The Human Upgrade: Biohacking for Longevity & Performance

Episode 1448 — April 10, 2026

Host: Dave Asprey

Main Theme & Purpose

This episode is a rapid-fire “10-minute weekly upgrade” with Dave Asprey, focused on the latest breakthroughs and practical insights in biohacking, longevity, and health optimization. Dave highlights five surprising ways everyday inputs—from cat scratches to amino acids, superhuman contact lenses, supplement stacks, and even the power of a simple flower inhale—can dramatically affect your cognitive function, motivation, lifespan, and stress levels. The theme: paying closer attention to the subtle but powerful inputs we often overlook can lead to the biggest human upgrades.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Cat Scratches and Brain Fog: Bartonella Underdiagnosis

[02:02 - 05:04]

• Bartonella is a bacterial infection from cat scratches or bites; emerging research links it with chronic symptoms like brain fog, mood issues, and fatigue.
• “Someone gets scratched by their cat ... then slowly develops brain fog, mood instability, fatigue, and they spend the next decade getting handed diagnoses that don’t quite fit.” (Dave Asprey, 02:28)
• Bartonella evades detection by hiding in red blood cells; standard antibody tests often miss it. A PCR test is required for accurate detection, which many doctors don’t order by default.
• Advice: If you’ve had a cat scratch and ongoing cognitive/mood issues, push your doctor for a specific Bartonella PCR.

2. Tyrosine: The Lifespan-Shortening Amino Acid (for Men)

[05:05 - 07:13]

• A Mendelian randomization study (n=270,000) found higher tyrosine levels correlated with nearly a year less lifespan in men, but not women.
• Tyrosine is abundant in high-protein diets and many supplements.
• “The higher your testosterone, the more you might be paying a price for excess tyrosine.” (Dave Asprey, 06:22)
• Mechanism: In men, excess tyrosine is more likely oxidized (via testosterone-driven enzyme myeloperoxidase) into meta-tyrosine, causing inflammation and aging acceleration.
• Actionable tip: If on a high-protein or carnivore diet, get your plasma tyrosine and phenylalanine ratios tested (aim for <10:1).

3. Superhuman Contact Lenses: Altius’s Game-Changer for Cognitive & Visual Efficiency

[07:14 - 08:37]

• Altius developed tinted contact lenses that reduce chromatic aberration by 53% and enhance visual contrast by 20–30%. Means your eyes/brain spend less effort correcting ‘noisy’ light.
• “Your brain is burning resources just to make sense of noisy visual input.” (Dave Asprey, 07:30)
• Dave parallels with his own TrueDark glasses, emphasizing most ‘blue light blockers’ are inadequate.
• These new lenses filter light at the cornea, directly preventing processing overload—reportedly aiding e-sports performance and post-injury (TBI) recovery.
• Practical advice: If not ready for contacts, use high-coverage blue-light glasses like TrueDark, and supplement with apps like f.lux or Iris.

4. Motivation in a Supplement Stack: Taurine + B6/B9/B12

[08:38 - 09:04]

• Recent placebo-controlled study: four weeks of a stack (Taurine, methylated B6, folate, B12) measurably increased motivation (effort for reward) and reduced attention lapses.
• “A lot of people ... who describe themselves as unmotivated or stuck are probably just running depleted B vitamins, low taurine, and they’re blaming themselves for a nutrient problem.” (Dave Asprey, 09:00)
• Mechanism: Combo boosts glutathione in astrocytes (brain support cells), freeing brainpower for what most call ‘willpower’.
• Protocol:
  • Taurine: 2g
  • Methylfolate: 800mcg
  • P5P (active B6): 50mg
  • Methylcobalamin (active B12): 1mg
  • Take all in the morning, before food, for four weeks before evaluating effect.

5. The Power of Inhaling Flowers: Fast Stress Reset

[11:43 - 13:51]

• New research (Monell Chemical Senses Center): a 30-second deep inhale of a floral scent directly calms the nervous system—reducing heart rate by 5–10 bpm and shifting towards parasympathetic (“rest & digest”).
• “It’s the oldest sensory pathway we have ... what matters is that you stop, go outside, find something blooming, and breathe slowly and deeply through your nose for 30 seconds.” (Dave Asprey, 12:38 & 13:06)
• Even the act of nasal breathing works; scent compounds add a further calming signal straight to the limbic system.
• Lavender is most backed by research, but any floral will do.
• Big-picture: Many biohacks are complicated—but powerful tools are often free and right outside your door.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Bartonella is dramatically underdiagnosed ... Standard antibody tests miss a significant portion of cases. You need PCR and most conventional doctors won’t order it unless you push.”
  — Dave Asprey, 03:23

• “This should give everyone pause who’s loading up on tyrosine, whether in your pre-workout or your carnivore diet.”
  — Dave Asprey, 06:50

• “The difference between TrueDark and what most people think of as blue light glasses is the same difference between actually fixing the input, and slapping a band-aid on it.”
  — Dave Asprey, 07:46

• “A lot of the people I talk to who describe themselves as unmotivated or stuck are probably just running depleted B vitamins, low taurine, and they’re blaming themselves for a nutrient problem.”
  — Dave Asprey, 09:00

• “I think we’ve built out elaborate recovery protocols ... and walked right past one of the fastest autonomic resets that exists, which is growing in every park and front yard in America right now.”
  — Dave Asprey, 12:13

Key Timestamps

| Timestamp | Topic | |-----------|--------------------------| | 02:02 | Cat scratches, Bartonella & chronic brain fog | | 05:05 | Tyrosine intake and male lifespan | | 07:14 | Altius contact lenses, visual input, brain resources | | 08:38 | Motivation stack: taurine + vitamins | | 11:43 | Smelling flowers for nervous system reset |

Closing Thoughts

Dave ties the episode together by emphasizing attention to subtle, everyday inputs over exotic technologies or expensive interventions:

“All five of these stories are really about inputs you’ve been ignoring... None of these require a prescription or a biohacking budget. What they require is paying attention at a level most people never bother with. That’s the actual edge.” (Dave Asprey, 13:20)

Summary by The Human Upgrade Podcast Summarizer — for listeners, biohackers, and anyone interested in the intersection of cutting-edge science and real-world wellness.