The textbook definition of snake-oil salesman? (Rick Friedman/Corbis via Getty Images)
As a tenured professor of biology and genetics at Harvard Medical School, David Sinclair has long been the world’s most qualified “biohacker”. The term refers to a broad community that attempts to enhance bodily performance, sometimes through simple treatments like meditation. But some of its advocates go much further. Sinclair himself has turned his body into a walking laboratory to test his controversial thesis: that ageing itself is a treatable disease.
Looking incredibly young has certainly helped his case — even now, at 54, Sinclair could still pass for a 30-something. A decade ago, Time featured Sinclair on its annual list of the world’s most influential people. And by popularising the concept of “autophagy”, Sinclair has almost certainly influenced you at some point.
Autophagy, which comes from the Greek for “self-devouring”, refers to the process by which cells deprived of fresh supplies of glucose are forced to “feed off” themselves, reducing the inflammatory toxins that are so synonymous with ageing and, in theory, revitalising the mitochondria that power every cell. While Silicon Valley tech bros such as Brian Johnson, Peter Thiel and Jeff Bezos may have garnered more headlines, a lone maverick scientist, in science-fiction style, was busy working on the medical secret to substantiate their quest for eternal youth. Or so it seemed.
Nowadays, former colleagues in academia are queueing up to denounce Sinclair. In March, when he announced with his brother that their company Animal Bioscience had developed a supplement for dogs “shown to reverse the effects of age related decline”, it proved to be the final straw. A former research partner, and colleague at Harvard Medical School, labelled him “the textbook definition of snake-oil salesman”, before Sinclair resigned from his role as President of the Academy for Health and Lifespan Research on 13 March.
So where did it all go so wrong for Sinclair? After all, it’s not as though Time were wrong to cite his influence — which has become ubiquitous by stealth. With the unmasking of one of its leaders, where next for the biohacking movement? And is there more to it than billionaire daydreams and sketchy online apothecaries?
In many ways, it simply continues to grow. Because calorie restriction has been consistently shown to increase lifespan in laboratory animals, Sinclair’s championing of autophagy to stabilise lower blood sugars has seeped into popular consciousness as a rationale for weight-loss “hacks” that might also help you live longer. Advocates of intermittent fasting, buttered coffee, ultra-low carb diets, cold-water immersion or drinking diluted vinegar invariably invoke the implied cloak of scientific legitimacy that autophagy provides. And Sinclair personally aligned himself and his clout with these sorts of trends. By taking just one meal and 1,100 calories per day, and focusing on plant-based, low-carb, low-protein, and heart-healthy high-fat foods, he promoted the “deep cleanse” cellular repair and ultimate detox that autophagy is meant to provide. In turn, autophagy is in large part responsible for the popularity of the so-called 16:8 diet, whose adherents consume their calories in an eight-hour window before fasting for the next 16 to maintain low-blood sugars.
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SubscribePeople taking rapamicin to chase the unicorn of longevity? Dear God. Rapamicin (aka sirolimus) is an immunosuppressant, typically used puts organ transplantation, to prevent rejection. Its side effects are numerous and potentially dangerous, not limited to reducing the numbers of neutrophil granulocytes in your blood (essential as part of your innate immune response) and interfering with the functioning of adaptive immunity (including “tumour surveillance” by lymphocytes such as NK cells), which can raise the risk of lymphoma and solid tumours too.
Count me out.
People taking rapamicin to chase the unicorn of longevity? Dear God. Rapamicin (aka sirolimus) is an immunosuppressant, typically used post organ transplantation, to prevent rejection (it’s an inhibitor of MTOR, preventing growth stimulation of certain blood cells; it’s akin to substances like cyclosporine and tacrolimus, though its mechanism of action differs). Its side effects are numerous and potentially dangerous, not limited to reducing the numbers of neutrophil granulocytes in your blood (essential as part of your innate immune response) and interfering with the functioning of adaptive immunity (including “tumour surveillance” by lymphocytes such as NK cells), which can raise the risk of lymphoma and solid tumours too.
Count me out.
Sorry all – posted twice, as my phone had a “moment”. Oops.
Coincidentally reading ‘Why We Die’ by Venki Ramakrishnan. Not quite finished but recommended based on where I’ve got to.
Some fascinating genetic and DNA science sections – some I struggled with – but essentially suggestive cell reproduction in later life may have some trade-offs between aging and cancer cell development – interventions to repair/generate cell replacement might fuel cancer where essentially a cell is multiplying without control and limits. An over simplification for sure, but worth a read I think.
As a part-time clinician now I totally concur frailty much more of a killer in old age. Avoid that fall. Look after your muscles and ensure they remain healthy.
Quite agree: also, I’m increasingly discovering that, while the muscles may still be trainable and maintainable, the skeleton eventually gives its veto!
First went the knees, then years of contact sports caught up with me. Age is a git, but maintaining a sense of humour is invaluable.
Yes, muscle mass for sure. I’m a health coach and I specialize in helping middle-aged women. Too many come to me overweight, eating low protein vegetarian or vegan, cortisol through the roof from chronic cardio, pre-diabetic, hormones just a mess. Once they up their protein and fat, cut the simple carbs, and replace excessive cardio with strength training they improve across the board. Including fasting also is incredibly helpful, although that’s a step too far for many. Autophagy is a wonderful thing if you can handle abstaining from food for a day on occasion. People often fail to realize fasting is much easier to do once you stablalize your blood sugar as you don’t get that “hangry” crash when you skip a meal.
I fast to lose weight and while it can be a trial sometimes it has many benefits.
Agree JH.
I’m v taken with the basic ‘chair-test’ – how many times you can stand up from a chair in 1min. Screen people in their early 50s with this and get them thinking about it then. As you’ll probably know just getting out of a chair at the age of 80 can be almost like doing a heavy weighted squat, unless you’ve worked on retaining muscle mass. The ‘chair-test’ something we can all do at home and regularly.
Couple of points with this article. First 16:8 diet is not really fasting. Its skipping breakfast..youre not going to go in to nutrient deficiency doing that. It just gives your system a rest. Its a great starting point for good health
Call it bio hacking if you will but to me its just what feels healthy and natural.
Second, what do we mean by bio hacking ? Is it just basic health practices or does it mean taking random drugs that might help autophagy etc.
Im very scoopydupious about the drugs. But fasting makes sense. We evolved as hunter gatherers who probably had a meat feast a couple of times a week. That would be pretty extreme but would probably extend our lives. Given it takes 20-25 years for us to grow fully, we probably should be making 100-120 years handy enough if you compare with other animals if we avoid stress, accidents and t oo much sedentary
activities. Could be done id say but hard to fit with the demands of modern social norms
Combating ageing is simple, if time-consuming. We were nomadic hunter-gatherers for 300,000 years. We’ve been farmers for a mere 10,000, too little time for evolution (which we nullify anyway by medicine etc.) to get going. No, I’m not going to say start eating raw bison meat.
What do most of the dozen or so extant hunter-gatherers do all day every day? They walk. We’re walking machines. I eat a varied diet but much more importantly I walk a brisk ten kilometres a day. At 77 I’m as fit as a tiger and literally no-one has correctly guessed my age or even gotten close in 15 years.
Citing the American Heart Association as if they are a credible resource was the first red flag. These are the people still telling you that saturated fat gives you heart disease, a lie that is also peddled by the msm. And it’s an Epidemiogical ‘study’..almost completely useless. These are not indicators of anything & are more often than not used as a weapon in an agenda war. Anyone who knows anything about science and data would never cite these studies as an indication of cause. The fact that Unherd is falling into this trap is worrying. It makes me question why I’m subscribing. FYI..if you eat just meat (which you should) you don’t have to intentionally fast because it happens naturally & that’s because you only eat when you are hungry, which is usually once a day. Once you stop consuming carbs (which you do not need at all) & only eat meat you will NEVER go back. This is the true ‘biohack’.