Episode Summary: Dave Asprey on Biohacking Secrets - Testosterone, Peptides, and Daily Routines for Optimal Human Performance

Podcast Title: Habits and Hustle
Host: Jen Cohen and Habit Nest
Episode: 453
Guest: Dave Asprey, Father of Biohacking and Founder of Bulletproof Coffee
Release Date: May 27, 2025

In Episode 453 of Habits and Hustle, host Jen Cohen delves deep into the world of biohacking with special guest Dave Asprey. Asprey, renowned for pioneering Bulletproof Coffee and championing the biohacking movement, shares his extensive knowledge on optimizing human performance through unconventional health hacks, daily routines, and cutting-edge supplements.

1. Dave Asprey’s Biohacking Ventures

Dave Asprey provides an overview of his entrepreneurial ventures in the biohacking industry, highlighting his diverse portfolio of companies geared towards enhancing human performance.

• TrueDark and Circadian Technology:
  Asprey discusses TrueDark, a company specializing in circadian glasses designed to improve sleep by manipulating light exposure. He mentions their patented tent technology that accelerates sleep onset and influences brain wave patterns:

  "TrueDark is on my company. We actually filed patents on the specific types of tents to cause people to go to sleep faster... published a study in a medical journal on shifts in brain waves from our specific tent." ([02:30])

• Upgrade Labs:
  Asprey introduces Upgrade Labs, a franchise offering AI-driven exercise and recovery programs with 30 locations signed up. He emphasizes the opportunity for entrepreneurs to open local biohacking franchises:

  "People can go to ownandupgradelabs.com and you can work with me on it. Like open a biohacking franchise in your neighborhood." ([03:26])

• Danger Coffee:
  Highlighting Danger Coffee, Asprey expresses confidence in its growth, aiming to surpass Bulletproof Coffee’s sales:

  "Danger Coffee, which is doing great. Wouldn't surprise me if someday we surpassed the coffee sales from Bulletproof." ([03:48])

2. Entrepreneurial Resilience and Personal Traumas

Asprey delves into the psychological aspects of entrepreneurship, emphasizing the impact of personal traumas on business success and leadership.

• Handling Betrayal and Injustice:
  He identifies injustice and betrayal as the two most detrimental traumas for entrepreneurs, sharing personal anecdotes about overcoming these challenges:

  "The two traumas that entrepreneurs face the most that ruins their businesses are injustice and betrayal." ([06:33])

• Categories of Workplace Personalities:
  Asprey categorizes people into four types based on their interactions and intentions:

  1. Win-Win People: High integrity, fostering mutual success.
  2. Evolving People: Typically win-win but have blind spots and can grow from feedback.
  3. Win-Lose People: Unwittingly cause others to lose for their win, often oblivious to their harmful actions.
  4. Sociopaths and Psychopaths: Deliberately toxic manipulators.
     He stresses the importance of identifying and managing these personalities within organizations:

  "If you cannot be triggered, you are not narcissist food. That's why this book is so important." ([15:53])

3. Optimizing Sleep and Circadian Rhythms

A significant portion of the discussion revolves around the importance of sleep and the methods Asprey employs to optimize his sleep quality.

• Red Light Therapy and Circadian Biology:
  Asprey explains how wearing TrueDark glasses two hours before bedtime helps shift his circadian window, allowing him to fall asleep earlier and avoid jet lag:

  "If you wear those every night for two hours before bed, you can shift your circadian window. I don't get jet lag anywhere on the planet when I use the color of light properly." ([22:30])

• Sleep Duration and Health:
  Challenging conventional wisdom, Asprey cites studies suggesting that six and a half hours of sleep per night correlates with the lowest mortality rates:

  "The people who live the longest get six and a half hours of sleep a night, not eight hours a night." ([23:29])

• Night Routine Enhancements:
  His evening routine includes electrical grounding, dim red lighting, a bite guard, and mouth taping to maintain jaw alignment and improve nervous system function:

  "I wear a mouth guard, and I tape my mouth. I've been doing that for six, seven years." ([25:55])

4. Supplements and Cognitive Enhancers

Asprey discusses his extensive supplement regimen, aimed at enhancing cognitive function, longevity, and overall health.

• NAD Precursors and CD38 Inhibition:
  He emphasizes the importance of NAD for cellular energy and the need to inhibit the CD38 enzyme to prevent NAD depletion:

  "I've been using NAD or NAD precursors for 15 years now... you have to block a cell called CD38. So I do that as well." ([29:37])

• MCT Oil and Alzheimer's:
  Asprey advocates for C8 MCT oil as a potent supplement for reversing Alzheimer's symptoms, supported by Phase 2 clinical trials:

  "In phase 2 clinical trials, MCT oil reverses Alzheimer's disease. When I was selling MCT Oil, I wasn't allowed to say that because that would have been a medical claim." ([38:17])

• Comprehensive Supplement List:
  His nightly intake includes over 150 supplements targeting various aspects of health, including glutathione, calcium D-glucarate, urolithin A, spermidine, and more:

  "I take like 150 supplements a day. And I have for 20 years, like, handfuls of them a day." ([60:05])

5. Controversial Views on Vaccines and Health Policies

Asprey shares his skeptical perspectives on modern vaccination practices and regulatory policies, advocating for alternative health solutions.

• Vaccine Skepticism:
  He expresses concerns over current vaccine schedules, linking some vaccines to autism and criticizing their broad mandates:

  "I believe that the case for modern vaccine schedules in the US is bullshit. Most of the world doesn't follow that. And we have worse health outcomes." ([49:37])

• Natural Alternatives and Toxin Mitigation:
  Asprey promotes natural alternatives like BHT for combating viral infections and emphasizes reducing exposure to toxins like glyphosate and heavy metals as preventive measures:

  "It's more scary than getting a disease that has a tiny percentage chance of killing you? Having a lifelong, lifelong life of chronic illness." ([54:05])

6. Daily Routine and Habits

Asprey outlines his meticulously crafted daily routine designed to maximize health, performance, and longevity.

• Morning Ritual:

  • Sunlight Exposure: Wakes up around 6:37 AM and spends 20 minutes outdoors for natural sunlight.
  • Cold Plunge and Infrared Sauna: Engages in hot and cold therapy to stimulate heat shock proteins and reduce inflammation:

    "I will do a combination of things to improve my biology that day. I do not do the same thing every day... and a lot of the longevity supplements that are in the world that you've heard about, they launch or they come on my show really early because I'm into this stuff." ([57:27])

• Hydration and Nutrition:
  Consumes Danger Coffee with salt water, creatine, electrolytes, and lemon juice, challenging the conventional low-salt diet:

  "I do not drink water without salt in it ever... If you want to live longer, eat more salt." ([59:03])

• Evening Routine:
  Incorporates grounding, red light therapy, and a complex supplement regimen to support overnight recovery and cellular health:

  "I take like 40 of them at night... I take a sleep formula with a bunch of herbs in it." ([28:44])

7. Advanced Biohacking Techniques

Beyond conventional practices, Asprey explores advanced biohacking methods aimed at rewiring the brain and enhancing consciousness.

• Heavily Meditated Reset Process:
  Introduces a program designed to eliminate triggers from the nervous system, enhancing emotional resilience and performance:

  "Pre order heavily meditated, the reset process in that book is the most precious thing I've ever developed." ([64:28])

• Psychedelic-Assisted Neurofeedback:
  Discusses a pioneering program that combines meditation with ketamine therapy to rewire the brain for better decision-making and conscious living:

  "We partnered with a medical provider who comes in and can layer ketamine therapy on top of it... the world's first psychedelic assisted neurofeedback program." ([19:31])

8. Future Endeavors and Conferences

Asprey highlights upcoming events and initiatives aimed at expanding the biohacking movement globally.

• Biohacking Conferences:
  Announces an upcoming conference in Austin with over 4,000 attendees and 100+ vendors, featuring notable speakers like Joe Dispenza and James Nestor:

  "Biohackingconference.com... We're filling up the Fairmont and overflowing it." ([21:26])

• Consciousness and Longevity Retreats:
  Mentions exclusive retreats in Dharamsala, partnering with leaders in consciousness and longevity to teach advanced biohacking techniques:

  "We're spending a week doing consciousness and biohacking and longevity medicine with a doctor I've partnered with." ([65:36])

Notable Quotes

• On Integrity in Business:

  "I do not sell. I teach. I am only going to tell you about it if I think it might be helpful for you." ([04:48])

• On Sleep Optimization:

  "The idea of eight hours a night, it's a myth." ([23:55])

• On Vaccination Stance:

  "I don't believe in vaccinating for things that don't kill you." ([51:52])

• On Personal Growth and Resilience:

  "All of this work, biohacking... helps to program yourself, nobody else." ([55:46])

Conclusion

In this compelling episode, Dave Asprey offers a comprehensive look into the realm of biohacking, sharing personal experiences, scientific insights, and practical strategies for optimizing health and performance. From rigorous supplement routines and sleep optimization techniques to his controversial views on vaccines and health policies, Asprey provides listeners with actionable knowledge to enhance their lives. His dedication to pushing the boundaries of human potential is evident through his entrepreneurial ventures and relentless pursuit of knowledge, making this episode a valuable resource for anyone interested in living a fulfilled and high-performance life.