Continuing from my last post – even with years of intermittent fasting and exercising, I was noticing the initial signs of aging like graying hair, tiredness and lack of energy, and the missing sprint fullness of youth. I realized the need learn the fundamentals of biological aging and research cutting-edge age-reversal processes that have had some credible experimental success in early trials. I wanted to know how to hack my body at the cellular level and reverse the effects of aging.

I researched online, read books, listened to podcasts, and consumed as much information as I could get my hands on. I learned about epigenetics – processes in which genes are turned off or on by external factors like diet, lifestyle, and environment. For example, during starvation, our bodies turn off genes that help us digest food or fat storage so we can survive longer without food!

I also learned about telomeres – protective caps at the ends of DNA strands that protect our chromosomes from damage due to stressors like oxidation. The longer your telomeres are, the healthier you are presumed to be! Studies show that people who live long lives have longer telomeres than people who don’t live long lives!

I learned that many diseases, such as cancer and heart disease, could be caused by gene mutations brought about by stressors like free radicals (oxidation) from environmental toxins like smoking and pollution. Free radicals cause damage in our cells by stealing electrons from other molecules in our bodies due to their unstable nature, causing them to react with anything they come into contact with, like oxygen or water molecules.

There is a lot of conflicting information out there when it comes to bio-hacking supplements.

The Internet has a plethora of generic boilerplate articles on this topic. Effectively utilizing Google search is an art. If you Google with simple keywords like “is supplement X good for me” or “benefits of this supplement”, most of the top content is junk. Blog posts contain basic age-old advice like eating green veggies, exercising, and living a stress-free life. And then, every once in a while, these random research articles talk about how one particular habit has been proven beneficial, only to be negated in another link-bait article that proves the opposite. I realized that the research articles and data available are unsuitable for public consumption. For every research paper that advocates a particular diet or lifestyle choice for good health, there’s one that supports the exact opposite results.

If you go to a doctor, they will talk about the same standard things like eating green vegetables, keeping a balanced diet, exercising blah blah. So I don’t blame the doctors. They have limited time and resources to spend on each patient, and they have to treat everyone as best as they can with what they know so far.

I decided it was time to take a deeper dive. And it will be an ongoing eternal dive into the deep sea of knowledge. So, I started searching for a professional course on microbiology to learn the fundamentals of cellular machinery and how it affects our aging.  You can do many things to slow down aging, including taking supplements, eating healthy, and exercising regularly. These are called ‘lifestyle changes’ because they don’t require any special intervention or equipment. I also started learning about bio-hacking by starting with these two books first:

1. Lifespan by Dr David Sinclair
2. Super Human by Dave Asprey

Bio-hacking is an art even though the foundation pillars are piled deep inside the rock bed of science. My experiments with bio-hacking started once I finished my microbiology course and the two books above and became confident & bold enough to try some of the low-hanging fruits – basic steps that help to slow down aging. I realized that aging is a disease that must be tackled appropriately.

Besides the books, I was actively reading research papers from NIH: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

These papers were really helpful in getting the technical details on how any supplement works and the results of their animal and human trials. This helped me select the basic supplements with least side effects.

I modified my schedule and supplements and followed these basic steps:

1. Diet: Intermittent Fasting coupled with Calorie Restriction – Dinner by 8 PM, then breakfast at around 11 AM. Lunch is mostly skipped or very light, a protein shake after a workout, and then dinner between 7-8 PM. I would recommend starting calorie restriction by your early thirties. Try to eat around 1600 calories/day (men) & 1400 calories/day (women). After 37-38, try to limit your calorie intake to 1400 calories a day (men), and 1300 (women). I hovered around 1200 calories a day.
   
   
2. Supplements:
   (a) NMN/NR: Around 1000 mg daily on an empty stomach.
   (b) Vitamin D: 4000 IU. Daily after breakfast.
   (c) Resveratrol: 1000 mg – I take this with breakfast every morning.
   (d) Protein shake/Collagen: 25 gms of lean whey protein isolate post-workout mixed with 8-10 gms grass-fed bovine collagen
   (e) Athletic Greens: 1 scoop a day early morning (along with NMN). This covers all vitamins, probiotics, and fibers.
   (g) Omega-3 capsules: At night before sleeping.
   
3. Sleep: I started tracking my sleep (Oura ring and now Apple Watch), and try to get at least 8 hours of sleep daily.
   
4. Exercise: Daily 30 min of exercise that included 100 pushups, 60 sit-ups, and a little bit of Yoga and Pranayam. I try to play tennis or badminton at least 3 times a week.

I must admit, adjusting to this new regimen wasn’t easy, and it took me a few weeks to really get into the groove. But once I fully embraced it, my life transformed in the most positive ways! The changes became noticeable after a few months; my body was stronger, bursting with energy, and I felt healthier than I had in years. In fact, I feel even more vibrant and robust now than I did in my late twenties.

For nearly three years, I’ve diligently followed this health regimen, and the results have been remarkable in maintaining my vitality, energy, and motivation. I’m fully committed to this lifestyle and continually monitor the latest scientific findings, ready to tweak my routine as new research emerges. The field of anti-aging is bustling with innovation: groundbreaking research is delving into cellular rejuvenation and genetic repair, promising a future where aging might be significantly delayed or even reversed. Additionally, there’s exciting talk in the scientific community about a new generation of supplements, safer and more effective than ever, designed specifically to combat the aging process. These supplements, harnessing the power of advanced research, could soon become a game-changer in our quest for longevity. With such rapid advancements in molecular biology, I’m convinced that extended lifespans will be a reality within our generation. Until these breakthroughs become accessible, our best strategy is to stay healthy and positive and take excellent care of our bodies, preparing ourselves for the remarkable developments on the horizon.