Biohacking Weekly 48: Neural “Backups” That Protect Against Ageing

This is Biohacking Weekly — a curated news roundup designed to help you increase your longevity, improve healthspan and access OptimOZ product picks.

IN THIS EDITION

1. Dietary hormesis — food as a gentle stressor
2. How cognitive reserve extends longevity
3. Supplements for testosterone support
4. Intermittent fasting 101 with Gary Brecka
5. AI predicts person's future health risks

1. 🌱 Tiny Stressors, Big Benefits: How Hormetic Foods Boost Longevity

Imagine food doing more than just filling you up — it's like a gentle workout for your cells, building strength against everyday health threats. That's dietary hormesis: small amounts of natural "stressors" in what we eat spark helpful body responses, warding off issues like inflammation or cancer.

Examples of hormetic foods and compounds include resveratrol (in grapes and red wine), quercetin (in onions and apples), curcumin (in turmeric), catechins (in green tea), and isothiocyanates from cruciferous vegetables.

By nudging our cells with these mild stress signals, hormetic foods activate cellular defense pathways such as Nrf2, enhance detoxification, and may lower the risk of chronic diseases.

👉 Read the full article on Nature

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2. 🧩 Can We Outsmart Ageing? Why Cognitive Reserve Holds the Key to Longer Life

A recent article in New Scientist explores the factors that help people live well beyond the average life expectancy. One of the most striking findings is the role of "cognitive reserve".

A 2024 study following 547 people found that cognitive ability in later life predicted survival more strongly than physical health. Early life factors such as childhood social class, IQ at age 11, and years in education were shown to shape cognitive health decades later.

By keeping the brain active — through reading, learning new skills, and nurturing meaningful relationships — we create neural “backups” that protect against ageing and disease. Building cognitive reserve not only extends life but also improves its quality.

👉 Read the full article on the New Scientist

3. 💪 Supplements That Help Fine-Tune Testosterone Levels

Dr. Rhonda Patrick sat down with Derek from More Plates, More Dates — a popular channel known for breaking down complex health topics around fitness and hormones. Their conversation focused on testosterone, a hormone that plays a central role in strength, energy, mood, and fertility for both men and women.

While sleep, resistance training, and maintaining a healthy weight are the strongest ways to support testosterone, certain supplements can also help. Vitamin D, magnesium, and zinc are essential nutrients, and being low in them can drag down hormone levels. Boron may lower sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), a protein that “traps” testosterone; with less SHBG, more of the hormone becomes available for the body to use.

Ashwagandha can reduce stress hormones and improve sleep, and shilajit — an ancient mineral-rich resin — has shown promising early results in small human trials for energy and testosterone support.

👉 Watch the full episode on FoundMyFitness

4. 🍽️ Gary Brecka on How Fasting Rewires Your Body

Every major religion prescribes fasting, hunter-gatherers lived by it, and even animals do it naturally—yet many modern humans have forgotten this practice. In one of the latest episodes of The Ultimate Human Podcast, human biologist Gary Brecka explains how fasting can be used as a powerful tool for better health.

Fasting isn’t about willpower or pushing through discomfort, but about using biology to improve health, energy, and our relationship with food. Research shows that done correctly, fasting can improve insulin sensitivity, balance hormones, and even enhance fertility in women with PCOS. It also builds metabolic flexibility, helping the body adapt and switch more efficiently between glucose and fat for fuel.

👉 Watch the full episode on The Ultimate Human Podcast

5. 🤖 New AI Forecasts Over 1,000 Diseases Before They Strike

Scientists have built an AI model, Delphi-2M, that can forecast a person’s likelihood of developing more than 1,000 diseases — from Alzheimer’s to heart attacks. Trained on millions of health records, it works like a medical version of ChatGPT, spotting patterns in a lifetime of diagnoses to predict what may come next.

The system isn’t ready for hospitals yet, but early results are promising. It could help doctors identify high-risk patients earlier and guide public health planning. Researchers say adding genetic and imaging data may make predictions even sharper, opening the door to more personalized and preventive healthcare.

👉 Read the full article on The Economist