SILICON VALLEY LIVING
New health hacks for your body
Anew, unlikely health hub has emerged. Taking over from New York and Bondi Beach, Silicon Valley is fast becoming the place for the most forward-thinking practices. Yep, not content with changing our lives forever with apps, the tech gurus also want their brains and bodies to function at their very peak. Presumably so they can create the next Uber/ Tinder/Facebook without pesky things like tiredness, colds and even ageing getting in the way. The practices they’ve created? Not “diets” or “habits” but “biohacks” – and we’ve decoded the elite’s favourites. Warning: calming yoga these are not…
CRYOTHERAPY WHAT’S THE HACK?
Imagine a vertical tanning booth, where instead of being sprayed with fake tan, you’re covered in a freezing-cold grey mist. It’s liquid nitrogen and the temperature can reach as low as -130°C – and you’re expected to stand in there for up to three minutes. It’s a dry therapy, though, so no need to worry about getting wet, removing make-up or catching a cold.
WHAT DOES IT DO?
A lot. The benefits are said to outweigh the icy temperatures by boosting the body’s recovery times, shaking off aches and pains, triggering endorphins, stimulating collagen production (hello, skin-tightening) and increasing metabolism. One key factor is that cold exposure can also decrease chronic inflammation, which has been shown to lengthen telomeres (protective strands on your DNA) – the longer they are, the longer your lifespan is said to be.
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?
Clinics have now hit the UK and LondonCryo (Londoncryo.com) offers whole body sessions from £90.
SHOULD YOU?
There’s no reason not to – or so says Heather Hawkins, founder of Elevation Strategy, a marketing consultancy specialising in human-performance innovation and biohacking. However, save your pennies, as she reckons it can be done at home by filling your bath with cold water and soaking for up to five minutes. Be brave.
TIME-RESTRICTED FASTING WHAT’S THE HACK?
TRF (or intermittent fasting) reduces the number of hours you spend munching. It involves switching between no food for long stretches and a few crucial hours of normal eating – think of it as a swap from watching the calories to watching the clock. Whole teams are getting involved in Silicon Valley: Christina Bognet, CEO of PlateJoy, a personalised nutrition start-up, says her team fast for 14 to 18 hours a day (although it’s not compulsory). Our tummies are grumbling just thinking about it.
WHAT DOES IT DO?
It’s said to increase lifespan, lower blood pressure and pump some life back into the muscle-building part of the brain. There’s also talk of it boosting productivity, mood and, obviously, weight loss. Studies show an increase of 20% to 40% in lifespan – but that was in mice.
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?
Your enjoyment of a good biscuit.
SHOULD YOU?
The jury is out. Science does back the evidence – however, depriving the body of food for a length of time is likely to lead to headaches, fatigue and low energy levels. If you’re giving it a go, experts recommend a 14:10 fasting-to-eating ratio, meaning you eat over a 10-hour period (say between 8am and 6pm) and fast the rest of the time, preventing any hanger-induced meltdowns at your boss.
RAW WATER WHAT’S THE HACK?
If you’re obsessed with your filter bottle, look away now because this H2O hasn’t been anywhere near one. Jugs of unfiltered, untreated and unsterilised spring water (chlorine is added to sterilise tap water, while bottled water goes through a filtration process) are being touted by some as the holy aqua. One Silicon Valley CEO was spreading the raw-water word at the Burning Man event after drinking nothing but that for five whole days… gulp.
WHAT DOES IT DO?
Raw-water proponents claim it contains naturally occurring bacteria, minerals, electrolytes and algae, which are good for gut health, optimised cell function and enhanced mental performance, and also has anti-ageing properties. Watch out for the shelf-life, though. Within a month, the algae can turn the water fish-tank green. Pleasant.
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?
More than the stuff that comes out of your tap. A lot more. Live Water – which is selling out in health shops across the Valley – costs £29 for your first 2.5-gallon glass bottle, then £12 for each refill.
SHOULD YOU?
We’d hope that drinking mouldylooking water wouldn’t appeal in the first place, but even if it did, it’s still best to steer clear. Kathy Benedict, lead epidemiologist of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention drinking-water programme in the US, says there’s no scientific benefit, and it could be contaminated with bacteria, which can cause diseases such as the norovirus. That’s one
unhealthy “cleanse”.
NOOTROPICS WHAT’S THE HACK?
Forget your multivitamin. Tech founders who are desperate to get a mental edge over their peers are popping souped-up synthetic supplements that give a dose of superpower to the brain cells that decline with age. The nootropics industry is said to be on course to be worth £9 billion by 2024. The key players are HVMN, a sports drink that claims (after 15 years’ research) to enhance cognitive ability; Nootroo, which sells a range of capsules containing noopept (typically used to treat concussion) and citicoline (which improves memory); and TruBrain, which stocks nootropics like 5-HTP, piracetam, and lion’s mane (the latter
“Imagine a tanning booth with freezing grey mist”
being a medicinal mushroom – we’re not suggesting you chomp on animal hair in the pursuit of eternal youth).
WHAT DO THEY DO?
They work by targeting neurotransmitters, the chemical messengers in our brain. They won’t suddenly turn you into a start-up whizz but they might give you the boost to become one. Promises include enhanced memory, elevated mood, better sleep and increased focus and attention span.
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?
It depends what you’re buying – high-quality ingredients come at a premium. HVMN’s Sprint capsules (for energy) cost £17 for 60 capsules.
SHOULD YOU?
The nootropics market is poorly regulated, so there are some things to look out for when choosing a supplement. Most importantly, stick to those on sale in the UK – online companies abroad may sell products that contain fake or unsafe ingredients. For beginners, it’s best to start with plant-based nootropics such as Bacopa monnieri (good for stress), ashwagandha (improves memory) and rhodiola rosea (boosts energy), but always do your research first, checking they work with any other supplements/medicine you’re taking.
BLOOD TRANSFUSIONS WHAT’S THE HACK?
Exactly what it sounds like. Last year, certain tech executives in their fifties and sixties paid to have the blood from a younger person transfused into their veins. It was a clinical trial by a company called Ambrosia – currently the only one offering this procedure for non-medical purposes.
WHAT DOES IT DO?
This kind of treatment is usually used for serious and often life-threatening conditions, but Ambrosia also uses it as a form of blood-based “rejuvenation” for healthy people to increase energy, muscle strength, stamina, memory and, most crucially, to help them stay young. Ambrosia CEO Jesse Karmazin suggests the therapy shows promise for ageing and even reversing Alzheimer’s. But no one knows yet if it actually works. Results from the trial are “due at some point in the future”, according to Karmazin.
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?
If the thought of it doesn’t make you queasy, the price will. It’s around £6,000 for a lower dose (1 litre of plasma).
SHOULD YOU?
Ambrosia is planning to turn this into a proper, commercial business and has also had customers in their thirties, but even so, it’s best to steer clear. There’s no evidence it works, and the procedure is prone to severe side-effects, including rejection of the transfused proteins and risk of infection, according to Irina Conboy, associate professor in the department of bioengineering at UC Berkeley.