What Is Biohacking?
Biohacking means making changes to your body or lifestyle to improve something about yourself, like your health, brainpower, or athletic ability.
The term includes a wide range of concepts and practices. On one end are simple strategies, or "hacks," that anyone can use to promote wellness. This means things like sleep tracking or exercise trends. On the other end are experimental procedures done outside of a lab or hospital setting. This is more along the lines of computer hacking – unlocking your potential through unconventional methods.
"At its core, much of biohacking is common sense with a new label: eat well, move your body, sleep enough, manage stress," says Melinda Ring, MD, an integrative medicine specialist with Northwestern Medicine in Chicago. But she says gimmicks like tracking, tech, or trends can motivate many people to build better habits.
But biohacking also includes a lot of misinformation being packaged as health advice. Steven Novella, MD, an associate professor of neurology at Yale University and executive editor of the Science-Based Medicine website, says much of what you're likely to find about biohacking on the internet or social media is hype. "The idea is that there's some kind of shortcut – you're going to get some kind of health benefits without putting in the hard work or having an overall healthy lifestyle," he says. "It's very alluring."
That's why if you want to try biohacking, it's important to understand what it is, what really works, and how to keep yourself safe.
Neurohacking vs. biohacking
Think of neurohacking as a subsection of biohacking. These are strategies that focus on your brain – efforts to improve your intelligence and mental functioning. They include:
- Brain games
- Medications and supplements
- Dietary changes
- Biofeedback
- Electrical and magnetic brain stimulation
- Brain implants
Types of Biohacking
Biohacking activities can have many goals, including weight management, improved fitness, more productivity, and a longer life. What they have in common is a do-it-yourself approach.
Biohacking isn't a medical field and there are no set specialties. But most types of biohacking fit into one of several broad categories:
Biohacking diets
We all know that your diet has a big impact on your physical and mental health. A lot of biohacks involve what you eat and when you eat it. You might experiment with an eating plan like the keto or Mediterranean diet to try to reach weight loss or health goals, or an elimination diet to try to root out food sensitivities.
Eating or drinking within a set time window, sometimes called time-restricted eating, is another way to biohack your diet. It can range from fasting for part of the day to having coffee only during specific hours. Other ways to biohack your diet include using an app to track what you eat, or a continuous glucose monitor to help you see how your blood sugar levels change throughout the day.
Lifestyle modifications
These are changes to your habits than can benefit your health, such as getting more physical activity and making good sleep a priority. Quitting smoking is one of the best ways to improve your health.
Things like trying new activities to keep your brain engaged or spending more time outside can also be considered biohacks.
Mind-body practices
This kind of biohack benefits your physical and mental health. Examples include widely accepted practices like meditation, mindfulness, and breathing exercises, plus more offbeat concepts like grounding, which is spending time barefoot in nature.
Biohacking supplements
Do an internet search for biohacking supplements and you'll find hundreds of products promising cell or tissue repair, liver detox, increased metabolism, mental clarity, and much more. Some feature "proprietary" ingredients. Others contain common herbs, vitamins, antioxidants, and amino acids. These are some popular biohacking supplements and how they claim to help:
- Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) for cellular energy
- Creatine for muscle strength
- NAD+ boosters for healthy aging
- Resveratrol for longevity
- Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) for hormone balance
- Curcumin for joint heath
- Omega-3 fatty acids for brain and heart health
Be aware that supplement claims often aren't proven with scientific studies. These products aren't regulated the same way drugs are, so there's no guarantee that they contain the ingredients they say they do, or that you'll get results. Manufacturers aren't allowed to claim that supplements can prevent or treat a disease, although some do.
Ring also says that the long-term safety of combining multiple compounds, like you find in many biohacking supplements, hasn't been well studied.
It's important to talk to your doctor before you take a supplement, but especially if you take prescription medication. Some can interact with other drugs.
DIY biology
This means experiments and scientific research, done by amateur or professional scientists, that aren't part of an academic, government, or corporate program. It's sometimes described as garage biology.
Many of these biohackers see their activities as way to make scientific knowledge easier to access. There are online forums where they discuss their work, share ideas, and find sources of equipment and materials.
Some topics of DIY biology projects are:
Drug development. Some biohackers work on new ways of producing drugs like insulin to make them more affordable.
Gene modification. With technology that's now widely available, you can make changes to the DNA in cells. That allows biohackers to do sophisticated genetic experiments on bacteria, plants, and even themselves.
Embedded technology. These are implants, like computer chips, designed to improve how your body works.
This kind of biohacking raises ethical and safety questions. People doing it don't necessarily have to follow the rules other scientists do, even as they're working with chemicals and other hazardous materials. And without formal published studies, it's hard to know whether any of what they've learned actually works.
Biohacking Examples
Most people aren't doing science experiments in their kitchens or basements. But there are many examples of biohacking that anyone can try.
Nutrigenomics
This is the study of how nutrients and genetics interact. As a biohack, it means coming up with a personalized eating plan based on studying your DNA. For example, some gene forms can show whether you're more likely to develop certain diseases, or reveal how your body stores fat or processes sugar.
You can buy a test kit and send it to a lab yourself, but it's recommended that you work with a nutritionist or dietitian who can help you understand the results and decide what type of diet changes may be helpful. The way your genes, diet, and lifestyle work together to impact your health is complicated.
Nootropics
Nootropics are drugs and supplements that affect the way your brain works. They're sometimes called smart drugs. These include prescription medications that treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), dementia, and other conditions, but also substances a lot of people use every day, like caffeine.
There are several categories:
- Stimulants, including caffeine and the ADHD drugs amphetamine/dextroamphetamine, and methylphenidate, to make you feel more alert and focused and make you more productive
- Chemical compounds that may help with memory and other brain functions including DMAE, piracetam, pyritinol, and vinpocetine. Some of these are sold as drugs in other countries, but they have not been approved by the FDA
- Plant-based supplements, including ginseng, ginkgo biloba, ashwagandha, and water hyssop (Bacopa monnieri)
You can find these packaged as pills or powders, or added to foods or drinks. Like other supplements, many nootropics are only allowed to be sold as food, and claims about their health benefits may not have been tested. Nootropic medications should only be taken as prescribed.
Intermittent fasting
As a weight loss trend, intermittent fasting has gotten more popular in recent years. But it can have other health benefits too. There are several methods. For some people, it means eating only during an eight-hour period every day. For others, it’s restricting food a few days a week and eating normally the others.
The claim is that fasting "resets" your metabolism. When your body doesn't have enough blood sugar to meet its fuel needs, it starts burning fat.
Using wearable devices
Technology has put a wealth of health data at our fingertips. Millions of people use smartwatches, fitness trackers, and other wearable devices to gather information about their heart rhythm, blood sugar, sleep patterns, and other body stats.
You can use this information to help set health and fitness goals, and to check your progress.
Cold and heat therapy
It's not just for professional athletes. Anybody who's put an ice pack on a bruise has used a form of cold therapy. As a biohack, you might try ice baths, cold-water swimming, or some sessions in a whole-body cryotherapy chamber. The idea is to lower inflammation to reduce pain and help your muscles recover from exercise. Some people might use it to try to lose weight or improve their mood.
A hot pack or heating pad can ease cramps or muscle spasms. Biohackers have also discovered a form of heat therapy that goes back thousands of years: the sauna. Heat increases your blood flow and heart rate, and boosts your metabolism. It can also help you relax.
Light therapy
Many people turn to bright light early in the morning, whether from sunlight or a special box, to boost their mood. And ultraviolet light has long been used to treat skin conditions.
Another type of light therapy that's popular as a biohack is red or near-infrared light exposure. You can find dozens of devices for sale that claim they can promote cell repair and reduce inflammation.
Is Biohacking Safe and Does It Work?
Some lifestyle changes are safe for most everyone and widely recommended, like exercise, avoiding alcohol, and getting better sleep. People who are healthy can safely try many other kinds of biohacks.
But some things can be dangerous if you have a medical condition or take prescription medication. For example, stimulants can be dangerous for people with high blood pressure, and if you take insulin, fasting can cause your blood sugar to drop too low.
It can be risky to skip your doctor’s advice or proven medical care to try things that haven’t been tested. Novella says biohacking can "divert time and attention away from more useful interventions. [Patients] don't do the things that actually work – they think that they're OK because they're doing something, which actually isn't really helping that much or not at all."
Before you try a biohack, you need to do your research. While it can be hard to separate what's real from what's hype, you don't need to be a doctor to check facts. Some tips from the experts:
- Get your information from websites run by professional medical organizations, academic institutions or scientific groups.
- Look for websites that include references to scientific studies. You want to know that a product has at least been proven safe.
- Try to find more than one source to back up a claim.
- Be suspicious if a website is trying to sell you something. Does it promise a "guaranteed" result? Does the product have "secret" ingredients? Is the company trying to scare you?
- If something seems too good to be true, it probably is.
- Check with your doctor.
They also recommend that you take it slow. For example, Matthew Badgett, MD, who practices internal medicine as well as lifestyle and integrative medicine, counsels patients to avoid adding more than one supplement at a time.
"Give any intervention two to four weeks and wait to see if it's making a difference. And if you don't think it helped you, get rid of it," says Badgett, who works at the Cleveland Clinic Lakewood Family Health Center in Lakewood, Ohio.
What biohacking practices work?
While a lot of claims are unproven, science does support some popular biohacks.
Sleep optimization. Study after study has proved that getting seven to nine hours of good-quality sleep is a huge benefit to your health. It helps protect your heart, helps you control your weight, keeps your thinking sharp, boosts your immune system, and improves your mood.
Intermittent fasting. Research on both animals and people shows that intermittent fasting can help you burn fat and lose weight. It may also help you manage type 2 diabetes, help your memory, and bring down your blood pressure. But it hasn't been proved that fasting is a better strategy than just eating fewer calories.
High-intensity interval training (HIIT). This exercise hack allows you to get in a good workout in less time by alternating short sets of intense aerobic or strength exercises with rest periods. The science shows it can help you build strength and endurance, and lower your percentage of body fat.
Meditation and mindfulness. These ancient practices are proven stress relievers. For many people, they can also improve depression and anxiety symptoms, lower blood pressure, and help you sleep.
Badgett says if you want to try something that hasn't been proven effective, there's generally no harm in experimenting to see if it works for you, as long as it's shown to be safe. Just don't expect a quick fix. "Ultimately the things that are going to yield the most benefit are usually the hardest and the oldest interventions," he says.
Ring says some of the most effective "biohacks" are actually just smart health practices. "The best 'hack' is listening to your body," she says. "Data is useful, but it doesn’t replace intuition, clinical guidance, or well-being."
Takeaways
Biohacking is a broad term that includes many strategies to improve your physical and mental health. Popular examples include intermittent fasting, cold plunges, smart drugs, and fitness trackers. Not all products and devices that claim to be biohacks are safe or effective, so do some research before you try anything. Check with your doctor if you have a health condition or take prescription drugs.
Biohacking FAQs
How do you biohack for weight loss?
The best way to lose weight is to eat fewer calories than you burn by eating less and moving more. Some people get results with science-backed strategies like the Mediterranean or DASH diets, intermittent fasting, or high-intensity interval training. Weight loss medicines can also help. Other biohacks that may not have scientific support but could be helpful include supplements, personalized nutrition, cold or heat therapy, and tracking your food and exercise.
How do you biohack energy levels?
You can boost your energy by making sure you get enough vital nutrients like protein and fiber, getting good-quality sleep, staying hydrated, exercising regularly, and reducing stress. Strategies used by biohackers, which may or may not work for you, include light therapy, supplements like B12 and magnesium, and timing your caffeine intake
You can boost your energy by:
- Getting enough important nutrients like protein and fiber
- Getting quality sleep
- Staying well-hydrated
- Exercising regularly
- Reducing stress
Biohacks that may or may not be effective for you include:
- Light therapy
- Supplements like B12 and magnesium
- Timing your caffeine intake
Is meditation a biohack?
There's no set definition of a biohack, but many consider meditation to be one. You can meditate to reduce stress, sleep better, and improve your health, all goals that biohacking aims to support.