← The Human Upgrade: Biohacking for Longevity & Performance
The Human Upgrade: Biohacking for Longevity & Performance
Jet Lag Superdrug, 25% Dementia Drop, Coffee Brain Aging, Kratom Shakeup : 1415
00:09:39
Loading summary
Transcript2 lines
- [00:01]
A
I'm Dave Asprey. That's Dave Spelled D A I V E. And this is your 10 minute weekly upgrade on the biggest stories in biohacking, longevity and the world of health. Let's go. Picture Antarctica, the edge of the world. Want to go with me? This March, on the 8th through the 17th, a small group is boarding the World Explorer for nine nights at the bottom of the Earth. And you could be one of them. You'll leave the noise of everyday life behind and experience part of the planet few people ever will. Every day we'll step onto the ice via zodiac landings, take polar plunges and have conversations that challenge everything you think you know about human potential. You'll come back with a new perspective on everything. We'll explore human evolution, resilience and longevity with legends like Laura Hoff, Dr. David Perlmutter, Dr. Alberto Violdo and Ali Bogo, all in a breathtaking environment of ice, wildlife and silence that sharpens your mind. This ship fills fast and once it's gone, it's gone. And because you're part of my community, you get a $1,000 discount with code Dave in all caps. Act now. If you're ready for this once in a lifetime experience, this is your moment. Don't miss it. Reserve your spot now@insiderexpeditions.com future. Here's your first story of the week. And if you travel even a few times a year, this one is going to matter to you. There's a new circadian drug candidate called Mike628 that can actually shift your internal body clock and cut jet lag recovery almost in half. Not I felt slightly better. Not I maybe slept an hour earlier. I'm talking about real, measurable shifts in the sleep wake cycle, especially for eastbound travel, which is the hardest direction for your biology to handle right now. What's in our jet lag toolkit? Light timing? Melatonin? Caffeine timing? Maybe meal timing. If you're serious, those can work, but they're blunt instruments and they depend on perfect timing. If you get it wrong, you just feel more wrecked. Mike628 goes straight into a core clock control pathway. It targets the mechanism that governs your circadian rhythm and essentially nudges your internal time forward. In controlled jet lag simulations, people realigned their sleep faster and performed better during the day compared to controls. This is the beginning of true pharmacologic chronotherapy. Instead of hacking around your clock, you directly move it. Now, this is early data and it's not something you can go buy tomorrow, but you can see where this is heading. A future pre flight protocol might be one timed dose plus a structured light plan and you land functional instead of useless for three days until that future arrives. Don't ignore the basics. Morning sunlight in the new time zone, darkness at night, no hero doses of caffeine at 5pm Your next story is more subtle, but it may be even more important. New research suggests that depression that first appears later in life may not just be a reaction to aging or life circumstances. All the parents in the audience will know this, but in some cases it may be an early warning sign of Parkinson's disease or certain forms of dementia. The key concept here is prodromal. It means a symptom that shows up before the main disease becomes obvious. In this cohort, older adults who developed new onset depression were significantly more likely to later receive a diagnosis of Parkinson's or dementia compared to peers who did not become depressed even after adjusting for other risk factors. This does not mean depression causes Parkinson's. It means that in some people the neurodegenerative process may start quietly and manifest first as mood changes. That's a big shift in framing. If someone in their 60s or 70s suddenly becomes depressed with no prior history, the move shouldn't be here's an ssri. See you later. Yes, treat the suffering that matters, but also zoom out. How is sleep? How is movement? What's their metabolic health? Blood pressure? Inflammation? Are there subtle cognitive or motor changes? Think of late life depression as a possible check engine light for the brain. Biohacking is not just about pushing performance, it's about reading signals early. The earlier you see a pattern, the more leverage you have. Story number three is one of the most actionable brain health signals we've seen in a long time because it comes from a long running random randomized trial. The active study followed participants for about 20 years and tested different types of cognitive training, memory training, reasoning training and speed of processing training. Only one category showed a meaningful reduction in dementia incidence over speed of processing, roughly a 25% lower risk compared to controls. What does that mean in plain English? It means training your brain to process information quickly, especially under time pressure and with divided attention, appears to matter more than generic brain games. These tasks often involve identifying targets that flash briefly in central and peripheral vision. You're forcing your brain to move information faster. Memory training and reasoning exercises did not show the same long term dementia prevention effect in this study. That's huge. We've all heard keep your brain active. That's vague this points to a specific trainable processing speed. If you care about reaction time, driving safety, athletic performance, or staying mentally sharp as you age, this kind of training may improve short term performance and reduce long term risk. Your fourth story is for my coffee people. And yes, this one will make you smile. A large observational study of around 130,000 people found that moderate coffee consumption was associated with lower markers of brain aging and lower dementia risk compared to non drinkers. The sweet spot looked like roughly one to three cups per day, not zero, not six to eight. At higher doses, the benefit flattened or in some analyses reversed. So this is not a license to mainline danger coffee, but it does align something interesting. Coffee improves alertness, reaction time and cognitive performance acutely. Now we're seeing associations suggesting that moderate intake may also correlate with longer term brain benefits. If you're using it early in the day in moderate amounts and not wrecking your sleep, it should absolutely be part of a performance and longevity stack. If you're anxious, jittery or sabotaging deep sleep, your dosing is off or you're just not drinking the right kind of coffee. Sleep is non negotiable for brain health. Glymphatic clearance, memory consolidation, emotional regulation, all of that happens during deep sleep. Coffee that protects performance but destroys sleep is a net loss. Coffee used intelligently may give you both short term performance and long term upside. Oh, and it doesn't taste too bad either. Your fifth story is where biohacking intersects with regulation. First, some quick context. This story is about the plant Kratom. If you haven't heard of it before, Kratom is a plant from Southeast Asia. Its leaves contain alkaloids that interact with opioid receptors, and it's become increasingly popular in the western world. In low doses, some people use it for energy and focus. In higher doses, it's used for pain relief or mood support. That's why it's shown up in the biohacking world, especially among people looking for alternatives to prescription painkillers or different ways to get into flow state. Now, here's the shift. There's been a noticeable uptick in action against high potency synthetic kratom derivatives, especially 7 hydroxymitragynine, often called 7. Oh. These are concentrated forms that amplify the plant's effects, and you can often find them in your local gas station. Some local governments are moving to ban these products. Lawmakers in other states are pushing for stronger warning labels and tighter controls. This is a familiar pattern when concentrated or enhanced versions of plant compounds start generating severe adverse events, regulators often just go for the source compound altogether, in this case the plant. For the biohacking community, this is about more than risk management. It's the classic push and pull that happens whenever a natural compound has strong noticeable effects. Whether you choose to use Kratom or not, the bigger principle is autonomy. You should have the freedom to decide what goes into your body, especially with plant derived compounds. But freedom comes with responsibility. On the open market, your biggest vote is with your money. Know what you're taking, Understand the dose and the mechanism. Stay aware of the legal landscape and don't confuse naturally derived with always harmless. Protect your right to choose by staying informed and disciplined. Here's the real upgrade. Master the fundamentals that move the needle every day. Get morning light. Protect deep sleep, lift heavy things. Train your processing speed. Use coffee as a performance tool, not an accident. When caffeine is timed well and dosed intentionally, it sharpens output without costing recovery. Then layer in the advanced tools. If a circadian drug emerges, understand the mechanism before you use it. If new brain data drops, translate it into training, not just curiosity. If regulation tightens around a compound, zoom out and look at the bigger pattern instead of reacting emotionally. Your advantage isn't trying everything first, it's building a biology that works even without the newest molecule. Sleep strength, mitochondria, cognitive speed, strategic stimulation. Get those right and everything else becomes optional. Leverage instead of a crutch. Own your inputs. Think clearly. Build from strength. That's how you upgrade. All right guys, that is your weekly biohacking roundup. Join me again next Friday for another rundown of the biggest health stories in the news. Enjoy your weekend.
- [11:01]
B
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 see 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 referred to herein. This podcast is owned by Bulletproof Media.