← The Human Upgrade: Biohacking for Longevity & Performance
The Human Upgrade: Biohacking for Longevity & Performance
Fix Mitochondria With NASA’s Secret Anti-Aging Superfood : 1442
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Neighborhood.
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And Doug, there's nowhere I wouldn't go to help someone customize and save on car insurance with Liberty Mutual. Even if it means sitting front row at a comedy show.
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Hey everyone, check out this guy and his bird. What is this, your first date?
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Oh, no. We help people customize and save on car insurance with Liberty Mutual together. We're married. Me to a human, him to a bird.
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Yeah, the bird looks out of your league anyways.
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Only pay for what you need@libertymutual.com Liberty.
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Liberty. Liberty. Liberty.
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I spent over $2 million to reverse my age. And one of the biggest breakthroughs I found didn't come from a supplement company or a lab. It came from NASA. Astronauts face the harshest environments out there in space. And NASA had to find something that could protect astronauts bodies, starting inside their cells, even though they're under extreme stress like radiation and no gravity and things like that. What they found wasn't a drug. It wasn't a pill. It was a superfood older than civilization. A nutrient source powerful enough to protect cells in one of the harshest environments known to science. That same food that protects astronauts can slow aging on Earth if you use it correctly. NASA says it has 1000 times more nutrients than any other fruit or vegetable. This superfood reduces inflammation and protects your skin from aging. And it contains complete proteins and essential amino acids that support muscle repair and metabolism and healthy lean mass. So today I'm going to show you what this NASA proof superfood is and exactly how to use it to slow aging. But first we have to destroy one of the biggest myths about aging in the first place. Most people grow up believing that aging is just something you inherit. It just happens. They look at their parents and assume their own future is predetermined. When they notice wrinkles and slow recovery or stiffness or a dip in energy, the default explanation becomes this is just getting older. The medical system quietly reinforces this idea by labeling everything as age related. And when doctors tell people you're getting older, this is normal, most people stop trying. So then we start to accept fatigue and fogginess and slow recovery as part of the deal. Not realizing that something else is happening inside our very cells. But aging doesn't start with a calendar. It begins inside those cells. Every day, your metabolism produces free radicals, which are unstable molecules that bounce around and damage anything they touch. From your cell membranes to proteins, to DNA. Kind of like tiny sparks that are burning holes in your cells. Every stressful event increases inflammation. Every toxin you breathe or eat adds to the load. And that creates even more stress in your cells. Your mitochondria, those little power plants in your cells. They create energy by producing ATP. And that process makes oxidative byproducts by design. Which is just a simple way of saying waste chemicals left over from making energy. When you're young, your body has antioxidant defenses that can easily clean up those byproducts. But as you age, your body doesn't make enough antioxidants, and the oxidative stress builds up. Oxidative stress is just what happens when your cells make more damage than your body can clean up. When that pressure rises above what your mitochondria can handle, they start making dirty energy, which means they release even more waste and damage over time. And that triggers a chain reaction. More oxidative stress creates more inflammation. Inflammation slows repair, and slower repair leads to more damage. And the cycle just repeats. That loop speeds up aging far more quickly than any genetic factor. And you can see this loop on the outside of your body. Wrinkles form because oxidative stress breaks down collagen faster than your body can rebuild it. And then fatigue shows up because your mitochondria produce less ATP and more waste. You recover more slowly because your repair systems just fell behind. And this isn't just time passing. It's what happens when your body is trying to recover and it just can't. And NASA found this particular superfood strong enough to survive the same oxidative stress that destroys human cells. And we'll circle back to that superfood in a moment. Longevity and anti aging begins with restoring your antioxidant defense system. And the balance between oxidative stress, which is a damage, and antioxidant protection, which is the cleanup, directly determines how fast you age. When antioxidants keep up, DNA stays stable, mitochondria make cleaner, stronger energy. Then your inflammation drops, your collagen lasts longer, and your cells repair themselves way more effectively. And that's why some people look 10 years younger, while others look 10 years older. It's not the calendar. It is just oxidative balance that's broken. You don't need to overhaul your entire life today. You start by identifying major things that push your oxidative stress too high, like smoking or vaping, drinking or eating ultra processed foods. Or maybe just not sleeping enough. Choose one area and make a single swap you can maintain. Replace a sugary afternoon snack with protein and healthy fats. Reduce your late night screen time by 30 minutes so your melatonin can start to rise naturally. Or swap out some cheap cooking oils for stable fats that don't burn or oxidize easily. Add one simple antioxidant habit, like drinking mineral rich water so your cells get some minerals. Or take a short walk after your largest meal to lower metabolic stress. Maybe even coffee with minerals in it. What an idea. These are small actions. They immediately start shifting your oxidative balance. But even if you remove the obvious stressors, There's a silent problem that almost everyone runs into. Most antioxidants that you might take and pills never reach the places that actually control aging. You might try to fight aging by buying some kind of topical serum or some generic vitamin C pills, or even a really expensive longevity blend that looks impressive on the label but doesn't get into your cells. Companies sell antioxidants that sound exotic, and some of them do work. But many of those compounds never reach high enough levels in your bloodstream to make a difference because your body doesn't absorb them well. And other supplements only work in certain tissues and never reach your mitochondria, which is where the oxidative stress actually begins. And again, oxidative stress is just the buildup of cellular damage when waste and toxins don't get cleared fast enough. And most skincare creams aren't going to fix this. They work on the surface, While the real battle is happening inside your cells, where most creams just can't reach. You need to understand that the damage that drives aging Happens in two places, the mitochondrial membrane and the cellular membrane. Think of these as the walls that protect your cells. Free radicals attack those walls first, Poking little holes in them and weakening everything inside. And if your antioxidants can't reach inside the cells, they're just decoration. They might feel proactive, but they don't touch the real cause of decline. And interestingly, your body already has powerful antioxidant systems like glutathione, which is your body's master detox molecule, or sod, also known as superoxide dismutase, and that disarms the most aggressive free radical. And there's something called catalase, which is how your body breaks down harmful hydrogen peroxide inside your cells. So those systems can neutralize damage right at the source. But those systems are the ones that weaken as you age, and they need support to work properly. Taking a random antioxidant pill Is not the same as activating your body's built in antioxidant systems. So longevity is really about turning on the internal machinery. Your body Already has means you need antioxidants that work at the cellular and at the mitochondrial level. A real longevity compound has to neutralize multiple types of reactive oxygen species. It has to reach inside your cells to support mitochondrial function. And it has to activate repair and detox pathways Instead of acting like a one time cleanup. We want your body to be better at repairing itself Instead of relying on external antioxidants. The solution has to be bioavailable so your body can actually absorb it and it has to work consistently. And that's exactly what researchers at NASA discovered. They discovered a superfood that actually survives extreme oxidative stress and is safe for human consumption. Now, NASA had a unique problem. Astronauts live in an environment where radiation levels are very high. And their bodies operate inside confined spaces with recycled air. There's limited storage and there's fewer food options. And there's more oxidative stress than any other type of human. So to keep astronauts healthy on long missions, NASA needed a food that had dense nutrition in a tiny package. But they also needed strong antioxidant protection so they could protect mitochondrial DNA and then detox support because there's lots of stress and therefore more toxins. So they began searching for something that wasn't just rich in nutrients, but something that was biologically efficient because every gram you send into space is expensive. And nest identified algae, specifically spirulina and chlorella. And they did this because they're near perfect candidates because of nutrient density, because of antioxidant activity and regenerative potential. In fact, these beat almost everything else they could test. Algae is different from typical foods because it evolved under conditions far harsher than human environments. Spirulina contains a vivid blue color or a pigment called phytoplankton phycocyanin, which is one of nature's most potent mitochondrial antioxidants. Phycocyanin can neutralize reactive oxygen species right where your body makes them, right inside your mitochondria. And this pigment doesn't just mop up stray free radicals. It also suppresses inflammatory pathways that accelerate aging and break down your cells. NASA has publicly documented research exploring spirulina as a nutrient dense food for astronauts. Back in the 80s and 90s, Spirulina was part of NASA's sake TELSS, controlled ecological life Support system. NASA used spirulina because of its high protein content. It had a great vitamin profile and it was efficient in closed loop systems. But on the other hand, there's chlorella. It's really rich in chlorophyll, which is that deep green molecule that captures sunlight. And in the human body, chlorophyll binds to certain toxins in your gut. It supports your liver detox, and it helps cells repair membranes directly. Chlorophyll also supports oxygen utilization, which means mitochondria produce ATP better. And chlorella is a type of algae that just grows in fresh water. Chlorella is a great source of protein, fats, carbs, fiber, chlorophyll, vitamins, minerals, which is why they call it a true superfood. There's just one problem. If you grow chlorella the wrong way or if you process it the wrong way, you don't get all the benefits. So while it's a very important compound, you've got to treat it right in order for your body to be able to use it. Chlorella is about 50 to 60% protein. In fact, it is a complete protein source, which means it has all nine essential amino acids. It also has a lot of iron, and depending on the supplement, you can get anywhere from 6 to 40% of your daily iron just from chlorella. But it's also a good source of vitamin C, which helps you absorb that iron. And those tiny little green cells provide a wide range of antioxidants. And chlorella does contain some omega 3s. And 3 grams of chlorella will give you about 100 milligrams of omega 3 fatty acids. And the survival logic behind algae is really simple. These organisms endure intense UV radiation in direct sunlight. They can be hot or cold. And the environments they grow in are oftentimes not very clean. So they handle toxins, heat, and radiation very, very well. And to stay alive, they evolved extreme protective molecules that are far stronger than what you're going to find in fruits or vegetables. So when you eat some algae, you're essentially borrowing the same biological armor that kept algae alive for billions of years. This is why algae behaves differently in the human body than standard antioxidants. When you use algae correctly, cellular inflammation drops. Mitochondria begin producing cleaner, more stable energy, which translates into more consistent focus and endurance and just feeling better. It protects your DNA and proteins from oxidative damage, which slows visible aging in your skin and in your connective tissues and in your organs and pretty much everywhere else. Chlorophyll strengthens your detox pathways because it binds to certain compounds in your body and helps your body get rid of them more efficiently. That includes mercury, which is a toxic metal. So As a result, you age more slowly because you're finally supporting your internal chemistry. To use algae effectively, here's what to do. You start by choosing the right form. Look for spirulina or chlorella in a powder or tablet form and make sure the source is organic and third party tested for heavy metals, microcystins and contaminants. Quality really matters because low grade algae can have impurities that cancel out the benefits or it can be processed the wrong way. I use spirulina and chlorella tablets from a company called Energy Bits because they grow algae in outdoor tanks with spring filtered water. They test every batch for heavy metals and contaminants, and they offer single ingredient tablets. Just go to energybits.com, use code Dave for my discount. The founder, Katherine Arson has spent over a decade researching algae's nutrient density, has appeared on my podcast twice to discuss how algae supports mitochondrial health and cellular longevity. Begin with a tolerance phase by taking one or two grams per day just to get used to it. And as your body adjusts, gradually increase your intake till you reach the maintenance range of 3 to 5 grams per day, depending on your size and your specific goals. You can take algae in the morning or midday because that's when your mitochondrial activity is naturally the highest, and if you take it too late at night, you might notice it can increase your alertness. You can improve absorption and effectiveness by pairing your algae with hydration and minerals that support detox or by having it alongside a meal. With healthy fats, your body can better take advantage of the fat that's in the algae. Also, just track your results over the next few weeks. Pay attention to your energy stability throughout the day, how quickly you recover from workouts and whether your skin texture improves and whether your digestion becomes better. Those changes are often the first signs that your cells are working again. The environment is shifting, but even the most powerful NASA tested algae can't save your cells if your lifestyle keeps throwing gas on the oxidative fire. A lot of people think that adding a single superfood will somehow override a stressful lifestyle. People fall into what I call the pill mentality. They think if I just take this one thing, I don't need to change anything else. That mindset is one of the biggest obstacles to real longevity. If your oxidative stress is really high, algae is going to help. But it's a very small help compared to a lot of free radicals. So no antioxidant, no matter how powerful, is going to keep up. If Your day to day habits constantly generate more oxidative damage than your body can neutralize. So algae can help. But it's not the only thing that you want to do if you want to live a very long time and feel really good until you're done. Chronic sleep loss increases reactive oxygen species and it weakens those repair processes that, that should reset your system at night. So a diet high in sugar and seed oils and ultra processed foods, things we all know we shouldn't do well, it forces your mitochondria to work harder, produces more oxidative waste, and it makes fewer ATP molecules. Then we have environmental toxins like heavy metals, pollution, household chemicals. They're all adding additional oxidative stress. And it's not good stress, it's bad stress. Stack alcohol and smoking on top of that to get spikes of free radicals that just overwhelm your antioxidant defenses in minutes. Another thing that really makes a difference is excess blue light at night, which can suppress your sleep hormone called melatonin. It also disrupts your circadian rhythm, which is your body's 24 hour internal clock that tells every system, including your brain, your liver, everything, whether it's time to turn on or to turn off. That's why I'm always wearing my TrueDark glasses, to support my circadian rhythm and just my health in general. Get my discount. @truedark.com, use code DAVETUBE. Also, if you sit around on the couch all the time and you don't move very much every day, you don't walk, that's also going to reduce your natural antioxidant enzyme production. You could have chronic inflammation from issues with your gut, unresolved infections, or just constant emotional stress that can block the pathways that algae is trying to support. And when all those things stack up, even the strongest antioxidant isn't going to do its job. That's why if you want to fully benefit from algae, you've got to reduce your oxidative load. And that's what lets the algae work. That's what lets your cells do their job, of creating antioxidants at the same time they make oxidants. And when your total oxidative stress decreases, algae can really step in and do the job. So here's your action plan. If you want more more benefits from taking algae, start with sleep, because it is the master regulator of repair. Set a consistent sleep window, like maybe 10:30pm to 5:30am or whatever works for you, and stick to it as best you can. 60 to 90 minutes before bed. You want to dim your lights and you want to block blue, violet, green and even amber light. You could use TrueDark to do that, or just get some red light bulbs. And do your best to avoid heavy meals before bed. That way your melatonin can actually rise the way it's supposed to. You anchor your circadian rhythm by getting 5 to 10 minutes of real sunlight within the first hour of waking. And that means going outside. No windows, no glasses, and that single habit stabilizes your biological clock and it'll reduce your nighttime stress and next shift your nutrition. You don't have to be perfect. Reduce your sugar spikes by cutting desserts and refined carbs. And always pair good carbs with protein and fat so you don't get a blood sugar spike which creates more oxidative stress. And your whole game is only make as much oxidative stress as your body can handle. Algae just happens to help you handle more. You upgrade your fats by removing unstable seed oils from your kitchen and replacing them with tallow or grass fed butter. These stable fats don't create free radicals in the body. You can support your detox pathways by staying hydrated and adding minerals or electrolytes for better function in your cells. And try some detox strategies like sweating from exercise or using the sauna, eating more soluble fiber and having good digestion, maybe some probiotics. And add gentle daily movement for 20 or 30 minutes. Go for a walk after you eat. It's not that hard. This helps your mitochondria grow and it increases your natural antioxidant enzyme production. And these changes don't replace algae, they just quickly clear the battlefield so algae can actually win. So you need to give your biology the conditions to win. Your cells are always listening, so give them the right inputs. That means they'll age more slowly, they'll repair more quickly, and they'll produce the kind of energy you didn't think was possible.
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A Human Upgrade Formerly Bulletproof Radio was created and is hosted by Dave Asprey. The information contained in this podcast is provided for informational purposes only and is not intended for the purposes of diagnosing, treating, curing, or preventing any disease. Before using any products referenced on the podcast, consult with your healthcare provider carefully, read all labels, and heed all directions and cautions that accompany the products. Information found or received through the podcast should not be used in place of a consultation or advice from a healthcare provider. If you suspect you have a medical problem or should you have any healthcare questions, please promptly call or seek your healthcare provider. This podcast, including Dave Asprey and the producers, disclaim responsibility for any possible adverse effects from the use of information contained herein. Opinions of guests are their own and this podcast does not endorse or accept responsibility for statements made by guests. This podcast does not make any representations or warranties about guest qualifications or credibility. This podcast may contain paid endorsements and advertisements for products or services. Individuals on this podcast may have a direct or indirect financial interest in products or services referring to to herein. This podcast is owned by Bulletproof Media.