How To Tackle Winter Blues With Bright Light Therapy Bright Light Therapy (BLT) corrects circadian rhythm phase delay. BLT treatment in the morning shifts the circadian rhythm earlier, which leads to less discordance between the circadian rhythm and the actual clock time. This helps treating seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Introduction to Bright Light Therapy In the pioneering study on SAD (see below) in 1984, Rosenthal and his colleagues used bright white light to mitigate seasonal affective disorder symptoms. They used white full-spectrum fluorescent light (2,500 lux) for 3 hours at dawn (the time of morning when the Sun is 6° below the horizon) and hours at dusk for two...
Nrf2 - The Most Important Signaling Pathway In The Body? NRF2 is a transcription factor that is activated by oxidative stress. It is a key regulator of the antioxidant response. Nrf2 = The Antioxidant Master Switch. Calorie restriction, exercise, phytochemicals, intermittent fasting, cold exposure and heat all activate it. Read more below! Nrf2 (nuclear factor erythroid-derived 2 like protein) is a transcription factor commonly found in a cell’s cytoplasm. It activates the transcription of over 500 genes in the human genome. When Nrf2 is activated it goes into the nucleus to perform its main functions. It binds to the antioxidant response elements (ARE) located in the promoter region of genes encoding many...
Best Ways to Optimize Your Liver Function Is it worth avoiding alcohol? Does eating liver improve liver function? Do supplements help liver function? Read more in this extensive article! The liver is located in the top right corner of the abdominal cavity, immediately below the diaphragm, to the right of the stomach. Below it lies the gallbladder. Compared to other internal organs, the liver has a double blood supply via the portal vein and the hepatic arteries. This is indicative of the importance of the liver to the entire system. The liver is also a sizeable organ – it weighs on average 1.5 kg. More than 2,000...
Top 6 Supplements for Balancing Oxidative Stress Oxidative stress is cellular stress that in many situations can be both prevented and remedied through diet and supplements. In oxidative stress, for example, various phospholipids are released from the cell membranes of red cells (erythrocytes) – therefore, the adequate intake of phospholipids either from food or supplements is essential in repairing the damage. Similar changes are observed especially in glial cells. Indeed, oxidative stress of the brain is one of the cellular phenomena that predispose to various stress-related neurological disorders. Generally, oxidized phospholipids and the cell damage they create can predispose to several chronic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases....
Top 5 Adaptogenic Herbs for Increasing Stress Resilience This is an excerpt from our forth-coming massive sequel to the Biohacker's Handbook called the Resilient Being. You can pre-order it here! Adaptogens or adaptogenic compounds (derived from the Russian word adaptatsija) refer to a term first defined by Soviet physician and researcher Nikolai Lazarev in 1947. These terms are used to refer to herbs, drugs, or other compounds that increase the ability to adapt to biological, physical, stressors while promoting normal balanced functioning of the body. Later in the 21st century, the definition was updated to be even more comprehensive: Adaptogen is a substance that increases the body's ability...
The 9+1 Hallmarks of Aging and How to Reverse Them Everything you need to know aboout aging and anti-aging processes. How to reverse aging? What are the 9 hallmarks of aging? Read more to find out! In 2013, Carlos López-Otín and his colleagues published a ground-breaking paper, where they attempted to identify and categorize the cellular and molecular hallmarks of aging. They proposed nine candidate hallmarks that are generally considered to contribute to the aging process and together determine the aging phenotype. López-Otín et al. defined that a hallmark should ideally fulfill the three following criteria: it should manifest during normal aging, its experimental aggravation should accelerate aging and its...
Top 5 Natural Cognitive Enhancers - Begin With These Cognitive enhancers are used by healthy individuals to shift consciousness into a wanted direction (for example, to be more alert, improve mood, or have better focus and motivation at work). Currently, they are divided into three different categories: Dietary supplements (such as citicoline or ashwagandha) -> this is what we concentrate on in this article and in the Biohacker´s Brain Nutrition Guide Synthetic compounds (such as piracetam) Prescription drugs (such as Ritalin) Cognitive enhancers can affect the brain in different ways, such as: Targeting neurotransmitter systems (such as dopaminergic, serotonergic or GABAergic systems). Increasing the function of brain cells’ mitochondria (energy factories of cells), which...
Top 5 Brain Foods and their benefits “Brain food” is a non-scientific term that refers to everyday foods that have scientifically been shown to improve brain function when they are frequently consumed. Some people call these “smart foods” or even “genius foods.” Generally, brain foods are high in the following nutrients: Antioxidants – fight against oxidative stress and free radicals in the brain. Polyphenols – beneficial plant compounds with antioxidative abilities. Flavonoids (e.g., flavan-3-ols, flavones, flavanone and flavonols) Phenolic acids (e.g., rich in seeds and skin of the fruits) Polyphenolic amides (e.g., capsaicinoids in chili peppers and avenanthramides in oats) Isoflavones, neoflavonoids and chalcones (e.g., genistein and daidzein in...
Molecular Hydrogen – Benefits for Health and Performance Molecular hydrogen (H2 or MH) is the most lightweight gas and the lightest and most abundant chemical element. It can act as an antioxidant by suppressing free radical chain reactions, thereby reducing the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). The therapeutic application of H2 as a free radical catalyzer was first documented in the 1970s. It was hypothesized that the underlying mechanism was through hydroxyl radicals scavenging by exothermic reaction (a chemical reaction in which less energy is needed to break bonds in the reactants than is released when new bonds form in the products) of H2 + ·OH = H2O...
What is NAD+ and how to boost it? NAD+ is a coenzyme found in all living cells and is necessary for the basic functioning of the body. NAD+ levels decline as we age, which is thought to be a contributor to the aging process. Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+/NADH) NAD was first discovered during yeast fermentation. Since its discovery, it has been found that NAD (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide) is a major cofactor that partakes in virtually all cellular reactions. These include DNA repair, immune system function, ATP production and circadian clock function. NAD+ promotes energy production and enables cells to work properly. Dysregulation of the NAD+ levels has been...
Everything you need to know about vitamin D Vitamin D or Cholecalciferol (Vitamin D3) Vitamin D is an exceptional substance as it is in fact a hormone precursor or a hormone-like substance. Vitamin D, indeed, affects the work of more than 2 000 genes and 37 different organs through the vitamin D receptor (VDR). There are several different forms of vitamin D that influence the body in various ways and in different places. The forms of vitamin D include vitamin D1, vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol) and vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol). Of these, vitamin D3 is the main active hormone, which is produced by humans through solar UVB radiation in the skin,...
How Does Food Affect Your Mind and the Brain? Efficient dietary interventions for brain health include knowing which functions and mechanisms are targeted and how to do it. In this article we cover examples of different neurological mechanisms that can be enhanced with food and changing your diet. This article is fairly long but very informative. Enjoy the read! Mechanism #1: Brain Network Functions are Enhanced by Diet The human brain has multiple networks that work in parallel and in an integrated manner to produce the perception of the world, emotional responses and thoughts. Some networks modulate perceptions, such as vision and hearing, and others are more involved in controlling cognitive...
Health Benefits of Intermittent Fasting & Time-Restricted Eating Intermittent fasting (IF) means fasting for a significant portion of the day (for example, 16 hours) and eating your daily food during the remaining window (for example, 8 hours). Intermittent fasting is closely related to time-restricted eating/feeding (TRF), where the main focus is shortening the daily eating window. In intermittent fasting, the focus is on fasting and its associated health effects, such as increased fat burn, keto-adaptation and autophagy. Intermittent fasting often includes cutting daily calories, whereas time-restricted feeding does not. Currently, however, these two terms are often used synonymously. The time of day when food is eaten affects body...
Silent Inflammation: How to Control It With Lifestyle? Silent inflammation lurks behind almost all diseases. In this article, you will learn what silent inflammation is and how it can be controlled by lifestyle. Diet, nutritional supplements, and other lifestyles significantly affect it. INTRODUCTION Inflammation and its activation, as well as the entire inflammatory system in general, are an important part of the body’s internal defense system. In the inflammatory process, the immune system recognizes and removes the harmful stimulus, after which the healing process begins. Inflammation can be roughly divided into acute and chronic (silent) phases. An acute inflammatory condition is usually caused by an external microbe, trauma,...
HDL and LDL Cholesterol: How Do You Optimize Your Blood Levels With Lifestyle? This article covers HDL and LDL cholesterols and their optimization with lifestyle including diet, nutrition, exercise, supplements and other interventions. If you want to get a comprehensive picture of cholesterol as a topic with its markers and want to understand how silent inflammation and insulin sensitivity also affect the development of possible cardiovascular disease, get Biohacker's Cholesterol Guide. HDL CHOLESTEROL High-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol is a group of lipoproteins that carry cholesterol around the body. HDL cholesterol consists mostly of protein with a small amount of cholesterol. Approximately 20% of the serum cholesterol is bound to HDL. HDL is considered the...
Hyperbaric Oxygen - The Ultimate Regenerative Biotechnology Hyperbaric Oxygen is a novel type of regenerative biotechnology which utilizes the ideal gas laws, such as Henry’s, Boyle’s and Dalton’s to exert outstanding medicinal and therapeutic benefits which are unable to be accomplished by any other intervention, lifestyle or diet modification. Hyperbaric Oxygen is arguably one of the most exciting and versatile healing and anti-aging therapies of the modern-day. Hyperbaric Oxygen is extremely safe, drug-free and relaxing all at the same time. Additionally, it is non-invasive and painless. Hyperbaric Oxygen induces changes in oxygen availability which is one of the fundamental regenerative medicine paradigms. “The fundamental cause of all...
High Cholesterol and Atherosclerosis: Is There a Causal Relationship? Does high cholesterol cause heart disease and atherosclerosis? Do you need to avoid butter, and what about saturated fat? All about cholesterol in this article. Also order Biohacker's Cholesterol guide! INTRODUCTION Cholesterol is probably one of the most controversial, if not the most controversial, topics related to nutrition, medication, and general well-being. Cholesterol-lowering drugs are used more than ever, eggs are still being avoided because of the cholesterol they contain, and high cholesterol has become a detrimental factor over time. This interpretation has luckily been challenged in the past decade, and more extensive research data on cholesterol concerning heredity has become more...
Autophagy – The Major Cleaning System of the Body Cellular self-eating modulates immunity and the elimination of pathogens via autophagy. The body recognizes damaged cells and recycles them. Autophagy gets triggered in response to stress like infections, starvation, high exertion or certain compounds such as various phytochemicals. You can promote autophagy with positive stressors such as intermittent fasting, caloric restriction, regular sauna, exercise and cold exposure. Introduction When there is no food available, a cell is forced to break down parts of its reserves to stay alive until the circumstances change. This natural biological process is called autophagy. Even on a day-to-day basis, autophagy is activated between meals to maintain...
