a uniform reading “go vegan.”

The power of plants

Crediting her plant-based diet as playing a “significant part” in her gold medal victory, she revealed why veganism and athleticism go hand-in-hand.

“I am so happy! I’ve worked so hard with my run and bike coaches for this and it’s just the most amazing feeling and the best-ever reward,” Gawthorne, also a nutritionist and author, told Plant Based News.

“I love that it’s sparked so many stories and communications with me about veganism too – it’s my 20th veganniversary so what better way to celebrate that than with a European win to prove that veganism has a very valid place for supporting peak performance in sport, fitness, and athletics.”

Gawthorne announced her gold medal win on Instagram, making sure to include “vegan,” “vegan strong,” and “vegan athlete” hashtags.

Influencing teammates to try plant-based

Having noted improvements in her own performance and health, Gawthorne has encouraged her teammates to try a plant-based diet for themselves. Offering advice and access to easily digestible information, she claims that many have transitioned to veganism.

In a further bid to make plant-based nutrition accessible, Gawthorne runs vegan food company Bravura Foods.

Gold medal performances from vegan athletes

Gawthorne is not alone in delivering inspiring sporting performances on a plant-based diet.

From bodybuilders to tennis players, racing drivers and almost every sport in between, vegan athletes are becoming increasingly mainstream. So much so that Japan faced calls to make catering options in the 2021 Tokyo Olympian Village all plant-based. The move was requested to give sports people access to “clean” protein sources.

Millions around the world trust Plant Based News for content about navigating our changing planet & our role in it.

Our independent team of journalists
and experts are committed to making an impact through a wide range of content—and
you can help by supporting our work today.

Title:

Content: TV legend Davinia Taylor has revealed how well she is feeling after undertaking a new lifestyle that involves biohacking.

Biohacking occurs when someone changes their nutrition and lifestyle in order to make themselves healthier. Each person who biohacks does so in a different way whether it’s cutting out alcohol, taking supplements, or engaging in anti-ageing procedures.

Davinia – who starred in Hollyoaks – has explained that her biohacking involves cold-water therapy and removing inflammatory foods from her diet.

As a result of her new lifestyle, which also includes the use of saunas and supplements, Davinia has said that she now feels healthier than she ever has before.

Speaking to Hello! Davinia said that she entered a difficult period of poor mental health after the death of her mother when she was 35.

She added: “Boredom drove me to drink and then to eat unhealthily. I don’t want to go into my 50s feeling bored, so I had to find another way to get the dopamine I crave.”

On the techniques she uses for her biohacking, Davinia reveals that one of her routine acts is taking supplements from a company she founded. Known as WillPowders which contain collagen, protein, bone broth, and MCT (a healthy form of saturated fat) they have become an essential part of her routine.

Davinia explained: “If I don’t have my morning keto creamer and collagen, I’m going to end up binging on croissants or brownies. It’s how I’m wired after my 1980s upbringing.”

This isn’t the first time Davinia has spoken about biohacking. Earlier this year she told the Evening Standard that it wasn’t a case of taking big measures to improve one’s health.

She said: “There's so much doom and gloom… There's so much doom and gloom…There are so many little hacks you can do just to make yourself feel mentally better.”

Davinia highlighted the benefits of cold-water therapy, a method she said can be cheap to access: “The water’s freezing in this country two-thirds of the time. And on the few months a year when it’s not, just go to the supermarket, buy some ice bags and empty them into the bath.”

Title:

Content: I Was Experiencing Extreme Burnout Until I Practiced These 3 Things to Come Out Stronger

Learn how to fight mental burnout and become a better entrepreneur with these three simple practices that most already know but often forget about.

By Ron Lieback

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Mental burnout, unfortunately, compliments entrepreneurism. There's no denying this sentiment, but I've discovered three proven practices that continuously help bypass much of that mental exhaustion.

The practices — rooted in physical health maintenance, meditation practices and mandatory downtime — take minimum effort or time. These insights will help keep you energized in your entrepreneurial journey without burning out — something I experienced multiple times throughout my ongoing entrepreneurial journey and promised myself that burning out would never happen again.

Related: 3 Insights From the First Large-Scale Study on Burnout and Entrepreneurs

Identifying and checking for mental burnout

According to the nonprofit HelpGuide.org, mental burnout is a state of physical, emotional and mental exhaustion caused by prolonged stress. I've recognized the following multiple times while leading my agency and productivity consulting practice:

  • Feeling overwhelmed or emotionally drained
  • Lack of motivation
  • Irritability
  • Insomnia or excessive sleep
  • Loss of interest in once enjoyable activities
  • Decreased productivity at work or school
  • Increased anxiety or depression

These factors can quickly creep in without you noticing it. Author and lecturer Chris Bailey helps us better understand this. In his latest release, How to Calm Your Mind, the productivity hacker says understanding and being aware of the six burnout factors within our work life can help us overcome it.

The six factors are:

  • Workload (How demanding the workload is)
  • Lack of control (How much autonomy, resources and freedom over workload)
  • Insufficient rewards (Financial, social or intrinsic)
  • Community (Quality of work relationships and interactions)
  • Fairness (Treated respectfully)
  • Values (Does the work have a sense of purpose aligned with values?)

Bailey says to set reoccurring calendar events to check in on yourself to create awareness around the six factors. He says he checks every six months; I have bi-monthly calendar alerts set now to check on these six factors. It's shocking how much they pop up, although I'm aware of them.

With that said, it's essential to recognize when you are starting to feel burned out so that you can take steps to prevent it from getting worse. Mental burnout can be difficult to identify, but recognizing the signs early on is key in developing strategies for battling it.

For new entrepreneurs, the following tactics can be eye-opening, regardless of how simple each sound. And for seasoned entrepreneurs, it's always good to get back to these basics. For example, I recently acquired an entrepreneurial assessment software company and quickly lost myself, forgetting many of these basics.

Related: An Entrepreneur's Greatest Asset Is Wellness. Here Are 5 Ways to Protect Yours.

1. Prioritize energy

Although many slog through work and become successful, the efforts take more time and longer-term health suffers. This leads to mental burnout. Focus on creating sustainable energy through proper diet, exercise and sleep, and you'll be able to focus not only sharper but also longer.

After nearly two decades of biohacking and testing various diets, I mostly follow Dr. Gundry's diet laid out in Breaking the Keto Code. Still, I tend to rely on more supplements and longer periods of fasting. Exercises include only two strength-training resistance workouts weekly, along with much walking/hiking, stationary biking, off-road motorcycling and bouncing daily on a mini trampoline in my office.

As for sleep, I learned to regulate my sleeping patterns and use Circadian Optics lighting every morning when I wake up to start the day off through reading, writing or meditating. I hack my sleep in various ways, but my favorite includes a proper cocktail of magnesium, zinc, potassium, GABA, ashwagandha and Kava, along with no food or alcohol at least three hours before snooze time. So test, tune and find what works for you.

2. Practice meditation and mindfulness daily

Although the benefits are proven, and it's well-known across the world of entrepreneurism, many still don't meditate. It's a mindset that one must discover, and once discovered, the benefits of relaxed and focused thinking help you produce more quality work in less time.

I treat meditation like brushing my teeth; it's just part of life now. It helps clear the mind and provides some insight into any problems causing stress. I'm a huge fan of Vishen Lakhiani's 6-Phase Meditation Method, which works wonders in roughly 20 minutes per day and doesn't require traditional methods like sitting in the lotus position or clearing the mind of any thought. Want to make it even more rewarding? Compliment the meditation with a FAR Infrared sauna blanket. I typically do the 20-minute 6-Phase, followed by another 20 minutes of the sauna while listening to theta or delta wave sounds.

Meditation and mindfulness techniques can clear your mind from negative thoughts and allow you to focus on the present moment instead of worrying about what's ahead or what's happened in the past. The outcome is less stress and a fresh look at everything. Others are 5 a.m. Club workoutaholics, but I have more energy and focus on meditation.

This will help relieve stress levels significantly and enable you to approach work with more clarity and purposeful action steps.

Related: How Mindfulness Can Take Your Entrepreneurship to the Next Level

3. Enforce downtime for mental relaxation and productivity

Scheduling regular breaks throughout the day allows for some time away from work, giving your brain a chance to relax before returning to full focus. My threshold for deep, focused work is about 1.5 hours straight; then I can feel my mind slowing. That's when I take a break for an analog activity, sometimes a mere 10 minutes of reading something drastically different from what I'm working on or challenging myself for 20 minutes with jazz guitar lessons.

Working nonstop without any breaks will eventually lead to feeling overwhelmed with everything that needs to be done within a certain period. On my deepest workdays, such as writing or creating client strategies, I break for an hour, typically around noon, to take a bath. This supercharges like no other.

My office is a rented lake house, which makes day baths simple. If you work in a traditional office building, try working from home on the days you need the most focus and spend some time soaking. All my greatest client strategies and business/investment ideas manifested while soaking.

It is vital not only to take short breaks daily, but also to schedule mandatory downtime away from work. For example, I totally shut off every Wednesday after 5 p.m. and one entire day on the weekend. That means zero emails, computers, answering calls or anything related. This helps avoid burnout.

Mental burnout can be a difficult obstacle to overcome, but with the optimal tactics, such as the simple ones above, you can learn how to battle it. By taking time for sustaining energy through physical health, meditation and mandatory downtime, You can become a better you and have time to focus not just on the day-to-day work duties but on ideas that will change the world — a mission that should be the sharpest focus for every entrepreneur.

Ron Lieback

Entrepreneur Leadership Network Contributor

ContentMender Founder, Author

Ron Lieback is the founder and CEO of ContentMender, an SEO-driven content marketing agency, and a productivity hacker. He is also the author of 365 to Vision: Modern Writer's Guide (How to Produce More Quality Writing in Less Time).

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According to the studies, how does intermittent fasting help?

It reduces the risk of lifestyle-related diseases, such as metabolic disorders.

According to the studies, how does intermittent fasting help?

It reduces the risk of lifestyle-related diseases, such as metabolic disorders.

According to the studies, how does intermittent fasting help?

It reduces the risk of lifestyle-related diseases, such as metabolic disorders.

For example, a randomized clinical trial found that time-restricted eating resulted in greater weight loss and better cardiometabolic health compared to unrestricted eating .

Title:

Content: 20-Year Vegan Athlete Takes Gold In European Duathlon Championships

20-Year Vegan Athlete Takes Gold In European Duathlon Championships

An athletic career high has been attributed, in part, to a plant-based diet

By

2 Minutes Read

Vegan athlete Lisa Gawthorne, representing the Great Britain duathlon team, took gold in the European Championships in Venice last month.

In her last major competition, the World Championships in Romania in 2022, Gawthorne maxed out at bronze medal. But this year’s win comes as Gawthorne reached another important milestone: 20 years as a vegan.

Aptly, Gawthorne completed the race – which consisted of a 4.7km run, a 23km cycle, and a final 2.8km run – in a uniform reading “go vegan.”

The power of plants

Crediting her plant-based diet as playing a “significant part” in her gold medal victory, she revealed why veganism and athleticism go hand-in-hand.

“I am so happy! I’ve worked so hard with my run and bike coaches for this and it’s just the most amazing feeling and the best-ever reward,” Gawthorne, also a nutritionist and author, told Plant Based News.

“I love that it’s sparked so many stories and communications with me about veganism too – it’s my 20th veganniversary so what better way to celebrate that than with a European win to prove that veganism has a very valid place for supporting peak performance in sport, fitness, and athletics.”

Gawthorne announced her gold medal win on Instagram, making sure to include “vegan,” “vegan strong,” and “vegan athlete” hashtags.

Influencing teammates to try plant-based

Having noted improvements in her own performance and health, Gawthorne has encouraged her teammates to try a plant-based diet for themselves. Offering advice and access to easily digestible information, she claims that many have transitioned to veganism.

In a further bid to make plant-based nutrition accessible, Gawthorne runs vegan food company Bravura Foods.

Gold medal performances from vegan athletes

Gawthorne is not alone in delivering inspiring sporting performances on a plant-based diet.

From bodybuilders to tennis players, racing drivers and almost every sport in between, vegan athletes are becoming increasingly mainstream. So much so that Japan faced calls to make catering options in the 2021 Tokyo Olympian Village all plant-based. The move was requested to give sports people access to “clean” protein sources.

Millions around the world trust Plant Based News for content about navigating our changing planet & our role in it.

Our independent team of journalists
and experts are committed to making an impact through a wide range of content—and
you can help by supporting our work today.

According to the studies, how does intermittent fasting help?

It reduces the risk of lifestyle-related diseases, such as metabolic disorders.

IF may also enhance metabolic flexibility and promote autophagy, a cellular cleansing process linked to longevity .

Title:

Content: When you’re intolerant...

When you’re intolerant...

Gluten intolerance is an immunological reaction to gluten that damages the small intestinal lining and produces inflammation, writes Ryan Fernando

A few years ago a cricketer was sitting across the table in my counselling room diligently listening and making notes as I went through his genetic reports trying to interpret what his gene markers say about him. He was intrigued by the fact that a simple saliva sample can give so much of an in-depth insight into his health and fitness condition. It was at that time that one of the markers in the report left him perplexed and even left his parents in doubt about the authenticity of the test and report.

It came out that this player is gluten intolerant and wheat does not go well with him as it will cause more harm to him than good. The entire family unanimously expressed their disbelief and questioned how they never encountered any problem even after eating wheat all these years and how could it have become an issue all of a sudden.

My response was simple... the signs were always there, but you attributed it to some other factors. The protein gluten, which is present in wheat, barley, and rye, has gradually grown to be a significant health risk in recent years. Numerous health difficulties result from the inability of many people to detect its effects on their health at an early stage. Wheat is a staple meal in India, and people are unable to give it up because of their psychological and emotional ties to it. But it’s important to be aware of the condition since gluten sensitivity can lead to serious health issues.

Gluten intolerance is an immunological reaction to gluten, which damages the small intestinal lining and produces inflammation. Numerous symptoms, including bloating, diarrhoea, constipation, tiredness, headaches, and skin rashes, may result from this. It can occasionally also result in more serious health problems including celiac disease, autoimmune diseases, and even cancer.

Due to a lack of knowledge and awareness, even though gluten intolerance is becoming more widely recognised, individuals in India still do not understand how it affects their health. People need to be informed about gluten since they are unaware that it can cause a wide range of lifestyle-related health problems. After eliminating gluten from their diet, people with gluten intolerance have reported seeing improvements in their gut health, allergies, general well-being and blood markers. It is important to discover that there are several foods that are gluten-free, and consumers need to be informed about these alternatives. To find out if a person is prone to gluten sensitivity, people can also undergo genetic testing. A quick genetic test can provide important information about a person’s health and reveal whether they are predisposed to gluten sensitivity.

The cricketer at the start of the story is none other than Vyshak Vijaykumar fast bowler for the Royal Challengers Bangalore who now bowls at 140kms/hr.

(The author has just published Wh(eat)less: A Guide to a Gluten-Free Life with Rupa Publications India.)

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Title:

Content: Menopause: Doctor shares how to lose weight 'quicker' with 'most effective' methods

THE MENOPAUSE can be daunting but a doctor has revealed two science-backed methods that can really help women shed pounds quickly.

Link copied

The Natural Beauty Show discuss menopause

Intermittent fasting has long been hailed a heroic weight loss method, having helped many people shed pounds successfully and reach their weight loss goals. But there is one specific method in particular that doctors advocated is a "significant" player in the weight loss game in order to lose unwanted fat, making it a "beneficial" approach for women going through the menopause.

Many studies into how the technique can effectively impact people's weight have found that the metabolic impact of intermittent fasting alongside a good calorie deficit can help the number on the scales to decrease.

And intermittent fasting can help balance women's hormones in other ways that ease symptoms, too.

Dr Sam Watts, founder of Mind Body Medical, revealed there are "two clear leaders" when it comes to intermittent fasting styles.

"Lots of clinical evidence exists around the potential weight loss benefits of different intermittent fasting plans," he explained.

"For quicker and more profound weight loss, the alternate day fasting plan is arguably the most effective."

READ MORE: Diet: Expert warns against common mistake

Menopause: Doctor shares how to lose weight 'quicker' with 'most effective' methods (Image: GETTY)

Alternate day fasting sees slimmers fast every other day, only eating to satiety on alternate days.

800 calories are to be consumed on fasting days, although Dr Watts revealed some people choose to fast completely.

"Using this approach, you fast every other day while eating a healthy, well-balanced diet on the alternate non-fasting days," he said.

"This approach has been shown to facilitate significant and progressive weight loss."

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But he also noted for an easier-to-adopt approach, the 16:8 model also promotes "significant" weight loss results.

"This is a time-restricted eating version of intermittent fasting that involves consuming all of your calories in an eight-hour window and fasting for the remaining 16 hours," he told Live Science.

"This approach has consistently been shown to induce significant and progressive weight loss in an arguably more sustainable model."

This form of time-restricted eating is a fasting style where people fast for a certain amount of time and eat in the remaining window.

READ MORE: Michael Mosley weight loss: Remove three foods to stay slim

Intermittent fasting has long been hailed a heroic weight loss method (Image: GETTY)

Many studies have shown how fasting can effectively impact people's weight (Image: GETTY)

While there are many variations of time-restricted eating methods, it's important to find what works best for the individual.

"During your non-fasting period, it is essential to eat enough healthy calories to allow you to thrive during the fasting period,” Dr Watts added.

"To facilitate this, prepare meals you enjoy and eat enough to feel fully satisfied and full.

"It is also important to ensure an adequate intake of lean protein (animal or plant-based), a good portion of complex carbohydrates, plenty of vegetables and fruit and, most importantly, some healthy fat, such as extra-virgin coconut oil or olive oil, omega-3 fatty acids, nuts and seeds.

"These help to stabilise blood sugar, sustain energy and prevent extreme states of hunger."

Protein has been shown to help with satiety, as indicated by a review in the British Journal of Nutrition.

Feeling satisfied after a meal can help you stick to your fast, as you are less likely to experience hunger or food cravings.

Fibre can also suppress appetite, with a study in the Journal of Nutrition finding that dietary fibre intake promotes weight loss and dietary adherence in adults consuming a calorie-restricted diet.

However, the total caloric intake remains a critical factor for weight loss, and some studies suggest that IF is not necessarily superior to traditional calorie restriction .

There are also concerns about the psychological risks of IF, particularly the potential for disordered eating patterns and exacerbation of male eating disorders, especially when practiced without medical oversight .

Title:

Content: Chatbots for mental health pose new challenges for US regulatory framework

In a recent review published in Nature Medicine, a group of authors examined the regulatory gaps and potential health risks of artificial intelligence (AI)-driven wellness apps, especially in handling mental health crises without sufficient oversight.

Study: The health risks of generative AI-based wellness apps. Image Credit: NicoElNino/Shutterstock.com

Background

The rapid advancement of AI chatbots such as Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer (ChatGPT), Claude, and Character AI is transforming human-computer interaction by enabling fluid, open-ended conversations.

Projected to grow into a $1.3 trillion market by 2032, these chatbots provide personalized advice, entertainment, and emotional support. In healthcare, particularly mental health, they offer cost-effective, stigma-free assistance, helping bridge accessibility and awareness gaps.

Advances in natural language processing allow these 'generative' chatbots to deliver complex responses, enhancing mental health support.

Their popularity is evident in the millions using AI 'companion' apps for various social interactions. Further research is essential to evaluate their risks, ethics, and effectiveness.

Regulation of generative AI-based wellness apps in the United States (U.S.)

Generative AI-based applications, such as companion AI, occupy a regulatory gray area in the U.S. because they are not explicitly designed as mental health tools but are often used for such purposes.

These apps are governed under the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA)’s distinctions between 'medical devices' and 'general wellness devices.' Medical devices require strict FDA oversight and are intended for diagnosing, treating, or preventing disease.

In contrast, general wellness devices promote a healthy lifestyle without directly addressing medical conditions and thus do not fall under stringent FDA regulation.

Most generative AI apps are classified as general wellness products and make broad health-related claims without promising specific disease mitigation, positioning them outside the stringent regulatory requirements for medical devices.

Consequently, many apps using generative AI for mental health purposes are marketed without FDA oversight, highlighting a significant area in regulatory frameworks that may require reevaluation as technology progresses.

Health risks of general wellness apps utilizing generative AI

The FDA’s current regulatory framework distinguishes general wellness products from medical devices, a distinction not fully equipped for the complexities of generative AI.

This technology, featuring machine learning and natural language processing, operates autonomously and intelligently, making it hard to predict its behavior in unanticipated scenarios or edge cases.

Such unpredictability, coupled with the opaque nature of AI systems, raises concerns about potential misuse or unexpected outcomes in wellness apps marketed for mental health benefits, highlighting a need for updated regulatory approaches.

The need for empirical evidence in AI chatbot research

Empirical studies on mental health chatbots are still nascent, mostly focusing on rule-based systems within medical devices rather than conversational AI in wellness apps.

Research highlights that while scripted chatbots are safe and somewhat effective, they lack the personalized adaptability of human therapists.

Additionally, most studies examine the technological constraints of generative AI, like incorrect outputs and the opacity of "black box" models, rather than user interactions.

There is a crucial lack of understanding regarding how users engage with AI chatbots in wellness contexts. Researchers propose analyzing real user interactions with chatbots to identify risky behaviors and testing how these apps respond to simulated crisis scenarios.

This dual-step approach involves direct analysis of user data and "app audits," but is often hindered by data access restrictions imposed by app companies.

Studies show that AI chatbots frequently mishandle mental health crises, underscoring the need for improved response mechanisms.

Regulatory challenges of generative AI in non-healthcare uses

Generative AI applications not intended for mental health can still pose risks, necessitating broader regulatory scrutiny beyond current FDA frameworks focused on intended use.

Regulators might need to enforce proactive risk assessments by developers, especially in general wellness AI applications.

Additionally, the potential health risks associated with AI apps call for clearer oversight and guidance. An alternative approach could include tort liability for failing to manage health-relevant scenarios, such as detecting and addressing suicidal ideation in users.

These regulatory measures are crucial to balance innovation with consumer safety in the evolving landscape of AI technology.

Strategic risk management in generative AI wellness applications

App managers in the wellness industry utilizing generative AI must proactively manage safety risks to avoid potential liabilities and prevent brand damage and loss of user trust.

Managers must assess whether the full capabilities of advanced generative AI are necessary or if more constrained, scripted AI solutions would suffice.

Scripted solutions provide more control and are suited for sectors requiring strict oversight like health and education, offering built-in guardrails but possibly limiting user engagement and future growth.

Conversely, more autonomous generative AI can enhance user engagement through dynamic and human-like interactions but increases the risk of unforeseen issues.

Enhancing safety in generative AI wellness apps

Managers of AI-based wellness applications should prioritize user safety by informing users they are interacting with AI, not humans, equipping them with self-help tools, and optimizing the app's safety profile.

While basic steps include informing and equipping users, the ideal approach involves all three actions to enhance user welfare and mitigate risks proactively, safeguarding both consumers and the brand.

Journal reference:

Written by

Vijay Kumar Malesu

Vijay holds a Ph.D. in Biotechnology and possesses a deep passion for microbiology. His academic journey has allowed him to delve deeper into understanding the intricate world of microorganisms. Through his research and studies, he has gained expertise in various aspects of microbiology, which includes microbial genetics, microbial physiology, and microbial ecology. Vijay has six years of scientific research experience at renowned research institutes such as the Indian Council for Agricultural Research and KIIT University. He has worked on diverse projects in microbiology, biopolymers, and drug delivery. His contributions to these areas have provided him with a comprehensive understanding of the subject matter and the ability to tackle complex research challenges.

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    Kumar Malesu, Vijay. (2024, May 01). Chatbots for mental health pose new challenges for US regulatory framework. News-Medical. Retrieved on May 01, 2024 from https://www.news-medical.net/news/20240501/Chatbots-for-mental-health-pose-new-challenges-for-US-regulatory-framework.aspx.

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    Kumar Malesu, Vijay. "Chatbots for mental health pose new challenges for US regulatory framework". News-Medical. 01 May 2024. <https://www.news-medical.net/news/20240501/Chatbots-for-mental-health-pose-new-challenges-for-US-regulatory-framework.aspx>.

  • Chicago

    Kumar Malesu, Vijay. "Chatbots for mental health pose new challenges for US regulatory framework". News-Medical. https://www.news-medical.net/news/20240501/Chatbots-for-mental-health-pose-new-challenges-for-US-regulatory-framework.aspx. (accessed May 01, 2024).

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    Kumar Malesu, Vijay. 2024. Chatbots for mental health pose new challenges for US regulatory framework. News-Medical, viewed 01 May 2024, https://www.news-medical.net/news/20240501/Chatbots-for-mental-health-pose-new-challenges-for-US-regulatory-framework.aspx.

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**Supplementation** is widespread among biohackers, who often consume a variety of vitamins, minerals, nootropics (cognitive enhancers), adaptogens, and other nutraceuticals to support physical and mental health .

Title:

Content: NewsLocal NewsSummit County

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'It saved my life,' ADHD, trauma, OCD patients turn to neurofeedback therapy

Posted at 8:18 AM, Apr 05, 2024
and last updated 2024-04-05 08:18:12-04

CUYAHOGA FALLS, Ohio — Cracking the code to wellness is now costing Americans $1.8 trillion annually.

For the average American, that breaks down to more than $5,300 per year.

Those numbers come from the Global Wellness Summit's 2024 trends report.

The report also shows that the global wellness economy, which generated $5.6 trillion in 2022, will continue to surge and reach $8.5 trillion within the next three years.

A driver of those staggering stats is ‘biohacking,’ which is the term for do-it-yourself biology.

It has generated 951 million views on TikTok and over on Google, there's been a 900% increase in searches for ‘biohacking.’

"The way that i like to describe it is using what we know about biology to help us become better versions of ourselves," said Britney Cirillo with Alternative Therapeutics.

‘Biohacking’ can be anything from using a smartwatch to track our heart rate to jumping in an ice bath and neuro-feedback therapy.

The idea behind neuro-feedback therapy is that we can essentially re-train our brain to tackle mental health issues like depression, anxiety, trauma, and OCD, which Emily Dean suffered from for about a decade.

"Was pretty afraid to even leave my house alone. At my worst, I was unable to care for my physical health," said Dean.

Dean ultimately needed to check into the hospital as her mental health declined.

After being discharged, she discovered neurofeedback therapy.

"It completely changed my life," said Dean.

Dean said the sessions at Alternative Therapeutics in Cuyahoga Falls provided relief that medications and traditional therapies could not.

"We're not your average counseling practice," said Cirillo.

Cirillo uses neurofeedback therapy to balance electrical activity in a patient's brain, regulating delta, theta, alpha, and beta levels.

"If any of those brainwaves are being overproduced or underproduced, that will correlate with symptoms that the client is experiencing," said Cirillo.

The goal is to essentially retrain the brain using operant conditioning, a learning process in which voluntary behaviors are rewarded.

"We tell the brain to do a certain thing when it does that certain thing, they're rewarded instantly by that video game that they're playing," Cirillo.

I was so interested in how it works that Cirillo gave me a taste of a typical session.

My goal was to keep the flames of a fire burning bright and the sound of the crackling strong while playing a game on a tablet.

Cirillo was checking to make sure my brain was in an ideal zone.

I only sat there with the tablet for a short time, but a typical therapy session lasts about 20 minutes.

"And so, with more and more practice, the brain starts to recognize what it's supposed to do and it reinforces that pathway, strengthens it to the point that that's their new normal," said Cirillo.

Despite gaining popularity during this ‘biohacking craze,’ neurofeedback therapy is still considered experimental.

"I think it's an interesting phenomenon," said Dr. Robert Lufkin with the USC School of Medicine.

Lufkin said regulating the brain could give people better outcomes when it comes to their mental health.

"I think in my opinion, this can have beneficial effects on an individual," said Lufkin.

Lufkin said regardless of what form of ‘biohacking’ people choose, it's shifting the balance of the doctor-patient relationship.

"It's certainly exploding in recent years, and I think it reflects the fact that all of us as, as patients are taking control of our own health," said Lufkin.

Dean is beyond grateful she gained control.

"Neurofeedback therapy and Alternative Therapeutics saved my life," said Dean.

After completing 20 sessions five years ago, Dean has been able to maintain her progress with a few booster sessions, along with some tools to help her navigate the world.

A world that, for years, Dean navigated with crippling fear.

"Before neurofeedback I was afraid to go to the grocery store alone. Last year, I went to California alone. That is something that I never thought would be possible for me," said Dean.

With insurance companies still considering neurofeedback therapy experimental it is not covered.

However, Cirillo said many of her clients have success when they submit for out of network reimbursement.

On average, people will need about 20 sessions to get the end results they're looking for.

Notable figures like Bryan Johnson reportedly take over 100 supplements daily in pursuit of anti-aging and cognitive benefits .

Common supplements include collagen, MCT oil, creatine, omega-3 fatty acids, and spermidine, the latter believed to promote cellular health and longevity by activating autophagy .

While some supplements, such as omega-3s, have established benefits for cardiovascular health and inflammation reduction , the efficacy and safety of extensive supplementation regimens remain debated, with many products lacking robust clinical validation .

Title:

Content: There are many reasons that intermittent fasting – alternating periods of fasting with eating normally – has gained popularity in recent years, but a new study points to one of its biggest attractions: its ability to reduce inflammation in the body, something that can be particularly helpful to people with diabetes.

According to scientists from Intermountain Healthcare Heart Institute, intermittent fasting raises the levels of a protein linked to the body’s inflammatory response known as galectin-3.

It’s a significant finding because inflammation is at the heart of many chronic diseases facing Americans, such as heart disease. Allowing the body to fight inflammation can reduce these risks. However, this approach to eating can be especially helpful when it comes to metabolic issues and insulin resistance.

One part of the study looked at 67 patients between the ages of 21 and 70 who were dealing with one or more metabolic syndrome features or suffering from type 2 diabetes. All of those chosen had elevated levels of LDL cholesterol and were not taking any statins or anti-diabetic medications.

The scientists placed 36 of these patients on an intermittent fasting schedule that involved two 24-hour periods of fasting, during which only water could be consumed, across a span of four weeks. For the following 22 weeks, they were instructed to fast just one day per week. Their fasts were never carried out on consecutive days. At the same time, the remaining participants were instructed not to make any lifestyle or dietary changes.

At the end of the 26 weeks, the researchers found that the fasting group had significantly higher levels of galectin-3 as well as lower rates of insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome. Therefore, they believe that the process of intermittent fasting has effects that are similar to a type of medication that is used to lower high glucose levels in type 2 diabetes patients known as SGLT-2 inhibitors.

Intermountain Healthcare Heart Institute Director of Cardiovascular and Genetic Epidemiology Dr. Benjamin Horne, the study’s lead author, said: “In finding higher levels of galectin-3 in patients who fasted, these results provide an interesting mechanism potentially involved in helping reduce the risk of heart failure and diabetes.”

He added that one factor that makes fasting such a promising solution is the fact that it is a routine that patients find easy to stick to over the long term. Moreover, the study found that even occasional fasting can have a positive effect on health. Their findings were presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2021.

This finding supports those of previous studies. Recent research has also shown that in addition to reducing blood sugar levels and body weight, fasting can reduce insulin resistance.

Reducing the amount of time you eat can be beneficial

Lenox Hill Hospital Endocrinologist Dr. Minisha Sood told Healthline that the human body is designed to fast on a regular basis in order to give the liver a chance to clean itself out.

She said: “Looking at how many hours during the day is one consuming calories, if it’s more than 12 or 11 hours, that time frame needs to be shortened.”

Experiencing these benefits does not require any sort of deliberate fasting; it could just be a question of extending the length of time between dinner and breakfast when you are not eating overnight. However, the Intermountain Healthcare Heart Institute study suggests that longer periods of fasting may be beneficial to diabetics.

In addition to fasting, Dr. Sood said that limiting processed foods and refined sugars while eating healthier fats can help people to reduce their risk of disease and maintain a healthier metabolism.

Cassie B.

Sources for this article include:

StudyFinds.org

Healthline.com

**Physical Activity and Recovery** are integral to biohacking lifestyles.

**Physical Activity and Recovery** are integral to biohacking lifestyles.

Enthusiasts often engage in high-intensity interval training (HIIT), strength training, endurance sports, and extreme exercise regimens to optimize physical performance and longevity .

Title:

Content: Overthinking

Is intermittent fasting just another form of disordered eating?

The latest diet fad to pick up steam among Brits involves periods of prolonged abstinence from food. Men in particular are becoming loyal followers of the trend, and it’s why Oliver Keens suspects more people aren’t approaching it with necessary cynicism

Sunday 18 February 2024 06:00
Comments

What if, and I’m just floating it here, intermittent fasting turns out to be… a fad? Something on a par with the long-forgotten “baby food diet” of the early 2010s, let’s say. In the current clamour to acclaim fasting as a way to treat cancer, boost brain power, repair cells and shred fat, I feel like it’s worth recalling the faddy food regiment rumoured to have been taken up by Lady Gaga, Cheryl Cole, Jennifer Aniston and many other female celebrities a decade ago.

It involved eating around 14 portions of pureed baby food every day, with the occasional actual meal thrown in. Papers chuckled as sales of wet baby food soared, and jars of Ella’s Kitchen organic chicken and sweetcorn mash were snapped up before they could be aeroplaned into their intended infant mouths. Despite the hilarity, this diet was simply a form of prolonged abstinence, much like intermittent fasting (IF). So it’s curious why one diet gave people the giggles and the other is being treated as a miracle. I think the answer is simple: because it is men who are suddenly all over IF, nobody’s calling BS on it the way they did when Cole was allegedly eating tiny jars of creamed porridge.

I was conflicted to hear earlier this month that our prime minister Rishi Sunak practices an extreme fasting ritual for 36 hours every week. After all, we’ve only just diagnosed “hanger” as a full-on societal ill – only to learn that the most powerful man in the land is voluntarily parachuting himself into the hanger zone every Monday. Yet the press around Sunak’s adoption of fasting had an unexpected side effect: it brought two very distinct fasting tribes to the fore.

The first camp includes people who have come to IF because they’re suffering from an illness or a medical issue. For example, there have been studies that show a link between a pared-back diet and chemotherapy being more effective, which has naturally brought those with cancer to IF. It has found proponents in people with polycystic ovary syndrome, which can cause irregular menstrual cycles or infertility – ditto people combating severe inflammation like arthritis or reducing type 2 diabetes. Some in my life came to it this way, via their medical needs. Coincidentally, they’ve all been women.

Now let’s look at the other camp. For shorthand, let’s call them the men who have absolutely nothing wrong with them. Before Sunak, a familiar kind of male ecosystem had been evangelising the diet. Elon Musk and Jordan Peterson have sung its praises, while it’s also been covered several times on the alpha podcast Diary of a CEO. Episodes on the topic of fasting are subtitled with terms like “Get your sex life back”, while its YouTube version deploys crude graphics that explosively tell you of a “1,300 per cent increase in testosterone!”

IF has also been the topic du jour of many a Silicon Valley exec, who as a group commonly stress a perceived increase in “longevity”, while that same desire to live a lot longer than mere mortals has interlaced with self-help gurus such as Tony Robbins who promote the concept of “biohacking”.

It’s no surprise that IF has been promoted by a certain demographic of men who think a lot about their own manliness. IF is often explained as a way for us – the overfed, over-pampered, useless modern man – to return to the purposeful days of the hunter-gatherer or caveman, where men were supposed to be able to survive just fine on a drastically scaled-back regiment of food. Bizarrely, one of this group’s biggest enemies seems to be breakfast. Ahh, poor breakfast – once feted as the most important meal of the day, now the subject of endless angry videos titled “Why breakfast is a scam”.

I will never begrudge someone for doing something that makes them feel good, but if it sounds like I have an axe to grind, it’s true, I do. My main suspicion of IF comes from the fact that – without exception – all the men I personally know who are practising it are very healthy and very thin.

I care because we live in an era in which male eating disorders are both rife and yet totally under-discussed. An estimated 10 million men and boys suffer from an eating disorder in America. One in three sufferers are men. In the UK, men like former cricketer Freddie Flintoff or actor Christopher Eccleston have tried to shift public opinions on male eating disorders by very openly discussing their experiences with bulimia and anorexia, respectively. Yet I think there’s still a sense of total denial in most of us that men can manifest these kinds of diseases.

How can they not though, when it’s becoming increasingly rare to see men in the public eye who are anything other than completely slim – something that is simply unachievable for a lot of us. As you browse online today, keep an eye out for all the slim men you see, and think of all the averagely sized or plus-sized men you don’t see. A recent Israeli study even went as far as to suggest that a hegemony of male body shapes in porn was leading men to have eating disorders. Intermittent fasting feels like just the latest thing making totally healthy men in my life do slightly barmy and extreme things.

I’ve seen it in myself since I joined a gym. I’ve hurtled into a totally new self-doubt around my own weight and physique, just by being in the same environment as men. I’ve seen it in many male friends too, after just a few scratches of the surface. I worry that when a male pal takes up extreme cycling, starts devoting themselves to gym life, begins training for an Ironman or Tough Mudder event, or starts intermittent fasting, that there’s more going on than just a basic desire for health.

As algorithmic male messaging gets more and more primal, and this bizarre evocation of the caveman continues, it’s worth checking in with your male friends more about this. Perhaps over breakfast?

For anyone struggling with the issues raised in this article, eating disorder charity Beat’s helpline is available 365 days a year on 0808 801 0677. NCFED offers information, resources and counselling for those suffering from eating disorders, as well as their support networks. Visit eating-disorders.org.uk or call 0845 838 2040

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Recovery techniques such as sauna use and cold exposure, particularly ice baths, are employed to reduce inflammation, accelerate muscle recovery, and enhance metabolic function .

Title:

Content: INTERVIEW

The model scientist on a mission to stop women ageing

Dr Daisy Robinton is a molecular biologist who focuses on the massive impact the ovaries have on how women age. Her goal? A radical improvement in the health of 51 per cent of the population

The Times

In Silicon Valley, the buzz is all about eternal youth. Billionaires are pouring cash into immortality tech, the science of hacking old age and even death. Peter Thiel, co-founder of PayPal, has invested millions in the Methuselah Foundation, a non-profit that aims to make “90 the new 50 by 2030”. Amazon’s Jeff Bezos is a huge investor in Unity Biotechnology, a start-up developing therapeutics to flush out senescent cells (which are deteriorating but don’t die off when they should).

In the pursuit of immortality, these west coast wannabe Dorian Grays are trying every form of biohacking, from sleep tracking, fasting and meditation to implanting chips and hardware into the body. Both Apple and Google are showing interest in entering the sphere.

But so far, as

Scientific analyses support the use of cold water immersion for reducing muscle soreness and inflammation post-exercise, with a 2023 review of 20 studies confirming its efficacy for short-term recovery .

Title:

Content: INTERVIEW

The model scientist on a mission to stop women ageing

Dr Daisy Robinton is a molecular biologist who focuses on the massive impact the ovaries have on how women age. Her goal? A radical improvement in the health of 51 per cent of the population

The Times

In Silicon Valley, the buzz is all about eternal youth. Billionaires are pouring cash into immortality tech, the science of hacking old age and even death. Peter Thiel, co-founder of PayPal, has invested millions in the Methuselah Foundation, a non-profit that aims to make “90 the new 50 by 2030”. Amazon’s Jeff Bezos is a huge investor in Unity Biotechnology, a start-up developing therapeutics to flush out senescent cells (which are deteriorating but don’t die off when they should).

In the pursuit of immortality, these west coast wannabe Dorian Grays are trying every form of biohacking, from sleep tracking, fasting and meditation to implanting chips and hardware into the body. Both Apple and Google are showing interest in entering the sphere.

But so far, as

However, excessive cold exposure may impair muscle strength and growth over time, and risks such as hypothermia and cardiovascular complications necessitate caution and professional guidance .

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Content: BETA
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InnovationRx: The Feds’ ‘Nutrition Labels’ For Healthcare AI

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There is no central clearinghouse for regulating algorithms used in healthcare. Certain commercial applications, such as the heart rate monitor in the Apple Watch, are authorized by the Food and Drug Administration. However, algorithms developed by electronic health records companies, like Epic or Oracle Cerner, fall under the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT, or ONC.

“We are not regulating the AI-enabled tools themselves,” ONC director Micky Tripathi told Forbes about the new rules his agency recently finalized that go into effect on March 11, 2024. Rather, he compares the approach to a “nutrition label” found on food packaging – electronic health records companies will be required to document 33 different data elements that give their hospital and doctor customers information about what data the model is trained on and how it works. In technical parlance, these labels are often called model cards. “We're not getting deep into ‘is this a good product, is this a bad product,” said Tripathi. “We're just saying information should be provided to the customer, so that they themselves can make the decision. But it applies to a much broader array of products than FDA regulations do.”

While the rules only apply to tools the electronic health records companies develop, Tripathi hopes that other app developers or health systems building tools in house will also fill out the nutrition labels. “We actually think blank fields are informative,” he said, meaning if a developer declined to provide information around topics like health equity or safety or performance bias then a customer should be judicious about using the tool. “We're not trying to dictate how they do this, but we're saying you should have a formal thoughtful process for how you incorporate algorithms into your product.”

This $674 Million Deal Aims To Turn Your Body's Garbage Disposal Into A Disease Fighter

VantAI just announced a deal with Bristol Myers Squibb potentially worth up to $674 million. The goal? To use generative AI to design what are called "molecular glues." These glues bind to pathogens in the body, like cancer cells, connecting them to the protein degraders your cell uses to break down stuff it doesn't need anymore.

Why AI? Because your body doesn't naturally use this process to fight disease, VantAI CEO Zach Carpenter explained to Forbes. "You can't just discover glues through trial and error." You have to design the molecules that do it, a Herculean task without the last decade's advances in machine learning.

Read more here.

Pipeline & Deal Updates

Liver Disease: Gilead is acquiring CymaBay, which is developing a potential treatment for the liver disease primary biliary cholangitis, in a transaction worth about $4.3 billion.

Non-Opioid Pain: Biotech startup Latigo Biotherapeutics emerged from stealth with a $135 million series A round led by Westlake Village BioPartners. The company aims to develop non-opioid treatments for pain.

Digestive System: The FDA has approved Takeda’s drug Eohilia, an oral treatment for eosinophilic esophagitis. The condition, caused by inflammation of the esophagus, can cause choking and other issues with swallowing.

Metabolic Diseases: BioAge, which is developing treatments aimed at tackling obesity and metabolic diseases, announced that it has raised a $170 million series D round led by Sofinnova Investment.

Frostbite: The FDA has approved iloprost, marketed by Eicos Science as Aurlumyn, for the treatment of severe frostbite. It’s the first such approval and in clinical trials its application helped prevent the need for amputation of toes and fingers in patients.

Meet The Bryan Johnson-Approved AI Full Body MRI Startup That Just Raised $21 Million

Bryan Johnson is the self-proclaimed “most measured person in human history.” He's the new poster boy for an old Silicon Valley obsession: “biohacking” your body to extend your lifespan. His "gold standard" body measurement tool? The the full-body MRI scan. Johnson told Forbes he plans to get six this month alone.

One of his go-to providers is New York-based startup Ezra, which uses artificial intelligence to speed up the process. With $21 million in fresh funding, Ezra cofounder and CEO Emi Gal, a biohacker and longevity enthusiast himself, wants to take these MRIs mainstream. But medical experts are concerned that full-body MRI scans could do more harm than good for the majority of patients — setting up people who have no specific risk of cancer or another illness for overtreatment and overdiagnosis.

Read more here.

Other Healthcare News

The European Union on Tuesday approved Casgevy, the world’s first medicine based on CRISPR gene-editing technology to treat two blood disorders, following the U.S. and U.K.

CVS Health CEO Karen Lynch said the healthcare giant is sticking with plans to open 50 to 60 medical clinics for seniors next year even as rival Walgreens pulls back on clinic expansion.

The CDC is planning to drop its five-day isolation guidance for Covid.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was hospitalized for a second time this year and transferred duties to his deputy.

Patients in rural areas face worse EMS care and more sirens than those in urban and suburban areas, according to a new study.

Across Forbes

California Dreaming: How 90-Acres Of Huntington Beach Oceanfront Could Finance America’s Greenest Petroleum

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The 50 Hottest Fintech Startups

What Else We are Reading

A year in, the U.S. is still not taking advantage of lower-cost biosimilars for Humira (Stat)

The future of precision cancer therapy might be to try everything (Nature)

Will slow uptake of Leqembi pose a risk to Biogen’s recovery? (Endpoints)

Title:

Content: INTERVIEW

The model scientist on a mission to stop women ageing

Dr Daisy Robinton is a molecular biologist who focuses on the massive impact the ovaries have on how women age. Her goal? A radical improvement in the health of 51 per cent of the population

The Times

In Silicon Valley, the buzz is all about eternal youth. Billionaires are pouring cash into immortality tech, the science of hacking old age and even death. Peter Thiel, co-founder of PayPal, has invested millions in the Methuselah Foundation, a non-profit that aims to make “90 the new 50 by 2030”. Amazon’s Jeff Bezos is a huge investor in Unity Biotechnology, a start-up developing therapeutics to flush out senescent cells (which are deteriorating but don’t die off when they should).

In the pursuit of immortality, these west coast wannabe Dorian Grays are trying every form of biohacking, from sleep tracking, fasting and meditation to implanting chips and hardware into the body. Both Apple and Google are showing interest in entering the sphere.

But so far, as

**Medical Screenings and Monitoring** are increasingly adopted by biohackers to personalize and optimize health interventions.

**Medical Screenings and Monitoring** are increasingly adopted by biohackers to personalize and optimize health interventions.

**Medical Screenings and Monitoring** are increasingly adopted by biohackers to personalize and optimize health interventions.

Regular assessments may include tests for oxidative stress, body composition, and inflammation biomarkers such as cytokine levels .

Title:

Content: RFID chips in humans, "bio-hacking" or government surveillance tool?

Published: Nov. 10, 2022 at 9:54 PM CST|Updated: 51 minutes ago

SFBU Professor Ahmed Banafa, in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, outlines the risks and benefits of implanted microchips

FREMONT, Calif., Nov. 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Robocop, Star Wars, and Iron Man are all blockbuster examples of humans enhancing themselves through mechanical means. In reality, the application of the same principles is happening now through RFID (radio-frequency identification) chips in humans. These chips are incredibly small - about the size of a grain of rice - and can store information such as medical records or access to buildings and devices.

Professor Ahmed Banafa, an engineering professor at San Francisco Bay University, recently wrote a paper on the topic in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.

Professor Banafa states, "At first glance, such consumer technology looks like a harmless whim, or the next logical step among those who favor piercings, or the supposed ultimate in convenience. But inserting identification microchips in humans would also seem to bear the seeds of a particularly intrusive form of surveillance, at a time when authorities in some parts of the world have been forcibly collecting DNA and other biological data – including blood samples, fingerprints, voice recordings, iris scans, and other unique identifiers – from all their citizens."

Professor Banafa teaches not only the technical side of human enhancement but also discusses the ethics and, ultimately, the why with his students. It's important to understand all of the implications of microchip implants, their humanity-changing benefits, and the potentially disastrous consequences.

For more information about the topic or to interview San Francisco Bay University engineering Professor Banafa, please contact pr@sfbu.edu.

SFBU is a premier WASC/WSCUC-accredited, nonprofit university located in the San Francisco Bay Area/Silicon Valley. SFBU offers degree programs in computer science, engineering, technology, and management. Learn more at www.SFBU.edu.

Contact:
SFBU Communications
pr@sfbu.edu
(510) 803-7328

View original content to download multimedia:

SOURCE San Francisco Bay University

The above press release was provided courtesy of PRNewswire. The views, opinions and statements in the press release are not endorsed by Gray Media Group nor do they necessarily state or reflect those of Gray Media Group, Inc.

Advanced protocols like Helixafe focus on non-toxic interventions and biomarker monitoring to prevent chronic diseases by managing inflammation .

Title:

Content: RFID chips in humans, "bio-hacking" or government surveillance tool?

Published: Nov. 10, 2022 at 9:54 PM CST|Updated: 51 minutes ago

SFBU Professor Ahmed Banafa, in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, outlines the risks and benefits of implanted microchips

FREMONT, Calif., Nov. 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Robocop, Star Wars, and Iron Man are all blockbuster examples of humans enhancing themselves through mechanical means. In reality, the application of the same principles is happening now through RFID (radio-frequency identification) chips in humans. These chips are incredibly small - about the size of a grain of rice - and can store information such as medical records or access to buildings and devices.

Professor Ahmed Banafa, an engineering professor at San Francisco Bay University, recently wrote a paper on the topic in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.

Professor Banafa states, "At first glance, such consumer technology looks like a harmless whim, or the next logical step among those who favor piercings, or the supposed ultimate in convenience. But inserting identification microchips in humans would also seem to bear the seeds of a particularly intrusive form of surveillance, at a time when authorities in some parts of the world have been forcibly collecting DNA and other biological data – including blood samples, fingerprints, voice recordings, iris scans, and other unique identifiers – from all their citizens."

Professor Banafa teaches not only the technical side of human enhancement but also discusses the ethics and, ultimately, the why with his students. It's important to understand all of the implications of microchip implants, their humanity-changing benefits, and the potentially disastrous consequences.

For more information about the topic or to interview San Francisco Bay University engineering Professor Banafa, please contact pr@sfbu.edu.

SFBU is a premier WASC/WSCUC-accredited, nonprofit university located in the San Francisco Bay Area/Silicon Valley. SFBU offers degree programs in computer science, engineering, technology, and management. Learn more at www.SFBU.edu.

Contact:
SFBU Communications
pr@sfbu.edu
(510) 803-7328

View original content to download multimedia:

SOURCE San Francisco Bay University

The above press release was provided courtesy of PRNewswire. The views, opinions and statements in the press release are not endorsed by Gray Media Group nor do they necessarily state or reflect those of Gray Media Group, Inc.

Wearable technology, such as smartwatches and continuous glucose monitors (CGMs), enables real-time tracking of heart rate, sleep, physical activity, and metabolic markers, facilitating data-driven decision-making .

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Biohacking & Toxic Masculinity: How Women Dismantled The Boys Club

Author: Medical reviewer:
Beauty & Health Editor
By Jamie Schneider
Beauty & Health Editor
Jamie Schneider is the Beauty Editor at mindbodygreen. She has a B.A. in Organizational Studies and English from the University of Michigan, and her work has appeared in Coveteur, The Chill Times, and Wyld Skincare.
Medical review by
Bindiya Gandhi, M.D.
Physician
Dr. Bindiya Gandhi is an American Board Family Medicine–certified physician who completed her family medicine training at Georgia Regents University/Medical College of Georgia.
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We carefully vet all products and services featured on mindbodygreen using our commerce guidelines. Our selections are never influenced by the commissions earned from our links.

Take a quick search for “biohacker” on TikTok (a tag with over 137 million views), and you’ll discover a slew of men discussing their muscle gains, testosterone levels, and cold plunge routines. You’ll see some women on the page, but the space is undoubtedly dominated by male energy. And think of the outspoken biohackers you may listen to on podcasts—chances are most of them are men, too.

This gendered approach to biohacking, while pervasive, is simply misguided. But now, women are asserting their authority in health optimization, and we expect their emphasis to soar in the year ahead.

Meet the experts

Molly Maloof. M.D.

Molly Maloof. M.D. provides health optimization and personalized medicine to high-achieving entrepreneurs, investors, and technology executives. Since 2012, she has worked as an advisor or consultant to more than 50 companies in the digital health, consumer health, and biotechnology industries. Her company, Adamo Bioscience, is working on sexual health optimization.

Gabrielle Lyon, D.O.

Gabrielle Lyon, D.O. is a board-certified family physician leading a disruption in modern medicine that focuses on the largest organ in the body: skeletal muscle. With a background that includes a combined research and clinical fellowship in geriatrics and nutritional sciences at Washington University and undergraduate training in nutritional sciences at the University of Illinois, she is a subject-matter expert on protein for health, performance, aging, and disease prevention.

Stacy Salvi

Stacy Salvi is the vice president of product and strategy at the medical device company Movano Health—the creator of the Evie Ring, the first medical-grade health wearable designed for women.

Mona Vand, PharmD

Mona Vand, PharmD studied pharmacy at Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences before developing her platform that shares holistic wellness advice.

Why biohacking isn’t just for “bros”

“Women are the original biohackers,” declares family physician, Molly Maloof, M.D. “Our hormones change throughout our lives, and this requires us to adapt accordingly.” Our biology means that women often need to constantly edit their health routines and experiment with lifestyle habits as time goes on. Isn’t that the very definition of biohacking?

Let's back up: Here at mindbodygreen, we think of “biohacking” as the practice of making lifestyle tweaks to optimize health and promote longevity. Not shortcuts—contrary to popular belief—but low-lift, everyday habits that complement and enhance an existing well-being routine. Think: optimizing your exercise regimen using tools and techniques (the “biohacks”) to enhance muscle growth. It’s essentially all about advancing health with “do it yourself” biology—a topic that can pique anyone’s interest, regardless of gender.

“[Women] have a most complex physiological lifecycle that requires us to track and manage fertility, pregnancy, breastfeeding, sexuality, perimenopause, and menopause. So we should be looking at biohacking as a path to even greater health and owning the opportunity to improve our lives,” says Maloof.

Yet many women feel intimidated to enter the biohacking scene as it exists today, turned off by the male-dominated energy in the room.

Women are the original biohackers

Molly Maloof, M.D

“Biohacking has always grabbed my attention, and I want to learn, but it sometimes makes me really stressed out, because I go into this state of perfectionism where I have to do all the things,” says doctor of pharmacy and wellness practitioner Mona Vand, PharmD. “The few biohackers that I followed were all males… it just doesn't really resonate with my energy.”

This male energy is not only frustrating but can potentially harm women’s health in the long run. After all, building muscle, prioritizing protein, and keeping an eye on various health metrics are crucial for longevity—in some cases, these proactive measures can save lives. When women don’t get involved, it can totally impact their well-being.

“Physical strength is nonnegotiable,” says functional medicine doctor Gabrielle Lyon, D.O. “I've been a physician since 2006, and I've never heard someone say, ‘I regret being physically strong.’” And the muscle-building space impacts more than just physiological changes, she says. “You optimize fertility, you make healthier babies, you help the epigenetics of your child,” Lyon adds. “You age better, your skin is better, you're less likely to fall and break a hip… There's nothing that doesn't get better the stronger you are.”

So let’s be clear: Dismantling the biohacking boy’s club is not just about helping women feel included; there are real health implications at stake here.

Why the biohacker space actually really needs a dose of feminine energy

I’d be remiss not to mention how biohacking culture can easily become synonymous with hustle culture (some experts don’t even like to use the term, as it implies you can achieve optimal health with quick fixes). But as more women enter the biohacking space, we expect it to become more intuitive and less about hitting every single benchmark. From there, we predict women will focus more on sustainable changes long-term instead of a gazillion quick hacks.

“I used to think it was a flex to do a million things at the same time and habit stack,” Vand recounts. “I now carve out time for doing things that have no efficiency to them, that are strictly for joy or rest and relaxation, versus benefiting my longevity or health. It can be a little bit obsessive when you get into this thought pattern, and I just don't resonate with it.”

This doesn’t mean biohacking will become “softer” as it embraces feminine energy. But there’s an opportunity here for women to introduce some much-needed flexibility into a space that has long felt needlessly rigid.

How the biohacker game is changing — and where it’s headed next

Thanks to a growing awareness that healthcare protocols should not be gendered, more women are now starting to pay attention to markers of performance like lean muscle, hormetic stressors, VO2 max, HRV, zone 2 training, etc. “Cold plunging, saunas, and harder, more physical activities are not just for the boys anymore,” adds Lyon—and we expect an even bigger shift to come in 2024.

“I think it’s super exciting to see biohacking become more mainstream and more women joining the conversation,” adds Maloof. She praises apps like Wild.AI, for women who aim to make lifestyle adjustments based on their menstrual cycle, and Zero, for women who want to dabble in time-restricted eating, both of which have helped to herald the shift.

Other existing health optimization companies are now inviting women into the conversation by introducing specific features informed by their unique physiology. WHOOP, for example, is currently working on upgrades to their popular health-tracking band: “We did a study recently where we learned a lot about how a woman's body changes during pregnancy and how her heart rate variability (HRV) will evolve. It'll decrease, and then about seven weeks before she gives birth, it will increase sharply,” explains Will Ahmed, WHOOP founder and CEO, on the mindbodygreen podcast

If a woman didn’t know that this was supposed to happen, she might look at this stark increase with a critical (or anxious) eye. “We've been able to take population-level data on pregnant women and now have a feature in the app, where a woman can see how her body is evolving alongside what other pregnant women are experiencing,” he adds.

Similarly, creatine supplements—from the ingredients to the packaging—are no longer marketed toward dudes looking to bulk up, and we are certainly here for it. After all, muscle mass is a predictor of longevity and healthspan, so supplements that promote it can help all of us “hack” our health in a big way.

And as Lyon notes, women have lower endogenous creatine stores compared to men (meaning, they have less available). And the amino acid has been associated with significantly increased muscle mass1 in both men and women, without increasing the risk of adverse outcomes2, like weight gain. “Most of the women in my practice will go on creatine, and they find anecdotally that it really improves both anaerobic and aerobic exercise performance,” Lyon shares.

Not to mention the supplement’s brain health perks: Taking creatine has been shown to benefit both working memory and processing speed3 as well as cognitive longevity4. “It is above and beyond simply sport performance,” adds Lyon, who has certainly seen an uptick in women curious about creatine.

As women feel intimidated (or even restricted) by biohacking spaces, some experts have taken it upon themselves to create new ones that center the feminine. For example, neuropsychophysiologist Kayla Osterhoff, MPH, offers a Women's Biohacking Mini Course, consisting of lifestyle routines and tips aligned with female physiology.

Osterhoff also recently presented at the 2023 Dragonfly Live Conference—among other female biohackers—to discuss the latest advancements in women's well-being and the “health revolution” that’s sweeping the mainstream. This conference aims to gather the “who's-who” in the health space to discuss cutting-edge strategies and innovations that optimize well-being—by having women biohackers at the forefront of the conversation, we can expect them to hit the main stage in a broader sense.

Or take the brand new Evie Ring, the first medical-grade health wearable designed for women, created by medical device company Movano Health. The technology ties hormonal information to a woman’s sleep, activity, and heart health data (among other metrics).

For instance, “If we notice a more restless night of sleep in the luteal phase, we'll point it out and also give some strategies for how somebody may attack their day, despite having not gotten as good of a night of sleep,” says Stacy Salvi, vice president of product and strategy at Movano Health. Similarly, “We know that there are cardiovascular implications when your estrogen drops, so they would want to keep a better look on the function of their heart,” she adds. “This would be something that they would be able to do from our app.”

Even the design itself was made with women in mind: The ring features an open band meant to accommodate how women’s fingers change in size throughout the day, so it can stay comfortable.

To avoid needless stress, Evie also limits the amount of goals you can set on the app. “You can only set three at a time, because we do not want to overwhelm [users] with a bunch of different things,” says Salvi. “I mean, I'm an overachiever. I probably would set every single goal and then fail at them.” And heaven knows we don’t need yet another way for busy, overwhelmed women to feel like they’re failing in a society with unsurmountable standards.

Forecasting the future

A woman walks up to the weight rack in 2024. She sees the usual suspects—bros pounding protein shakes and grunting through their bicep curls—but now she also sees a fair amount of women on the scene. They’ve got creatine supplements! Fitness trackers! Kettlebells! (And no, they aren’t pink.)

Granted, we still have a ways to go before women feel totally embraced by the biohacking space (we’d first have to close the centuries-long gender gap in science and medicine), but it’s clear that the arena is becoming way less of a boy’s club. “And the world is ready, my friend,” says Lyon. “The world is absolutely ready for this.”

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Content: Home Health To lose weight and lower blood pressure, we only eat from 7 to 15

To lose weight and lower blood pressure, we only eat from 7 to 15

by admin

Watch in hand, to lose weight it might be enough to concentrate food intake in the first part of the day, from 7 in the morning to 15. Eating only within this time window would allow not only to lose over two kilos in 14 days, but also to lower blood pressure. The news comes from a study published in the journal Jama Internal Medicine and conducted at the University of Alabama in Birmingham. The ‘timed diet’ has become very popular over the years also because various famous people, including Fiorello in Italy, have followed it successfully.

The various studies conducted so far have not yet fully clarified how effective intermittent fasting is for losing weight and body fat and the effects may depend on the timing of the eating window. This randomized study compared the effects of eating food over a short period of time with those of eating distributed throughout the day over a period of 12 or more hours. The researchers’ goal was to determine whether the timed diet with food early in the day is more effective for weight loss, fat loss and cardiometabolic health than eating food for a period of 12 hours or more.

Research

The randomized clinical trial was conducted for 14 weeks on 90 obese adults between 25 and 75 who had received weight loss treatment at the Birmingham Hospital Weight Loss Medical Clinic at the University of Alabama. Patients were divided into two groups and received weight loss counseling and a calorie restricted diet.

See also  Here is the bread with superlievites that are good for the microbiota

Who has lost the most weight? From the comparison of the data, it was seen that those who followed the diet but eating only between 7 and 15 managed to lose 6.3 kilos in the 14 days compared to 4 of those who followed only the slimming diet. Therefore, 2.3 kilos more lost simply by restricting the time span in which you eat. The effects of the timed diet were equivalent to a reduction in caloric intake of 214 kcal / day. Additionally, this type of regimen also improved diastolic blood pressure (-4 mmHg) and mood disturbances, including fatigue, inertia, and depression. The effects this eating pattern may have on body fat loss are less clear, and researchers point to the need for further studies to better understand these aspects.

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In 2024, Biosensors Are Becoming More Accessible: What It Means for You

New biowearables are giving people with Type 2 diabetes more options. Those without diabetes can get even more insight into their health.

Jessica Rendall Wellness Writer
Jessica is a writer on the Wellness team with a focus on health news. Before CNET, she worked in local journalism covering public health issues, business and music.
Expertise Medical news, pregnancy topics and health hacks that don't cost money Credentials
  • Added coconut oil to cheap coffee before keto made it cool.
Jessica Rendall
5 min read

Deep in your body, under your skin, are measurable elements of your health that affect your risk of developing some of the most common diseases worldwide. Some of these things, like blood oxygen and sleep quality, can be detected through a traditional wearable or smartwatch. But some of the other useful data people can actually act on to become more healthy has either been restricted to prescription devices or simply hasn't been available in the US. Think your blood sugar levels.

Improvements in biosensing technology are inching closer to changing the wearable status quo. At CES this year, companies came forward with the latest developments in biosensors, which have been in the works for years but only recently started to shape into something the "average" consumer could benefit from. This includes the one in three US adults in "prediabetes" territory, where blood sugar levels are high but not yet high enough to constitute a Type 2 diabetes diagnosis.

Could biosensors, which dig for and retrieve even more information than what we're used to, benefit someone in a window of opportunity, where choices made today could turn around or reverse a future health condition? If they're able to reach more people, possibly.

"People are familiar with wearables, and we see biowearables as the next step in that technology," said Marc Taub, divisional vice president of technical operations for Abbott's diabetes care business. The devices can give people "insight into their bodies they never had before," Taub said during a digital health panel at CES last week.

Read more: Best of Show: Our Most Exciting, Innovative and Impactful Tech Winners of CES 2024

What are biosensors?

Biosensors are a wearable you stick to a part of your body, like your arm, to lift health data using a tiny sensor. Continuous glucose monitors, or CGMs, for people with Type 1 diabetes have been the main product.

Two years ago at CES, Abbott announced a consumer line of biosensors called Lingo. Recently, the glucose-monitoring version launched in the UK, and a rollout in the US is expected to follow sometime this year. Down the line, Lingo will be able to measure things like ketones in the blood. The biowearable pairs with a "coaching" app that's meant to help users connect the dots between their health data.

A two-week Lingo pack costs 89 euros, which includes one sensor that lasts 14 days. An eight-week pack costs 300 euros.

There are other glucose-monitoring companies that provide insight into blood sugar and general wellness for people without diabetes, like January and Nutrisense, but they require a prescription in the US, which you may get via the company itself.

The idea behind sensors like this, when not used for diabetes management, is to provide people with information about how what they eat affects their blood sugar, and potentially how glucose levels reflect daily trends, like how much sleep someone is getting

Continuous monitoring of glucose levels in people without diabetes has been an emerging health trend, so more research is needed on the usefulness of this data.

Dexcom expands glucose monitoring to Type 2 diabetes

Dexcom this month said that the Stelo, its new continuous glucose monitor for people with Type 2 diabetes who don't use insulin, has been submitted to the US Food and Drug Administration with expected availability this summer. In the 1 in 10 Americans who have diabetes, Type 2 is the more common type by far, making up more than 90% of diagnoses.

The Stelo will be another option for people with Type 2 diabetes who want immediate insights into how their body is processing blood sugar, based on what they're doing and what they eat. It may also provide more useful, catered information than the generalized advice people get on managing blood sugar or diabetes at the doctor's office, Dexcom's chief operating officer, Jake Leach, explained Jan. 10 during the CES panel.

"They're told 'eat less, exercise more,'" Leach explained. "That's not very helpful."

There's no word on price yet for the Stelo without insurance.

Better Type 1 diabetes care at CES 2024

At CES this year, Abbott, Dexcom and Tandem showcased their latest improvements in automated technology that will, hopefully, improve the everyday lives of those with Type 1 diabetes.

Over the summer, Tandem announced its Mobi insulin pump, the world's smallest FDA-cleared automated insulin delivery system. At CES 2024, the company brought it in for a showcase ahead of its anticipated launch early this year. This hybrid-closed-loop system works with CGMs to continuously administer insulin as needed, directly through an app. Mobi will initially be compatible with the Dexcom G6 sensor, with Dexcom G7 and Abbott's Freestyle Libre 2 Plus sensor compatibility anticipated to follow.

Abbott and Tandem also just announced a US integration of Abbott's newest continuous glucose monitor, the FreestyleLibre 2 Plus Sensor, with Tandem's T:slim X2 insulin pump.

How hydrated are you? (And does a wearable's ability to tell you matter?)

Also present at CES was Nix, a biosensor marketed toward athletes so they can see how hydrated they are during a workout. While athletes and "biohackers" are seen as some of the early adopters of technology like this, Nix CEO Meridith Cass explained on the biosensor CES panel, they're really meant for everybody, as hydration is a key component of health that keeps your organs healthy, your mind and digestive system functional, and more.

The Nix biosensor costs $129, which includes four patches.

Will biosensing be useful health tech or a wellness 'extra' for those who can afford it?

Even though CGMs and automated insulin delivery systems have been available for a while, their reach has been limited to people with Type 1 diabetes who are either willing to use technology to manage their health and/or those whose insurance can pay for it. While people with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes who use CGMs have fewer instances of hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) and lower AC1 (average blood sugar level) than those who don't, cost and insurance coverage remain barriers to actually getting one, according to the American Diabetes Association.

Even if biosensors do one day near the mass appeal that wearables like the Fitbit and Apple Watch have been able to achieve, ease of purchase will be one factor to consider, no matter how promising the wellness waters look through a biosensor. But generally speaking, more insight into metabolic health, and how one factor affects another, can improve people's wellness and reduce risk of chronic disease before it begins.

The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as health or medical advice. Always consult a physician or other qualified health provider regarding any questions you may have about a medical condition or health objectives.

**Mental Health Practices** are a key component of biohacking, with many practitioners incorporating meditation, mindfulness, and neurofeedback therapy to enhance cognitive function, emotional resilience, and stress management .

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Content: topStoriesenglish2593128

The Fasting Diet: Reducing Type 2 Diabetes Risk Markers, Here’s What A New Study Says

A fasting diet that promotes eating early in the day might be the key to lowering the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Read the details of this new study here.

Diabetes risk: Researchers from the University of Adelaide and South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI) compared two different diets: a time-restricted, intermittent fasting diet and a reduced calorie diet to see which one was more beneficial for people who were prone to developing type 2 diabetes.

"Following a time-restricted, intermittent fasting diet could help lower the chances of developing type 2 diabetes," said senior author the University of Adelaide`s Professor Leonie Heilbronn, Adelaide Medical School.

"People who fasted for three days during the week, only eating between 8 am and 12 pm on those days, showed greater tolerance to glucose after 6 months than those on a daily, low-calorie diet."Participants who followed the intermittent fasting diet were more sensitive to insulin and also experienced a greater reduction in blood lipids than those on the low-calorie diet."

Type 2 diabetes occurs when the body`s cells don`t respond effectively to insulin and it loses its ability to produce the hormone, which is responsible for controlling glucose in the blood. It`s estimated that nearly 60 per cent of type 2 diabetes cases could be delayed or prevented with changes to diet and lifestyle.

Almost 1.3 million Australians are currently living with a condition, for which there is no cure. There were more than 200 participants recruited from South Australia in the 18-month study, which was published in a scientific journal, Nature Medicine.

Participants on both the time-restricted, intermittent fasting diet and the low-calorie diet experienced similar amounts of weight loss. "This is the largest study in the world to date and the first power to assess how the body processes and uses glucose after eating a meal, which is a better indicator of diabetes risk than a fasting test," said first author Xiao Tong Teong, a PhD student at the University of Adelaide."

The results of this study add to the growing body of evidence to indicate that meal timing and fasting advice extends the health benefits of a restricted calorie diet, independently from weight loss, and this may be influential in clinical practice."

Further research is needed to investigate if the same benefits are experienced with a slightly longer eating window, which could make the diet more sustainable in the long term.

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Neurofeedback, an experimental technique that retrains brain electrical activity, has shown promise for conditions such as depression, anxiety, and OCD, with some individuals reporting significant improvements where traditional treatments failed .

However, the evidence base for neurofeedback remains limited, and its efficacy is not universally established .

The use of AI-driven wellness apps and chatbots for mental health support is also rising, offering accessible assistance but raising concerns about regulatory oversight and potential misuse .

Title:

Content: Ice baths helped cure my long Covid - but proceed with caution

Cold immersion cured my long Covid – but I'll now proceed with caution

Since the early 2000s, I’ve been a huge believer in whole body cryotherapy, although I can’t pretend that I was the original pioneer.

I merely followed the trail blazed by Dr Liam Hennessy, who was the brilliant Irish rugby team’s ‘Director of Fitness’ at the time, and Sam Allardyce, a total visionary who was, to the best of my knowledge, the first person to install a cryotherapy chamber in this country at Bolton Wanderers.

The team that I worked with installed the second, and we got some amazing results with the awesome Andriy Shevchenko [Chelsea], the extraordinarily durable Dougie Freedman [Crystal Palace] and Sir Anthony McCoy, who pushed things past the limit to get back from injury for the Cheltenham Festival. But we failed to establish cryotherapy as a must for sportsmen and women.

It would be unrealistic to think that every racecourse could install a cryotherapy chamber, but after working with McCoy, I became convinced that they could all do with an ice bath. Not only would the anti-inflammatory cold help with bruising from the inevitable falls, it could also stimulate general post-race physical recovery.

Fast forward to 2022, when I found myself stuck in a never-ending spiral of Long Covid. I’d tried what felt like everything to get over it: injecting myself everyday with Ezrin Peptide [anti-inflammatory]; months of oral Low Dose Naltrexone; huge doses of vitamins; Ivermectin [why not, works on horses]; the Chris Evans Breakfast show [better than medicine], and God-knows-how-many diets. I had some positive responses, but I still felt trapped in a not-so-good place.

Then I turned a corner when I combined the Lightning Process, a neuroplasticity program, with cold water ice baths and a CPAP [Continuous Positive Airway Pressure] machine to deal with sleep apnoea.

Since I’d had Covid, unbeknownst to me, I was waking up thirty times an hour in my sleep. I now tape my mouth up every night to make me breathe through my nose and although the CPAP face mask isn’t that appealing to wear, I think the benefit is worth the discomfort.

I also had no idea that breathing, or should I say, how one breathes, was so important before I struggled with Long Covid. But reading Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art by James Nestor was a revelation. Probably the best book I’ve ever read in my life. And I’ve found that taping my mouth up at night while using my CPAP machine ensures I get the benefits of breathing through my nose. The two things complement each other.

And once you’ve read Breath, you must try The Oxygen Advantage by Patrick McKeown. One of his exercises is to intermittently hold your breath [on an out breath] for ten steps whilst walking along. It’s much harder than it sounds. Probably best to read the book before trying it on the way to work.

I believe the “Lightning Process” also played a part. This process uses neuroscience to influence your health using a tool kit which is centred on language, posture movement, coaching and visualisation. I use it to help raise my energy levels and improve my clarity of thought.

Ice baths also helped clear my fog brain and energised me. And I’m pretty certain they speeded up my metabolism and helped me lose weight, which could be a big deal for jockeys.

Under supervision, I gradually built up the time I spent in cold water and how low the temperature was. My longest stint at approximately four degrees was 15 minutes.

Two weeks ago, having sat in an infrared sauna [anti-inflammatory] doing Wim Hof-style breathing exercises to prepare my core, I thought nothing of getting into a swimming pool at twelve degrees for three minutes.

I can remember shutting the pool cover afterwards, but the next eight hours are a total blank. Apparently I had what is known as a Transient Global Amnesia [TGA] incident.

The symptoms of TGA are the same as a stroke, which is what the compassionate paramedic in the ambulance thought I’d had. I was very confused, asked the same question 20 times, and thought Boris Johnson was the Prime Minister. My blood pressure, normally about 120, went up to 177: high given that I hadn’t physically exerted myself in any way.

The recurring theme of TGAs is that they are much more frightening for the family and friends around the people having them, because some of the symptoms do resemble a serious stroke. My wife and daughter were definitely traumatised by my behaviour.

And while the patient feels no pain, the raised blood pressure shows that calm support and reassurance is essential.

I still can’t, and never will, remember being in the ambulance or arriving at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford. My first vague memory is my sister telling me that I was getting better before I was sent for a CAT scan.

Thank God my sister was there, because I was seriously confused at that point. Apparently I told her that the whole thing was some kind of Kafkaesque nightmare, which reassured her that my brain wasn’t working too badly! I haven’t admitted to her that I had no idea what that meant.

During that period my brain was unable to make memories. But after eight hours I started to remember things from the past, although the hours preceding this ‘incident’ are still pretty sketchy.

Subsequent research pointed me to Dr Paul Jarman at the Cleveland Clinic, a consultant neurologist. His view of a similar incident, which happened to the 5:2 diet doctor Dr Michael Mosley, was that TGA’s are due to a swelling in the area of the brain responsible for short term memory.

This swelling can be caused by the strain caused by erratic breathing, which is a normal response to entering very cold water.

‘This kind of strain rapidly increases the blood pressure in the chest, which can force the circulation to momentarily move in the wrong direction, up through the veins in the neck,’ Jarman explained, ‘leading to a swelling of the blood vessels in the hippocampus.’

The only underlying issue is probably that I’m a 60-year-old man, and the valves that stop the blood flowing in the wrong direction may not be as “water tight” as they used to be.

Given that the average age of the one in 10,000 people who have experienced a TGA is 62, jockeys are more likely to slip over in the shower.

And, happily, Dr Jarman says there are no lasting effects.

So as long as they are supervised, and they’ve passed their medical, cold-water immersion should be available to them on all racecourses. As for 60-something-year-old men, I wouldn’t want to put you off. I’m still sure there are a lot of benefits – particularly for mental wellbeing.

As the fascinating psychotherapist Owen O’Kane told me at a recent cold-water plunge, “the benefits of cold water are incredible, but it’s good to check you have no underlying health issues before you do it.”

And don’t do it on your own.

Personally I’m going to ease myself back into it after I’ve had an MRI scan just to be sure. And maybe only waist deep, to make sure my breathing is under control.

Title:

Content: I've been vegan for five years now, and I have still yet to meet a person who hasn't been surprised when I've told them.

I don't know exactly why that is, but I think it's partly because I'm in pretty good shape from training a lot, which goes against the harmful stereotype that is often thrust upon vegans – that we are all "weak and malnourished" and "don't get enough protein".

This week, a story about a mum who fed her daughter's vegan friend meat because she "looked really pale" went viral. The woman caused a stir by claiming every time she fed the girl meat, she ended up with a "healthy glow".

Read more: Readers offer advice to mum whose house smells like urine

This is a stereotype that I try and disprove by looking after myself and eating a balanced diet that is rich in nutrients and plant-based protein. With the right diet and training plan, it doesn't matter whether you're a meat eater or a vegan – you can still be fit and strong.

Since I went vegan, I've put on around three stone in lean mass, going from about ten and a half stone through to a considerably heavier thirteen and a half stone. When people say that you cannot build muscle on a vegan diet and that you can't get enough protein, that is simply not true – I'm living proof.

There is more than enough protein in a vegan diet, the problem is that most people aren't aware of which foods to find it in. A lot of people still think that vegans eat nothing but lettuce, kale and hummus, when in actual fact there is a veritable smorgasbord of protein and nutrient-rich foods available on a vegan diet - it's just about doing your research.

When I went vegan, I became pretty obsessed with researching every last thing I could about how to thrive on a plant-based diet, and as a result, I haven't seen any negative side-effects with my health. In fact, I've had a great deal more energy and considerably fewer stomach problems such as bloating and indigestion.

That's not to say that a vegan diet is automatically going to be better for you than eating meat, because not all vegan diets are created equal. If you go from eating a wholefoods based diet that also includes meat, to eating a vegan diet made up of crisps and junk food, you're not going to get any healthier.

However, if you cut out the meat and dairy and eat a wholefoods based vegan diet that is rich in plant-based protein sources such as lentils, beans and tofu, I would wager that you would see improvements in your athletic performance quite rapidly. This is based off my own experience having followed both types of diet, and I can only say that it is at least worth trying for yourself.

A lot of stereotypes get thrown about vegans, from being weak and malnourished to thrusting their views on people, but I've actually found the opposite to be the case with most other vegans I've spoken to. They are a kind and caring community of people who are often demonised for daring to suggest that the world might be a better place if we stopped farming animals and eating their bodies.

In the past five years, I've learnt that there's no point in encouraging someone to give veganism a go unless they are ready to do so, because otherwise they just won't stick to it. All you can do is speak to them in a polite and constructive way about the reasons why you went vegan yourself and let them process it in their own time.

I went vegan for the animals, because I didn't think it was ethically justified to kill other living things when I could survive (and thrive) on a plant-based diet. The environmental reasons and the positive impacts it can have on your health came a little while down the road, but now, veganism is what keeps me feeling fit and healthy all year round.

I might be a lot of things, but "weak and malnourished" isn't one of them.

READ NEXT:

**Community Support** plays a significant role in the biohacking movement.

**Community Support** plays a significant role in the biohacking movement.

**Community Support** plays a significant role in the biohacking movement.

Online forums and local groups provide platforms for sharing experiences, techniques, and results, fostering a sense of belonging and motivation .

Title:

Content: Biohacking is a controversial practice, but Lepht Anonym accepts its risks. More than once he has ended up in the ER, leaving doctors perplexed by inserting chips and even boxes with connectors into his body.

Centuries ago, when a doctor wanted to try a new vaccine or a new drug that he had created … he tested it on himself. Many died while developing new medicines.

Some biohackers they see themselves as those pioneering doctors of the Middle Ages: they test on their own body biotechnologies that aspire to improve the human being, cure diseases, and evolve the human condition, to achieve the desired happiness. And some have also died trying.

The biohacking, also known by the name of DIY biology or DIYbio, has as purpose improve our human condition making nanotechnology, genetic engineering, and technological implants available to everyone. You have more information on this card:

From its origins, Humanity pursues immortality and eternal youth. Biohacking seeks to improve our human condition with cybernetic implants. We explain who biohackers are, and why chips are installed inside the body.

Biohackers implant chips, sensors, machines and other mechanisms with the aim of overcoming physical and intellectual limits.

There is an ethical branch o legal of biohacking that only experiments with implants that do not pose a health hazard, for example chips under the skin.

But another trend is committed to not setting limits, even at the cost of putting your health at risk. Its objective is to defeat all diseases, aging and even death, with the help of technology. Then we will stop being human to become transhumans.

A first step towards posthumanism, where Humanity could dispense with its own body and live eternally as data in a neurological network.

Tips and guide to buy a next-generation sports watch that fits your needs and helps you improve your sports goals.

Within these biohackers, grinders they are the most extreme version. It is the case of Lepht Anonym, a British biohacker that, as he tells us Business Insider, more than 50 chips, antennas and other devices have been implanted in the body.

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As only professionals can use anesthesia, all Lepht Anonym implants have been inserted into your body by volunteers, to live. Your goal is “improve our quality of life through technology“.

Lepth explains on his blog that inserts its own chips because “there is no other easy way to do it. I will not wait for someone with a research laboratory to endorse this search.“.

The first chip that this biohacker was implanted under the skin, it allowed pay in stores simply by touching the card reader.

It was also implanted some magnets under the fingers, which detected external sensors to feel the distance between hands and objects. This could help blind people to move without hitting obstacles.

Hackers and the computer world are increasingly present in television fictions. Surely at the moment we can think of a series that deals with these topics, but if you can only think of one or two, we have selected a few about hackers that we find interesting.

His latest experiment, last year, has been his most troublesome. A box several centimeters long, with antennas, USB storage and connectors, was inserted under the arm. All went well until he hit his arm in a taxi, and began to swell. He had to go to the emergency room:

There the doctors told me that I was fatal, that they did not understand why I had put a box in my arm“.

In the end, he gave up: “They kept insisting that I take it off. I let them do it because they discovered that a hole had opened in one corner of the device and a large amount of a viscous substance was coming out“.

After that incident, Lepht Anonym has not updated his blog again.

The biohacking it is a practice that is just beginning. But without a doubt, it will go further. There are already medical biohackers, and the goal is to incorporate this branch of technology into medicine.

Put it in the hands of experts, because people’s health is at stake.

Community engagement can enhance the effectiveness of biohacking practices by promoting informed health choices and reducing isolation .

However, the culture within biohacking communities can also create social pressure to conform to extreme health standards, potentially exacerbating anxiety, obsessive behaviors, and feelings of inadequacy .

**Scientific Support and Criticism** of biohacking methods is highly variable.

**Scientific Support and Criticism** of biohacking methods is highly variable.

**Scientific Support and Criticism** of biohacking methods is highly variable.

Practices such as intermittent fasting, ketogenic diets, and structured exercise have substantial support from clinical research for benefits related to metabolic health, inflammation reduction, and cognitive function .

Title:

Content: 20-Year Vegan Athlete Takes Gold In European Duathlon Championships

20-Year Vegan Athlete Takes Gold In European Duathlon Championships

An athletic career high has been attributed, in part, to a plant-based diet

By

2 Minutes Read

Vegan athlete Lisa Gawthorne, representing the Great Britain duathlon team, took gold in the European Championships in Venice last month.

In her last major competition, the World Championships in Romania in 2022, Gawthorne maxed out at bronze medal. But this year’s win comes as Gawthorne reached another important milestone: 20 years as a vegan.

Aptly, Gawthorne completed the race – which consisted of a 4.7km run, a 23km cycle, and a final 2.8km run – in a uniform reading “go vegan.”

The power of plants

Crediting her plant-based diet as playing a “significant part” in her gold medal victory, she revealed why veganism and athleticism go hand-in-hand.

“I am so happy! I’ve worked so hard with my run and bike coaches for this and it’s just the most amazing feeling and the best-ever reward,” Gawthorne, also a nutritionist and author, told Plant Based News.

“I love that it’s sparked so many stories and communications with me about veganism too – it’s my 20th veganniversary so what better way to celebrate that than with a European win to prove that veganism has a very valid place for supporting peak performance in sport, fitness, and athletics.”

Gawthorne announced her gold medal win on Instagram, making sure to include “vegan,” “vegan strong,” and “vegan athlete” hashtags.

Influencing teammates to try plant-based

Having noted improvements in her own performance and health, Gawthorne has encouraged her teammates to try a plant-based diet for themselves. Offering advice and access to easily digestible information, she claims that many have transitioned to veganism.

In a further bid to make plant-based nutrition accessible, Gawthorne runs vegan food company Bravura Foods.

Gold medal performances from vegan athletes

Gawthorne is not alone in delivering inspiring sporting performances on a plant-based diet.

From bodybuilders to tennis players, racing drivers and almost every sport in between, vegan athletes are becoming increasingly mainstream. So much so that Japan faced calls to make catering options in the 2021 Tokyo Olympian Village all plant-based. The move was requested to give sports people access to “clean” protein sources.

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According to the studies, how does intermittent fasting help?

It reduces the risk of lifestyle-related diseases, such as metabolic disorders.

According to the studies, how does intermittent fasting help?

It reduces the risk of lifestyle-related diseases, such as metabolic disorders.

According to the studies, how does intermittent fasting help?

It reduces the risk of lifestyle-related diseases, such as metabolic disorders.

According to the studies, how does intermittent fasting help?

It reduces the risk of lifestyle-related diseases, such as metabolic disorders.

For example, intermittent fasting has been shown to improve insulin sensitivity, lower blood pressure, and reduce inflammation, all of which contribute to cardiovascular health .

Title:

Content: TV legend Davinia Taylor has revealed how well she is feeling after undertaking a new lifestyle that involves biohacking.

Biohacking occurs when someone changes their nutrition and lifestyle in order to make themselves healthier. Each person who biohacks does so in a different way whether it’s cutting out alcohol, taking supplements, or engaging in anti-ageing procedures.

Davinia – who starred in Hollyoaks – has explained that her biohacking involves cold-water therapy and removing inflammatory foods from her diet.

As a result of her new lifestyle, which also includes the use of saunas and supplements, Davinia has said that she now feels healthier than she ever has before.

Speaking to Hello! Davinia said that she entered a difficult period of poor mental health after the death of her mother when she was 35.

She added: “Boredom drove me to drink and then to eat unhealthily. I don’t want to go into my 50s feeling bored, so I had to find another way to get the dopamine I crave.”

On the techniques she uses for her biohacking, Davinia reveals that one of her routine acts is taking supplements from a company she founded. Known as WillPowders which contain collagen, protein, bone broth, and MCT (a healthy form of saturated fat) they have become an essential part of her routine.

Davinia explained: “If I don’t have my morning keto creamer and collagen, I’m going to end up binging on croissants or brownies. It’s how I’m wired after my 1980s upbringing.”

This isn’t the first time Davinia has spoken about biohacking. Earlier this year she told the Evening Standard that it wasn’t a case of taking big measures to improve one’s health.

She said: “There's so much doom and gloom… There's so much doom and gloom…There are so many little hacks you can do just to make yourself feel mentally better.”

Davinia highlighted the benefits of cold-water therapy, a method she said can be cheap to access: “The water’s freezing in this country two-thirds of the time. And on the few months a year when it’s not, just go to the supermarket, buy some ice bags and empty them into the bath.”

According to the studies, how does intermittent fasting help?

It reduces the risk of lifestyle-related diseases, such as metabolic disorders.

According to the studies, how does intermittent fasting help?

It reduces the risk of lifestyle-related diseases, such as metabolic disorders.

According to the studies, how does intermittent fasting help?

It reduces the risk of lifestyle-related diseases, such as metabolic disorders.

The ketogenic diet and anti-inflammatory diets may help manage chronic inflammation and support immune function .

However, many other biohacking practices, especially those involving extreme self-experimentation, unregulated supplements, or implantable technologies, lack robust scientific validation and may pose health risks .

Title:

Content: Support Your Freedom to Speak:
A Community of Biohackers & Transhumanists "Ending the Blight..." ☠ with Justin of LongeCity.org
jroseland
137 Subscribers
49 views
Published Yesterday

My interview with Justin Loew of The Immortality Institute aka Longecity forum, the most popular online community of Biohackers and Transhumanists. Their ambitious mission is to end the blight of involuntary death.

1:50 More than just a forum

3:58 The mission

10:80 How does Longecity support anti-aging research

13:05 How can people contribute to anti-aging science

17:50 Are there any research projects specific to supplements?

20:22 What I love about Longecity

25:00 Human rejuvenation

26:16 "Smart drugs are the gateway drug to anti-aging"

27:10 Justin's interest in anti-aging

30:20 Evangelizing longevity (and Transhumanism?)

34:20 Risk-averse biohacking

43:10 What do you do for personal development?

44:50 Is virtual reality an addictive trap? Meta?

47:16 Popular threads - Is it possible to eradicate fear? Visiting Chernobyl?

About Longecity 📑 Everything mentioned here

https://www.limitlessmindset.com/websites/1287-longecity-org

👉 Join the forum

https://www.limitlessmindset.com/LongeCity

💲 Support LongeCity

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🤝 Connect on LongeCity with

Justin http://www.longecity.org/forum/user/27-mind/

Jonathan http://www.longecity.org/forum/user/28661-jroseland/

Confused?

Invest at least $150 in your Biohacking and get a helpful 30-minute free Biohacking consulting call with me. See my recommended Nootropics sources and Biohacking products here:

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I'm not a doctor, medical professional, or trained therapist. I'm a researcher and pragmatic biohacking practitioner exercising free speech to share evidence as I find it. I make no claims. Please practice skepticism and rational critical thinking. You should consult a professional about any serious decisions that you might make about your health. Affiliate links here support Limitless Mindset.

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Title:

Content: Home » biohacking, reprogramming mind and body to live better

biohacking, reprogramming mind and body to live better

by admin

It’s called “biohacking” and it comes from Silicon Valley. Listen: The long life diet: the longevity formula is calorie restriction …

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It’s called “biohacking” and comes from Silicon Valley.

A relatively new word that comes from the union of “biology” and “hacker” and indicates the attempt to positively influence the functioning of the organism, by hacking, ie trying to “force”, one’s genetic heritage. A strategy to live better and longer launched years ago by Californian top managers and which then spread throughout the world. How to upgrade the “operating system” of the human body? No manipulation, here we are talking about “reprogramming” and new lifestyles. “Our genetic heritage has enormous unexpressed potential that can be activated,” he explains Fabio Piccinidoctor and psychoanalyst, researcher of Food Sciences of theMarche Polytechnic University, author of the book “Biohacking Techniques: how to optimize metabolism to increase health and longevity”. “Biohacking aims to activate epigenetic modifications by awakening dormant genes to enhance the body’s resources.” While genetics studies the structure of DNA, epigenetics the way genes express themselves, i.e. how much they are turned on or off. “We’re talking about a set of strategies that aim to strengthen the body from a physical and mental point of view, first of all through nutrition, sleep quality, physical activity, cognitive stimulation”. One of the pillars of biohacking and the intermittent fasting, Piccini adds, which plans to concentrate the diet in a precise time span of the day (to be followed always under medical supervision). «But it is equally important to take care of sleep, we know very well that sleep debt accelerates aging and that 30-40 percent of people sleep too little. Just as it is essential to check thehydration. Physical training must also be intermittent, with recovery periods in place to allow the muscle layers to rebuild. And then, you have to keep learning something at any age, another pillar of biohacking: studying music or a new language, for example, to counteract cognitive degeneration”.

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THE QUALITY OF LIFE

Sandra Milo is one of the supporters of this well-being and longevity strategy. «I’m lucky, at 90 I’m in full health and I still have a great desire to enjoy life. I don’t know if it’s a matter of genetics, nor do I think there is a “magic formula” of longevity, but I have certainly always been careful to lead a healthy life. There is nothing more beautiful than reaching old age with a smile and in full autonomy », says the actress who baptized the first Biohacking Suite in Rome. “Our mission is not so much to lengthen life but to improve its quality by lowering the rate of morbidity,” explains Dr. Claudio Urbani, specialist in regenerative medicine, neuroscience and stress therapy, head of the longevity center Umb. «Biohacking aims to modify dormant functional responses from non-use, from muscular or cardiovascular function to flexibility. It is about regaining possession of the body and the mind-body axis, starting with stress management». Diagnosing your own state of “aging” involves a series of tests. «The measurement of oxidative stress which measures the quantity of free radicals and indicates any inflammatory states, plethysmography to evaluate the functionality of the microcirculation of the legs, impedancemetry to study body composition, fat and lean mass, nutritional status and hydration level. And only after the check is a tailor-made program created for each person. Among the suggested therapies, there is also that of the cold which stimulates the metabolism and reduces inflammation ».

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Critics warn that obsessive pursuit of self-optimization can lead to anxiety, disordered eating, and psychological stress, particularly when individuals feel pressured to maintain idealized health standards .

**Risks and Ethical Considerations** are inherent in biohacking, especially with extreme or unregulated practices.

**Risks and Ethical Considerations** are inherent in biohacking, especially with extreme or unregulated practices.

Self-experimentation without medical oversight can result in adverse health outcomes, including nutritional deficiencies, excessive physical strain, and psychological distress .

What are the risks and dangers of diets?

What are the risks and dangers of diets?

What are the risks and dangers of diets?

Implanting devices or using unregulated supplements can lead to serious complications, as illustrated by cases requiring emergency medical care following DIY surgeries .

The lack of regulation and scientific consensus in the biohacking space further exacerbates safety concerns, and ethical challenges arise regarding privacy,

The lack of regulation and scientific consensus in the biohacking space further exacerbates safety concerns, and ethical challenges arise regarding privacy,

The lack of regulation and scientific consensus in the biohacking space further exacerbates safety concerns, and ethical challenges arise regarding privacy,