I have been obsessed with performance and how improving my physique can aid in that quest for as long as I can remember. Like many others, I got my start with bodybuilding magazines and have always looked at “building muscle” as being the main base for all my other athletic goals.
As you’ll see shortly, building muscle is still foundational in 2025 and beyond. I have tried to compile the very best anti aging and longevity biohacks in this article. It will be a work in progress, I’ll keep updating it as new information develops.
That’s me, I’m real.
I have made it my goal to learn as much about performance nutrition as possible. That quest for knowledge has helped me build a business working with professional athlete, fitness competitors, obstacles course racers and every day folks looking to thrive in their life. If you would like to work with me click here
Lower Your Body Fat
We’re going to start with the obvious one here. Lower body fat is associated with a reduction in all-cause mortality across various risk factors.
Essentially, aiming to have low body fat is the most important criterion in longevity by itself but also due to the habits you need to achieve low bodyfat.
Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis
What we do to burn calories today was the norm a hundred years ago. We move less as a society now than we ever have. While you may do intense Crossfit, that only accounts for an hour or so of your day a few times per week.
Start moving. Make movement a part of your day.
Intentional walks
Going for intentional walks or any general movement needs to be a tent pole of your anti-aging strategy.
It’s just more movement. For the males in the crowd, every thousand steps over 8,000 per day leads to a 7ng/dl increase in testosterone. Walking less than 4,000 steps per day leads to lower testosterone.
Focus on Nutrient Quality, Not Calories
Now before you get angry with me, I do believe that calories count. I don’t feel that they matter as much in totality as others do. The quality of the foods that you eat and the micronutrients that they provide is what is going to not only fuel your system but fills in the nutritional gaps that come with aging.
Aging is just systems in our body that can not operate as functionally as they did when we were young. You need to restore them with nutrients and that becomes increasingly difficult if you are just focusing on calories.
Once you build a framework of your diet then you can begin the conversation about calories. Calories do matter but so does what you eat.It is easy to eat the same thing every day, particularly if it’s lean meats, healthy fats, fruits, veggies, and some carbs. I’m not telling you to flip-flop from good foods to bad foods. By rotating your lean meats, quality carb sources, vegetables, fruits, and fats you’re giving your body a variety of antioxidants and micro nutrients to support aging.
You’re also supporting your gut microbiome with variety.
More Dark, Leafy Greens
I understand the whole carnivore trend and how plants have internal “defense” systems. I think it’s overblown.
Sure, if you never eat broccoli and cauliflower and then have too much in one sitting, you are likely to have digestive problems.
That’s simply because, as a country, we just don’t consume enough fiber.
The influx of broccoli or cauliflower or any leafy green that you don’t normally consume will have that reaction. It doesn’t make it bad.
We’ll cover oxalates shortly but just because greens have oxalates, it doesn’t make them bad.
Most people are not eating enough dark leafy greens, especially knowing that magnesium deficiency is linked to a shorter lifespan. Dark, leafy greens are high in magnesium as well as vitamins A,C, and K.
Additionally, you get a high amount of lutein and astaxanthin (more later). You also get sulforaphane that not only metabolizes man-made environmental estrogens but also activates heat shock proteins.
Our genes were meant to be used by stress. We want dark leafy that gives us the antioxidants and anti inflammatory compounds that repair damaged DNA.
Periodic Caloric Restriction
With nutrient quality out of the conversation, we can talk about fasting. When intermittent fasting first hit the internet every anti-aging and longevity guru went bonkers. In reality, fasting is a very good approach for increasing lifespan. And we are confirming that with studies more and more.
How does fasting increase longevity? By improving markers associated with aging, including but not limited to lower glucose levels, IGF-1, and elevating ketone bodies and IGFBP-1. Fasting seems to enhance the cellular turnover of older “toxic” cells thus impacting a variety of metabolic and mitochondrial diseases.
Currently, it seems that all of the benefits that we know from fasting come from actual caloric restriction, which opens a whole other door.
Periodic periods of fasting, two to three times per week, can help you become fat-adapted for greater energy efficiency while lowering total carbohydrates and calories.
Occasionally Use Longer Fasts
I want to make it clear, I am all for 16 hour fasts two to three days per week for longevity and thriving as we age. Research also points to an occasional 24-48 fasting for additional metabolic benefits. Fasting is a lever to pull when you feel you want to reduce inflammation, push your energy systems or see how you would feel.
Higher Protein
I know this might seem contradictory to the fasting contingencies out there. If the point of fasting is to lower IGF-1 then why would anyone recommend you consume high protein which stimulates IGF-1?
As Doctor Gabrielle Lyon often states, muscle is the organ of longevity. Muscle is very metabolically expensive for your body. Just having it burns calories at rest.
Additionally, protein increases satiety and in a caloric restriction environment, we want to control hunger signaling.
Not to mention that your protein intake should come from quality lean meats that provide various micronutrients to target age-related declines.
Make Your Body Fat Adapted
The goal is to make our body fat adapted so that it primarily relies on fat as a fuel source, not glucose. Most people are heavy carb oxidizers and as I’ll discuss below, a huge longevity hack is to be mindful of your glucose. Your body has unregulated enzymes to process carbohydrates with consistent ingestion of them over time. When you process carbohydrates primarily for fuel, your body processes fat worse.
By keeping your body in a lower carb state or by training fasted, your body will use fat as a reserve. Not only will you be satiated longer but you’ll also get the gut health, fat loss, and energy benefits of being fat-adapted and with that, you’ll have better anti-aging.
Dairy Fat Is A Longevity Food
The internet longevity community likes to debate dairy fat back and forth. With all the fear-mongering, you may be missing out. Diary sources like full fat cottage cheese, full fat yogurt, and aged cheddar are not only high in Conjugated Lineolic Acid, CLA, which is both cardio protective and helps fat loss, but also provides gut building benefits.
While not a fermented food, full fat, and aged dairy contain helpful probiotics that have been shown in research to encourage gut diversity.
We know from longevity studies on various tribes that the more diverse a gut is, the better it can adjust to environmental stressors.
Pecorino Romano is another fantastic aged dairy source. Studies from Sardinia show that is one of their staple food sources and not only do Sardinia’s on average live longer than other countries but what’s interesting is that they seem to have stronger phospholipid layers. This primarily due to the C15 fats.
Every fat cell has a protective outer layer. When you eat rancid seed oils, for example, they penetrate your fat cells and make them unhealthy. Sardinia’s seem to have stronger phospholipid layers which can be attributed to their intake of pecorino romano.
Remove or Severely Limit Seed Oils
I’m not sure why this is even a debate anymore in the online nutrition world. Seed oils such as canola, soybean, and sunflower oil are adulterated refined oils. These are chemical oils that are peroxidized fats. Studies show how they literally change the makeup of your fat cells and are stored in tissues for extended periods of time.
You won’t find these foods in nature. Only in processed foods.
Watch Your Insulin Levels
Insulin is a mother hormone. It impacts every other hormone that you can name. Chronically elevated insulin not only ages you faster on the exterior by making you add body fat but it also ages your cells. I discussed the benefits of being fat adapted above and this can not occur in a high insulin state.
But think about daily life for a moment. When you have that donut or bread for breakfast then have an energy crash and need more caffeine to focus throughout the day. Or when you have a big bowl of pasta and just feel useless after.
I’m not telling you to avoid bread or pasta for the rest of your life. I’m suggesting that you understand it has a place in your diet and you consume it accordingly with your longevity goals.
Eat Eggs
I will admit that I’ve recently changed my mind about dairy and egg consumption. I knew both were heavy and contained helpful nutrients but digestively, I felt I never did well consuming them. Truthfully if I have a few scrambled eggs, I’ll need to run to the bathroom. Yet I can consume hard boiled eggs without a problem.
Your body will absorb protein from eggs at about 98% which is higher than any other protein source. Not to mention that you’ll get lutein for your eyes and choline, a healthy fat that strengthens your lipid by layers and may potentially help remove seed oil damage.
Meat Is A Multi Vitamin
I’m going to get a bunch of heat for this but I strongly consider meat to be a multivitamin. Let me start out by saying that sources of meat matter.
I understand that there is a lot of nuance surrounding grass fed vs grass-finished meat. In one situation, grass fed, the cows are fed grass during the entirety of their life. In grass finished, the animal is fed grass only at the end. We want both grass fed and grass finished.
Then you have grass fed vs organic with the main difference being that a cow fed grass was not exposed to pesticides or hormones during their entire life because they ate grass. So similar to organic beef but slightly better considering an organic cow was fed grain.
Fatty acid content is not drastically different in grass fed, organic or grass finished but it matters since every day we are trying to improve our omega-3 to omega-6 balance.
My choice is grass fed. I am not eating grass fed beef for the healthy fat it contains though it is a nice add on. I don’t want to consume meat that has been fed hormones ,pesticides or grains. As I’ve discussed before, when you’re consuming seed oils and rancid fats, they are penetrating your cells and causing havoc.
Realistically, it is impossible to eat entirely grass fed meat. It’s less difficult to find than it used to be but it is still not everywhere. You are going to go out with your family, there’s just going to be times when you can’t have any.
I also like eating bison and wild game meat like elk.
For the same reason, meat contains a wonderful array of vitamins and micronutrients in addition to the best quality protein you can find.
Prioritize Your Gut Health
I can and have written thousands of words on gut health. I’m going to attempt to summarize gut health and how it relates to longevity and anti-aging to give you exact strategies to use.
How is our gut health linked to our longevity and anti aging goals?
A healthy, proper functioning gut microbiome (essentially everything in your gut) is essential for your anti aging goals. Roughly 70-80% of your immune system is created in your gut and your gut bacteria directly impacts cognitive function, mood, ability to learn new information, and your athletic performance.
A 2020 meta analysis concluded that your gut health is actually a predictor of longevity.
Researchers concluded that both the number of bacteria and the diversity of those bacteria are the best markers of longevity. As we age, your gut bacteria declines. By itself, that allows bad bacteria to grow and increase aging even without other factors that we’ll discuss shortly.
Being that 70-80% of your immune system exists in your gut, our immune system declines as we age. Low diversity of gut bacteria is linked to dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s, and type 2 diabetes.
Your Gut Is Your Second Brain
Research shows us that your gut and brain are in communication back and forth almost every minute of the day. So if your gut bacteria is off what do you think is going to happen to your brain? This is because your gut produces GABA, serotonin, acetylcholine, norepinephrine and dopamine.
Cognitive function should be one of the many goals we strive for as we age.
Let’s step back and look at the topics that need defining first.
Leaky gut defines a “condition” of high inflammation and bacterial overgrowth in our gut. In a leaky gut state, our good bacteria will be lowered or non existent. While there are many symptoms that lead to a leaky gut we can sum it up by talking about…
Gut mucosal lining. Our super sensitive and important gut is protected by a single, thin mucosal layer that is made of cellular junctions. The goal of the mucosal lining is to prevent pathogens, bacteria, and undigested food particles from entering your gut while allowing nutrients and vitamins to enter.
Stress, age processed foods, seed oils, and toxins all weaken the tight cellular junctions of our mucosal layer and with enough consistency, poke holes in the lining and weaken your microglial cells which are immune cells that are supposed to STOP the harmful pathogens from getting in.
When this occurs, everything that is not supposed to enter the gut does which raises…
Zoulin is an important biomarker of gut inflammation. As zonulin increases your whole body’s inflammation increases because..
Lipopolysaccharides, a combination of fats and starches, pass through your gut lining and cause brain and joint inflammation.
Gut Dysbiosis, is a condition of high inflammation, bacteria overgrowth, and immune system activation.
Let’s first talk about what impact substances, that we might be consuming, have on our gut.
Avoid Polysorbate-80 and Polysorbate-20
Primarily found in processed foods like bread, cake mixes, and snack foods, where they are used as emulsifiers, as well as in cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. While it is deemed non toxic and it might be, it is very damaging to the gut lining and reduces the tight junctions of our musical layer.
Dishwasher detergents
Repeated use of dishwasher soaps can decrease the gut lining. Common dishwasher soaps contain a residue that stays on your glasses, plates, and silverware after they are washed. Fortunately, just running them under warm water before you use the items seems to remove the leftover residue.
Artificial Sweetener Based Soda
One study looked at the connection between soda intake and gut health. Even in low doses, diet soda containing artificial sweetness reduced Claudin-3, a mucus secreting protein. We need mucous to strengthen and protect our gut lining.
The damage increases parallel to the consumption.
Seed Oils
I’m not really sure why we are debating this still. Seed oils are just bad for everything. I know some folks try to defend their usage by pointing to some health benefits of the Omega-6 content. While it is true that omega-6 fats have some benefits, the omega-6’s that we want comes form whole foods, not seed oils made in a lab.
Consider that they are rancid and made in a lab. Do you really want to willingly consume that?
Seed oils are also high in linoelic acid , an omega-6 fat, which has been shown to increase gut inflammation and reduce the strength of the gut lining. Additionally, linoelic acid increases the growth of E coli which is a harmful bacteria that feeds on healthy bacteria.
Avoid High Sugar
High sugar intake leads to high amounts of intestinal permeability, even more so than additives.
BPA
Bisphenol-A consumption in high doses wreaks havoc on your gut cells. It literally destroys the structure. It’s in everything and even when a plastic item is BPA free, there are other xenoestogens present.
Store your food in glass. Don’t heat plastics. Try not to drink out of plastic water bottles. This is the way.
Be Careful of NSAIDS
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammation drugs negatively influence the gut microbiome and increase intestinal permeability in as little as 24 hours.
Antibiotics
Antibiotics don’t discriminate between the microbe, they kill everything. Consistent use can lead to a harmful gut environment for years.
Stress
There is an interesting cycling of stress and gut health. Stress of any kind compromises gut permeability.
Once stress has wreaked havoc on your gut, gut dysbiosis increases inflammation and then contributes to stress related disorders.
Glyphosate/GMO foods
GMO foods are sprayed with glpyhosate and have been linked to dysbiosis and leaky gut.
Cut down on alcohol intake.
The ethanol directly impacts the mucosal layer. We also know that histamine is directly elevated from alcohol intake.
Now we can talk about what we can do to restore our gut function and thrive as we age by achieving two goals.
Microbiome Diversity, is the different amounts of positive gut bacteria in our gut.
Gut Integrity, how strong our gut lining is.
Do Consume Psyllium Husk Powder
Psyllium husk has a significant effect on stabilizing the gut microbiome if there is already dysbiosis.
A study gave 8 healthy individuals and 16 constipated individuals 7.5 grams of psyllium husk or half phylum husk and half malt dextrin for 6 days. While both groups had a small but significant improvement on microbiome health, the constipated people had a more pronounced effect. Essentially their gut was remodeling.
The researchers also found an increase in veillonella bacteria to feed on lactate as well as increases in other butyric acid producing bacteria.
The older that we get the less butyric acid that we produce. Butyric acid is essential for cellular health, its the food of our upper intestine.
Do Consume Grass Fed Butter, Cheese, and Fermented Foods
This is primarily for butyric acid but you’ll see them pop up in this summary later. Grass fed butter is one of the better sources of butyric acid as is parmesan cheese and sauerkraut. These prebiotics feed our good gut bacteria to encourage diversity.
Consider Eating Artichokes
Artichoke is high in inulin which is a soluble fiber that acts as a prebiotic food source for good bacteria. A recent study gave subjects 10 grams of inulin for 16 days and found a specific increase in bifobacturm, a free radical scanning probiotic.
Drink Bone Broth
Bone broth is high in both gelatin and glutamine, both of which seal the gut.
The gelatin in bone broth breaks down to the amino acid glycine which decreases inflammation in both the colon and blood stream.
Mice given gelatin reduced colon inflammation while also lowering IL-1 and IL-6, both important inflammatory markers.
Bone broth is also high in glutamine which increases those critical tight junction in our gut lining.
Add Flax Seeds To Your Day
Flax seeds are unique because they contain both soluble and insoluble fiber. What’s interesting is that flax seeds seem to help the microbiome metabolism estrogen. By attaching to estrogen, both natural and environmental, you can process and remove them.
A recent study gave a group 10 grams of flax seed or a placebo. The flax seed group had significant improvements and changes in bacteria. Both insulin secretion and insulin sensitivity were improved. Upwards of 33 different strains of bacteria were affected.
What’s better? Fermented Foods or High Fiber Foods?
One study actually looked to answer that question. A study looked at plant based fibers versus food for 17 weeks. While the plant based fibers did not improve diversity, it did increase short chain fatty acid. The fibers helped bacteria flourish. The fermented foods actually increased diversity.
So the fermented foods increased gut diversity and the fiber helped the fermented foods become more effective.
Now we need to look at how supplements, diet, and training affect the gut.
There are two kinds of gut bacteria, gram positive and gram negative. They are neighbors and some gram negative bacteria is okay. The issue is when gram negative grows into an overabundance. Gram negative bacteria contain lipopolysaccharides (LPS) which get into the bloodstream, wreck the gut lining then kick start inflammation.
Everything that we are talking about in terms of gut health comes down to the amount of LPS in our gut.
Start eating prebiotic fibers.
Consider adding the following foods into your diet for prebiotics, foods which good bacteria can feed off of.
Garlic promotes the growth of bifobacreria
Onions are high in fructooligosaccharides that strengthen the gut.
Asparagus is high in inulin.
Apples and Avocados contain pectin that increases butyrate to improve those short chain fatty acids that decrease with age. Short chain fatty acids produce good bacteria.
Seaweed increases the production of short chain fatty acids.
Encourage Gram Positive Bacteria Growth
The tool that you need to use to achieve the end result is caloric restriction. How you get there is whatever is easier for you.
Time Restricted Eating
I don’t want to call it intermittent fasting, it’s time-restricted eating. Most of the research now shows that the fasting benefits come from consent caloric deficits. It is easier to achieve that goal by having feeding windows.
Periods of time without eating promote the growth of certain bacteria and may make more species such as Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus more resilient.
Ketogenic Diet
Conversely, the ketogenic diet can also enhance the growth of good bacteria. We know that sugar reduces bad gut bacteria and, while on a keto diet, we’re consuming more healthy fats which encourage good gut bacteria.
Increase Animal Fats
Muscle mass is a key factor in longevity. We need good quality protein, particularly animal fats.
Consume Glutamine
This goes hand in hand with my recommendation for consuming protein, the supplement glutamine is a critical nutrient for strengthening the gut musical lining. We talked about it earlier but I wanted to reiterate the need for glutamine.
The bone broth/collagen protein combination is key.
Boost your fiber
Fiber intake reduces LPS and inflammation in your bloodstream. The higher the fiber in the gut, the lower inflammatory markers such as c-reactive protein and IL-6, both of which are associated with reductions in LPS
Modulate training intensity
We know exercise improves our gut barrier. We also know that exercise increases muscle protein synthesis which is vital for longevity. Over exercise also causes gut issues.
Overtraining is a real thing
Studies suggest that 30-50% of athletes report some type of gut issues like bloating, diarrhea, and digestive discomfort. This is likely due to the stress that hard and consistent rain imposes on your gut’s musical lining. It changes how we absorb nutrients but, due to the fact that our gut houses roughly 70% of our immune function, this gut distress leads to immune activation. Our body is in a constant state of oxidative stress. Oxidative stress leads to cell damage, inflammation, and DNA damage.
A tentpole of longevity and anti-aging is to get us out of oxidative stress, This is where “skinny fat” comes from, people who watch their diet, supplement hard and train intense but can’t get as lean as they would like. Training diverts blood flow away from your gut and into your brain and muscle. Makes sense right? But now the lack of blood flow doesn’t “clean the gut” and bacteria begin to grow leading to gut issues.
Eat more broccoli
A recent study gave subjects 10% of their diet in broccoli and 10% in blueberries. While we’ve covered the amazing benefits of polyphenols in blueberries, in this study only broccoli improved the gut microbiome.
Researchers estimated that this is due to broccoli containing glucosinolates which improves estrogen metabolism. Broccoli increases both ICZ and ID3 in the gut. This binds to xenoestrogen toxins and metabolizes them out of our system.
Pineapple and Papaya are gut friendly.
Both increase mucosal production as well as the thickness of the musical layer. Studies also indicate that both improve the absorption of nutrients as well.
Eat more mushrooms
For the same reason that we want to eat some apples and avocados, we also want to consume mushrooms for beta glucans. When you factor in the fiber and short chain fatty acid production that come from mushrooms it makes sense to include them for longevity. data-mce-fragment=”1″>Hydrate
Too many people are walking around dehydrated. It’s just a simple fix. You’re not going to have adequate gut health if you aren’t hydrated since water maintain the gut micrbiota.
Stop grazing
This goes back to the time restricted feeding benefits. If you are continually snacking then your metabolism will never rest or digest. You are never giving your gut a break.
Gut motility is a big thing. You want less food coming into your gut so that it can be cleaned out and the inflammation from digestion is reduced.
Stop Elimination Diets
Sounds counter initiative I know. I used elimination diets and I got positive benefits. The issue is that once you start adding foods back into your diet, your gut may not be able to handle them efficiently.
Just make sure you are rotating foods that you should be eating and not eliminating.
Senescent Cells
A cell that has aged normally but has accumulated damage through aging. It has mutated and is no longer functional. At this point, the cell produces pro-inflammatory signals. This disrupts normal tissue order. Logically we would want to eliminate or remove these cells since we know that inflammation is a big factor in anti-aging and longevity.
There are things we can do to clear our senescent cells by enhancing natural killer cells. Healthier white blood cells increase natural killer cell activity.
1) Fasting
Yet again, fasting comes into play to help us thrive as we get older. Fasting does this two fold. First by increasing autophagy which breaks down cellular waste but also through a direct elimination of senescent cells.
2) Maintain low glucose levels
We mentioned this above but high glucose again is harmful to our long term health. The biomarker to observe here is H1Bc. You also need to use that glucose up with exercise, walks, rucks, or high intensity activity. I don’t care, just move
3) Fruits and Vegetables
I can’t stress the importance of mixed fruits and vegetables, with a focus on the dark leaky green and berries, for providing your body with the polyphenols and compounds it needs to remove senescent cells.
Longevity Supplements
Omega-3
I can not understate how crucial omega-3 intake is for longevity. A recent study looked at smokers who were given omega-3 fish oil and non smokers who had low omega-3 blood levels. The researchers concluded that the non smokers with low omega-3 levels had shorter life expectancy than smokers who elevated their omega-3 plasma levels. We know how terrible smoking is but even smoking resulted in greater life expectancy than having low omega-3 levels. In studies, individuals who had their omega-3 index measured at 8% had a three year greater life expectancy than individuals who had a 4% omega-3 index.
The average omega-3 index for Americans is roughly 4-5% while Japanese individuals average 10% which correlates to a 5 year greater life expectancy. While there are genetic variations in how people metabolize omega-3’s, Americans largely need substantially higher amounts.
The active components of omega 3, DHA and EPA both lower inflammation but in different ways. EPA decreases prostaglandins which has a very direct role in lowering inflammation. DHA, on the other hand, accumulates in mitochondria to enhance cognition, performance, muscle function and DNA. DNA is also found in our cell neurons, membranes and muscle tissue.
Consuming seed oils skews the omega-3 to omega-6 ratio. The more seed oil consumption the more that the outer lipid layer of the cell is penetrated, resulting in damaged mitochondria.
Omega-3’s also increase brain-derived neurotrophic factor. BDNF plays an important role in muscle repair since it crosses the blood brain barrier making it, beneficial for neuroplasticity. This is another reason why weightlifting is critical for longevity as it increases BDNF as well.
Omega 3 also increases muscle anabolism and insulin sensitivity, both factors that decrease with aging. There is a degree of anabolic resistance that occurs and leads to a sedentary weight gaining lifestyle.
Creatine Monohydrate
Creatine modulates inflammation and increases muscle recovery. Newer research is pointing to creatine being a whole body antioxidant. There’s not anything to dislike about creatine from a longevity perspective. We want to maintain or grow muscle mass as we age for strength and insulin sensitivity. We also want less whole body inflammation.
Protein powder
Protein powder is vital for gaining and maintaining muscle as we get older. The better our muscle quality and mitochondrial health the better our longevity will be. While whey protein is the most effective for muscle gain, collagen protein also has a place. Not only are our ligaments and tendons composed of collagen, but it’s also critical that we support our connective tissue while we are exercising.
The problem is that collagen is very low in leucine, one of the three branched-chain amino acids (BCAAS) that play an important role in vitality and longevity as well. I personally use 20 grams of collagen protein per day, mixed in with 24 grams of whey protein and 5 grams of BCAA’s every day.
BCAAS
Leucine, isoleucine, and valine make up the three branched-chain amino acids. Leucine IS a VERY powerful trigger for muscle repair. What makes BCAAS so effective is that they act on muscle tissue directly. When you consume a whole food protein source the amino acids need to be broken down first and then head to the various repair processes in the body. BCAAS act directly on muscle tissue providing a faster and more efficient boost in muscle protein synthesis.
Taurine
The amino acid Taurine increases life expectancy in mice by 10-12% as well as health span, which includes blood glucose and other markers of aging. Taurine also helps to prevent age related strength loss and age related weight gain. New data discusses the role that taurine plays in mitochondrial protection as well as senescent cell death. Studies on endurance athletes have shown that not only does taurine supplementation enhance time to exhaustion, athletes can do more for longer, but it also reduces the oxidative damage of exercise. Taurine is also critical to hydration.
NMN
Every 20 years that we age we lose 50% of our NAD levels. NAD is critical NMN, Nicotinamide Mononucleotide, converts to NAD, Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide. As we age and as we damage our bodies more with training, our mitochondria require NAD to deal with it and to begin the repair. The problem is, that your NAD levels today aren’t what they were a year ago and are drastically lower than they were five years ago.
Your body will find the NAD in your system but you are pulling from DNA that would otherwise help mitochondrial repair and maintenance of cell health. If our mitochondria get weaker and dysfunctional then damage occurs so does our metabolic health and our lifespan. If we can encourage just a little bit more NAD production via supplementation and fasting then we can maintain higher energy levels.
I know that you can do an IV drip of NAD. It’s pricey and while reports from individuals who have had the drip are positive, there does seem to be a degree of discomfort and chest heaviness in the initial phase.
For now, supplementation in NMN, fasting, and getting good quality sleep seem to be the answer.
COQ10
When we eat carbohydrates or fats their nutrients get turned into electrons during digestion. Electrons create explosions that damage our cells. COQ10 prevents oxidative stress.
Mitochondria is 10X more likely to get disturbed than other cells. COQ10 helps your body manage the damage. It also creates a protein gradation for protein to pass through. Cleaner energy equals more ATP and protects the mitochondria for greater longevity.
Metformin
I’m going to start this out by talking about a prescription drug. No, I am not advocating that you go to your doctor and tell him that you read an article online and need metformin. If you have type 2 diabetes or at risk for it, your doctor will put you on metformin.
Metformin works by increasing AMPK. Essentially it makes your body assume you are in a caloric deficit and triggers the body to take up more blood glucose. Remember, if you have blood sugar issues your body is inefficient at absorbing blood sugar. The biohacking longevity space loves metformin. It’s not uncommon to see health authors requesting metformin from their doctors.
Honestly, I think that’s going too far and I’ll tell you way.
Berberine
Berberine is a compound taken from the roots and stems of the goldenseal plant. The more metabolically dysfunctional you are it seems to work better. It still has pretty significant benefits for blood sugar control and body composition.
300-500 mg two to three times per day has been compared to metformin and the results are pretty surprising.
One group was recently diagnosed with diabetes and the other had chronically elevated blood sugar. Both groups were divided in half with two groups receiving berberine and two groups receiving metformin.
Berberine worked just as well or better than metformin. Hemoglobin A1c, which is a three month snap shot of your blood sugar levels, fasting glucose, and postprandial blood glucose (post-meal glucose) were all significantly reduced.
Berberine actually exceeded metformin in certain categories. There was a 28% reduction in fasting insulin and a 44% reduction in insulin resistance. Berberine also works on glucose transport and digestion, basically, it affects the rate of carb absorption.
I wouldn’t say berberine is better than metformin considering that metformin works cellularly on AMPK. Berberine does not do that.
Might they work together? Maybe
Should you take berberine? Yes
Gymenma
Gymenma is a Hindu herb that literally means “sugar destroyer”.
One study looked at 400 mg per day in 22 people for 18 months. Fasting glucose, H1bc and post prandial glucose were all improved.Gymnema needs to be taken over time.
What’s surprising is that 5 of these subjects were actually able to come off of their medication due to the control that gymnema exerted on their blood sugar.
Gymena affects how potent our insulin secretion is. Essentially gymenma normalizes our insulin secretion. Gymena may also inhibit insulin activation in your liver. Your liver is responsible for adjusting your insulin secretion based on changes in your blood glucose.
Alpha Lipoic Acid
I love ALA and have had it in my supplement routine for the last ten years or so. ALA helps recycle vitamin C, thus raising our antioxidant capacity. While that sounds cool, the real benefit of ALA supplementation comes from its ability to improve insulin sensitivity.
Consuming ALA with a higher carbohydrate meal blunts the glucose response of the food and encourages better utilization of those carbohydrates. You just don’t get the blood sugar spikes and falls.
Studies seem to validate the form “R” of ALA. ALA is a mix of R and the less effective S ALA. Most of the positive research is attributed to R ALA.
As a glucose disposal agent with a large carbohydrate meal, upwards of 300 mg of R-ALA can be taken. For longevity purposes or when carbohydrates are low, I would recommend 100mg two or three times per day with meals.
Sulforphane
I know we discussed this when I mentioned broccoli but there’s more to be said about sulforphane.
Consistent sulforphane supplementation has shown that blood sugar levels are not only decreased but maintain a lower average level. At the cellular level, sulforphane works on NRF2, a transcription factor. As NRF2 is activated, it acts as a mop for reactive oxygen species. NRF2 turns on hundreds of enzymes that fight free radical damage.
It’s actually different than an antioxidant, higher NRF2 levels keep your body more systemically resilient.
Glutamine
I know you’ll read all about glutamine in the gut section. The amino acid glutamine is the main fuel source for the small intestine. That single, thin layer that protects your super sensitive critical gut from all the toxins in our outside world relies on glutamine for fuel.Glutamine is the main fuel source of the small intestine.
Glutamine was long viewed as a waste of a sports supplement because it didn’t pass the gut. This is why evolving research is so exciting. Researchers didn’t know then that the reason glutamine didn’t pass through digestion was because it was being used to fuel the gut.
When that single thin layer of your gut wall gets weaker, it expands and allows all types of parasites, toxins, and undigested food particles to make their way into the digestive system and cause an immune response. Your body literally begins to fight itself.
Any type of constant and hard exercise will break down your gut. Every day that you train you are causing tiny bits of damage to a gut lining that already has to deal with environmental factors and processed foods.
Studies suggest that consuming 30 grams of glutamine for ten days leads to a significant increase in the strength of your gut. After that, you can taper down to 5-10 grams per day.
Additionally, glutamine also seems to increase the availability of the amino acid leucine and allows it to maintain a presence on muscle cells longer. This potentially increases the elevation of muscle protein synthesis,
EGCG/Green Tea
Studies on EGCG how found that its antioxidants can help reduce oxidative stress in the brain as well as prevent age related metabolic changes.
One study gave participants 5 or more cups of green tea per day and found it significantly lowered the risk of all-course mortality by 12% for men and 25% for women. Basically, anything that can kill you was lowered. When stroke risk was assessed women had a 42% reduced risk to men’s 35% reduction.
Those are significant numbers.
5 cups or more per day of green tea led to 25% less stress. This is in part due to the theanine content in green tea which is a naturally occurring amino acid that helps to promote relaxation.
Studies also show that green tea reduces collagen break down. As we age we break down collagen due to amino acid resistance. Green tea may sustain a healthy biological age.
Astaxanthin
The red pigment that you see in shrimp, krill, and salmon is a very powerful longevity supplement. The free radical scavenging benefits of Astaxathin is very much unmatched.
Not only does it absorb into the lymphatic system where it goes into circulation but it also can enter fat cells to go directly into tissues. This is a unique benefit because our cell membranes are made up of fats. It’s an additional layer of protection for our cells.
One of the awful aspects of seed oils is how they penetrate our cells and rot them from the inside. Astaxanthin seems to make our cells stronger to that “penetration”.
Astaxanthin is roughly one hundred times stronger than vitamin E and it has a substantially more pronounced antioxidant effect. Astaxanthin gets into a cell membrane and enters from both the inside and out.
How might Astaxanthan make us live longer?
A study in rodents looked at the FOX03 longevity gene. We know that FOXO3 is activated under stress, which is the way fasting and exercise expand our longevity.
The rodent study showed that there was a significant upregulation of FOX03.
The research is strong in humans as well. 14 cyclists had their VO2 max measured. The cyclists then did a 2 hour ride followed by a 20km time trial. The cyclists then had their workout recovery measured.
Their time to exhaustion was 121 seconds less than cyclists who did not take astaxanthin.
Another study on cyclists used 12 mgs for 7 days. A reduction of 1.2% cycling time was observed.
How else might astaxanthin enhance our longevity?
Subjects given 12 mg’s for 12 weeks showed the improved antioxidant capacity of superoxide dismustase, a critical antioxidant that our body produces. Additionally, fat oxidation in the brain was improved. Essentially, this is beneficial for reducing the degradation of brain cells.
In humans, astaxanthin also protects the beta cells of diabetic patients. It also improved their blood glucose levels. Beta cell health is critical for long term healthy glucose metabolic.
Biohacking Our Longevity
We’ve talked a alot about our food, supplements and strategies to take in our to improve our longevity. Now I want to switch and talk about some biohacks that are a little outside the box.