Biohacking from an epigenetic perspective: the path to a better version of yourself

Hacking into a system and taking control of it – that’s what computer hackers have been trying to do for years. The popular term “biohacking” basically means the same thing, but instead of a technique, it’s about taking control of our own bodies and getting the best out of them despite what nature has handed us. Which is essentially what epigenetics is trying to do.

But biohacking has one more thing in common with computers: the idea that if we want better “outputs” from our bodies, i.e. better physical and mental performance, stronger health, or just a better feeling of life, we need to give them the right “inputs”.

These inputs come mainly from three categories. The first consists of changes that can be subsumed under the term ‘lifestyle’. This includes, for example, healthy eating, including specific tools such as intermittent fasting, veganism or low-carb eating, sleep hygiene, exercise, meditation, influencing stress levels, taking supplements, etc.

Here the intersection with epigenetics is quite clear, because all of the listed areas are also among the main epigenetic factors – i.e. influences that can change the activity of genes in our DNA when acting over a long period of time. So it is not genetic engineering in the sense of changing genetic information, but only an attempt to work effectively with what nature has given us – i.e. to “switch off” genes that, for example, increase the risk of serious diseases, and, on the contrary, to “switch on” those that we need to function properly. And all this can be achieved by simply adjusting our lifestyle.

A brain implant? Thank you, I don’t want to…

But technology is also part of biohacking. A kind of extreme form is represented by various implants, which have the task of either monitoring the body’s functions and condition, or even directly improving it. For example, implanted microchips can be used to enter buildings or replace credit cards, but there are also technologies that improve the functioning of the body: for example, bionic eye lenses that allow people to zoom in and out by blinking or to see at night, devices that allow them to control devices with their thoughts, and many other technologies that were unimaginable until recently.

However, these “gadgets” are perceived by the majority of the population as controversial – having a chip implanted in the brain is, after all, quite over the edge for most people. At the same time, therefore, the field of wearable technologies is developing at a great pace, including various “smart” watches and other electronics that monitor our lifestyle and bodily functions, as well as much simpler devices capable of influencing selected aspects of the body’s functioning. Some of them are also related to epigenetics – for example, those that use the effects of light on the body, or devices that influence brain waves and thus, for example, the quality of sleep or stress levels.

However, many of these technologies have their pitfalls – not only are all of these gadgets a huge business in themselves, but many of them also threaten a major invasion of privacy. Information from devices equipped with a monitor can be misused, for example, to target advertising more accurately – if you go for a run, for example, your phone might recommend a particular drink after the run to replenish your energy and speed up your recovery. But they still leave us more room for freedom of choice – for example, if we don’t want someone to track our location, we can leave our phone or watch at home, which is not possible with an implant.

The last area that is often included under biohacking is genetic engineering. This includes, for example, the CRISPR method known as “genetic scissors”, which allows direct modification of genetic information by “cutting out” part of it. This method has great potential, for example in the treatment of serious hereditary diseases, but it also raises many ethical issues. However, it has nothing to do with epigenetics, which deals exclusively with changes in the activity of genes, not their occurrence or order in DNA.

How to turn on the right genes

But now let’s take a look at some common biohacking recommendations, which mostly fall into the area of lifestyle, and talk about how they can affect epigenetic processes in our body.

Intermittent fasting

Intermittent fasting is a dietary system that limits food intake to specific time periods – for example, it can be a 16-8 system, where we only eat food in an 8-hour window each day, or a 5-2 system, where we significantly reduce our total caloric intake (to 500-600 kcal/day) two days a week.

The positive epigenetic effects of intermittent fasting are numerous: for example, it increases the activity of genes for the production of sirtuins, which are enzymes that slow down ageing, reduces inflammatory processes, and improves the balance of the gut microbiome, brain performance and tissue sensitivity to insulin.

More about intermittent fasting here “

Regular movement

Movement has a number of positive effects on epigenetic processes in the body: For example, it positively influences the rate of gene methylation, an epigenetic response closely related to the rate of ageing or the risk of a number of serious diseases. By affecting the production of the so-called BDNF factor, it also improves mental performance, decreases the activity of genes controlling the production of inflammatory cytokines, and also increases the production of the enzyme AMPK through epigenetic means, which can help with weight loss, sports performance or diabetes, for example.

Read more about how and why to start moving here “

Hardening

Regular hardening brings with it a number of positive changes, most of which have an epigenetic background: it improves the function of immune cells (especially T-lymphocytes), promotes the proliferation and function of mitochondria in the so-called “mitochondria”. It also increases mitochondrial gene activity in muscles, which may improve performance in endurance sports.

And there’s no need to jump into a hole in the ice right away. If you want to make one single change in your lifestyle that won’t cost you much time or effort, simply start each day with a few minutes under a cool shower.

Light hygiene

Blue light filtering glasses are a very popular aid for biohacking enthusiasts – they should improve sleep, protect the retina, relieve dryness and burning eyes and improve mental performance. In reality, however, there are no studies that have reliably confirmed these effects; on the contrary, the results of those that have been conducted have generally produced only very weak evidence.

Not that the quality of the light hitting our eyes is not important, quite the opposite. In fact, light is also an important epigenetic factor because it influences the activity of genes that regulate circadian rhythms. Disrupting them can have serious consequences for our health. But the problem is that we also need that demonized blue component of light to function properly.

Avoiding blue light certainly makes sense in the last hours before bedtime, as this is the colour that most inhibits the production of melatonin – the hormone with a dampening function that allows us to fall asleep and recover sufficiently. During the day, on the other hand, melatonin production is undesirable precisely because of its dampening effect, as it prevents us from being fresh and efficient. A better option is therefore to use sufficiently bright light during the day, and especially in the morning and mid-morning hours, whose spectral composition is as close as possible to that of sunlight, including the blue component. It is only in the evening that exposure to blue light should be reduced.

More information here “

Enough sleep

On the contrary, this recommendation of biohacking is confirmed by epigenetic research quite clearly. In fact, lack of sleep causes a number of negative epigenetic changes in our DNA that result not only in impaired mental performance but also in an increased risk of many diseases.

Tips for falling asleep easier can be found here “

Dietary supplements

On the one hand, it is true that dietary supplements are a huge business, but at the same time, the effectiveness of many of them has been repeatedly confirmed by a huge amount of research. Gradually, it is being shown that a large proportion of commonly used medicinal herbs have positive epigenetic effects, and the same is true of substances that are commonly found in food and are contained in concentrated form in dietary supplements. For example, polyphenols contained in many plant foods, carotenoids, but also many vitamins and minerals have extensive epigenetic effects.

However, choosing the right dietary supplements is not easy. Not all are suitable for everyone, and if a person is taking certain medications, some supplements may even be dangerous for them.

A large overview of herbs and nutrients with epigenetic action, including contraindications and tips for suitable combinations, can be found in the Nutrition section “

Meditation and yoga

Regular meditation or the practice of yoga or other similar energy systems has a proven positive effect on epigenetic processes. One of the beneficial effects of these activities is a significant reduction in the level of stress, which from an epigenetic point of view is clearly a negative factor. Not only does it reduce overall well-being, but it also increases the risk of a number of serious diseases. However, meditation and yoga have also been shown to affect the rate of epigenetic changes associated with ageing and to help reduce blood pressure and inflammatory processes in the body. Read more here “