Humza Khizer

Explore the potential harms and disadvantages of biohacking, including its impact on health, the risks associated with self-experimentation, and an analysis of the pros and cons. Learn more about the dark side of this emerging trend in health optimization.

Biohacking 101: Cheat Codes For Your Body

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Introduction

We have all used cheats and hacks in games to get better scores, more money or even just fun things that improve our game. But biohacking is amping up your body in real life. It is a term that can be applied to a lot of aspects of our daily life to make our bodies and mind function better.&nbsp;

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Given the growing community of biohackers, the term biohacking itself has become very generalized as it is now being used by brands who&rsquo;re repackaging their products to garner more sales.

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Understanding the Pros and Cons of Biohacking

Biohacking and microdosing go hand-in-hand to increase your energy levels and vitality. However, biohacking is not limited to microdosing yourself with drugs.&nbsp;

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Biohacking refers to chemical changes being induced in your body in smaller concentrations. You&rsquo;re basically following a method less inclined towards science and more towards experimentation, and&nbsp; that too on your own body. So, it&rsquo;s not unlikely that there would be several ways to biohack your body, including: 
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<h5>Lifestyle And Dietary Changes</h5>

Biohacking is supposed to be something out of the ordinary; hacking your body refers to doing something unusual, finding out everything about your body, and its interaction to all kinds of foods.

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Diet and lifestyle changes can be considered as the very first stage of biohacking, starting with an elimination diet. Following this diet means complete omission of certain foods from your diet, preferably one at a time, to monitor how your body reacts to the change. The said food is then introduced into your diet again, while you continue to keep a <a href="https://merisehat.pk/page/sehat-scan/" target="_blank">track of your symptoms</a>. This approach is usually effective for people who have allergies. In fact, it is considered as a great way to determine if you have any underlying sensitivity or allergy<a href="#accordion">[1]</a>.

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Lifestyle and dietary changes also involve training your biological clock to do whatever you want and however you want. A great example is maintaining your room temperature in a way that you program yourself to sleep without apps or exercises. To ensure a perfect REM cycle, you require optimum sleep and that can be achieved by bringing down the temperature of your room.

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<h5>Nutrigenomics</h5>

Nutrigenomics is one of the more exciting and advanced ways of biohacking. The term is made up of 2 separate words: nutrition and genomics. It means that this area of biohacking uncovers the relationship between genes and nutrition. But, it&rsquo;s a no-go area because of ethical and regulatory barriers<a href="#accordion">[2]</a>.

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Nutrigenomics dives into how your nutritional intake, its adjustments etc. can help in modifying your genes for certain functions, and also enhancing these functions<a href="#accordion">[3]</a>. There have been many studies on how macronutrients, micronutrients and other biochemicals alter or have an impact on gene expression. For example, consuming folate ( Vitamin B9), vitamin B12, vitamin E, vitamin A, and calcium lead to a reduction in DNA damage. Riboflavin, pantothenic acid and biotin, on the other hand, are known for increasing DNA damage when consumed in certain amounts.&nbsp;

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The science goes beyond maintaining your cell function and your gene expression etc. With the right research and the correct use of the relevant evidence, it is believed that nutrigenomics might just be the answer to gene-related diseases. A great example could be altering the BRCA genes through the right nutrition and decreasing your chances of getting breast cancer. However, this is just the tip of the iceberg and there is a lot to unfold in this newly growing field<a href="#accordion">[4]</a>.&nbsp;

 
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<h5>DIY Biology</h5>

Just like the name suggests, DIY Biology is taking things into your own hands. Throughout the years, a widely growing community started off with choppy experiments in their own makeshift labs. Today, however, access to the right knowledge makes all the difference and the community has started to find its own hacks to better healthcare<a href="#accordion">[5]</a>.&nbsp;

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Taking genetics out of highly controlled research labs and bringing it to your garage is alarming. The experiments are pushing the line of what is ethically acceptable, even if this unregulated freedom has allowed some very interesting discoveries<a href="#accordion">[6]</a>.&nbsp;

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A simple experiment that is used by the rookies in the DIY biology community is by making homemade agar for culturing bacteria. You take your own samples through a swab from your mouth, nose, hands, ears etc., rub it on the medium, leave it for some time, and then observe the medium for clear colony growth. This is later used for determining the antibiotic efficacy. If you have a DNA sequencer handy, you can even know what species grew on the culture medium and derive your own results<a href="#accordion">[7]</a>.

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<h5>Grinder Biohacking</h5>

Ever heard of a cyborg? Imagine that but less cool and more human. Grinder biohacking involves people incorporating the use of technological devices to enhance their functioning.&nbsp;

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Unlike DIY biology, this is not limited to non-invasive tech developments in the field of biology, and also involves the implantation of devices in their bodies, a process which is referred to as transhumanism<a href="#accordion">[8]</a>.&nbsp;

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A revolutionary device was developed by researchers at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne. Once it was implanted in your body, it would analyze your blood using a total of 5 enzyme-coated sensors, and then simply send all the data to your phone via Bluetooth!

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NFC (near field communication) and RFID ( radio frequency identification) tag implantation have been popular among the young generation to give them their own cyborg moment. The chips are used for a wide range of purposes but the most common use is as passwords, for unlocking doors or starting your vehicles<a href="#accordion">[9]</a>. 
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<h5>Biohacking With Nootropics</h5>

The entire wave of biohacking got its well-deserved fame from Silicon Valley. It was also the prime spot for nootropics. The competitive corporate capital always has people trying to look for an edge to enhance their abilities to get ahead of everyone. Whether it&rsquo;s your usual prescription medicine or herbal products, the idea is to enhance your brain function or brain capacity with the right substance such as dietary supplements<a href="#accordion">[10]</a>. These supplements are often low-risk nootropics with low-gain and some examples include: Rhodiola, ginkgo biloba, panax ginseng, bacopa monnieri, and L-theanine, etc.&nbsp;

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Biohacking becomes an issue when synthetic compounds and prescription drugs are used. For example: drugs like piracetam (normally prescribed to treat dementia) and small doses of adderall (normally prescribed to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or narcolepsy) are used to improve learning and enhancing&nbsp; concentration respectively. Biohacking of the aforementioned drugs becomes an issue, since overtime the small doses fail to provide the required results and hence higher doses are needed by the user. This ultimately leads to the user getting addicted, and without the use of the substance fails to focus at all<a href="#accordion">[11]</a>.

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Conclusion

While it is true that biohacking has given the world a lot of insight into the future and how it can be shaped for the healthcare industry, however, experimenting with one&rsquo;s body can take a wrong turn at any time.

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Biology can be dangerous in the wrong hands. Moreover, with the right knowledge and dedication, people can even start manufacturing their own bioweapons.&nbsp;

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A line needs to be drawn because when it comes to research and development, it&rsquo;s hard to distinguish between what&rsquo;s ethical and what&rsquo;s not.&nbsp; 
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Key Points

<ul><li>Biohacking refers to the usage of unconventional ways to improve or enhance your biological functions.</li><li>Lifestyle and dietary changes are considered the first steps to start biohacking since it’s easy to monitor the ways your body reacts to some foods.</li><li>Nutrigenomics is another common way of biohacking that sheds light on the way nutrients impact DNA expressions and body functions.</li><li>Grinder biohacking is allowing a device to be implanted in your body. This is another field that is in its developmental phase and is believed to be futuristic.</li><li>DIY biology is what it sounds like i.e., taking matters into your own hands, conducting experiments on yourself in your own makeshift labs.</li><li>The main issue with biohacking is the blurred ethical lines. While the field has a lot of potential and possible technological breakthroughs are just waiting to happen, the unregulated part poses a lot of threat.</li></ul>

[1] Edermaniger L. 9 lifestyle and Diet tricks for biohacking sleep and insomnia. Atlas Biomed blog | Take control of your health with no-nonsense news on lifestyle, gut microbes and genetics.

[2] Nutrigenomics. the basics. Nutrigenomics. The basics. | The Nutrition Society.

[3] Kaputk. How nutrigenomics may impact the way you eat. Cleveland Clinic.

[4] Mead MN. Nutrigenomics: The genome–food interface. Environmental Health Perspectives. 2007;115(12). doi:10.1289/ehp.115-a582

[5] Do it yourself. RSB.

[6] Landrain T, Meyer M, Perez AM, Sussan R. Do-it-yourself biology: Challenges and promises for an open science and Technology Movement. Systems and Synthetic Biology. 2013;7(3):115-126. doi:10.1007/s11693-013-9116-4

[7] Fernández CR. 5 Easy DIY Biology Experiments You Can Do at home. Labiotech.eu.

[8] From grinders to Biohackers: Where medical technology meets body modification - medical technology: Issue 23: January 2020. From Grinders to Biohackers: where medical technology meets body modification - Medical Technology | Issue 23 | January 2020.