Decode of conduct: Biohack your way to better health
From morning coffee lovers to intermittent fasters to people implanting microchips, anyone experimenting with ways to improve their body or mind through self-directed methods can be considered a biohacker.
Taking place largely outside conventional medical and scientific institutions, biohacking has grown from a fringe curiosity into a global movement. The biohacking market alone is now worth more than $13bn worldwide and is projected to exceed $30bn in the early 2030s as interest in personalised health, wearable tech and longevity science accelerates.
In the world of computer hacking, a “white hat” operator looks for flaws in a system and reports them so they can be improved. Biohackers apply a similar philosophy to the human body, experimenting with ways to optimise physical, biological and mental performance through tools such as supplements, wearable technology, light therapy, diet interventions and, yes, coffee.
Today that experimentation might involve tracking sleep cycles through wearable devices, monitoring blood glucose in real time, experimenting with fasting protocols, or testing personalised nutrition strategies. At the far end of the spectrum, some biohackers venture into robotics, body modification and radical longevity science.
They often employ the tools of citizen science, where volunteers and amateur scientists gather, share and openly analyse data to study problems they feel mainstream science is unwilling, unable or too slow to investigate. Some even go way beyond mind and body hacks into the realms of robotics, extreme life extension and immortality.
RISE OF THE MACHINES
For his book To Be A Machine, Mark O’Connell spent 18 months meeting biohackers of all stripes, but particularly transhumanists – people who believe our best chance of living longer and better lives is by merging more closely with technology.
“The people I met shared a mechanistic and instrumentalist view of human life,” says Mark. “I realised early on that transhumanists were not simply people who want to become machines, but people who already think of themselves as machines.”
For most of us, becoming more machine than human still sounds like science fiction. Yet in Sweden, several thousand people have voluntarily had tiny microchips – roughly the size of a grain of rice – implanted in their hands. These implants can be used to open doors, store contact details, access offices and sometimes replace travel or key cards.
The implants are entirely optional and remain niche, but they illustrate how biohacking often pushes the boundaries between biology and technology.
IN WITH THE NOO(TROPICS)
The amazing effect of the drug used in that film is counter-balanced by severe side effects. In real life, nootropics, drugs which may enhance cognitive function, have positive and lesser effects at much lower levels. Caffeine and nicotine fall into this category, as do amphetamines and several drugs prescribed to treat ADHD. Analysis of clinical trials has shown these enhance cognitive function on some small level.
Non-clinical trials of psilocybin, the active ingredient in magic mushrooms, and LSD are showing, on an anecdotal level only, a greater boost to cognitive function and very few side effects. These hackers might be breaking the law (buying and taking illegal drugs), but many share details of their behaviour in detail in controversial citizen science projects.
Beyond legality, biohacking raises ethical points, too. Should you take something to make you better if you’re already healthy? Is the “better” reported by biohackers actually “better” for you? Anyone can read data and make a judgement call as to what’s best for them, but the data may not have been checked in rigorous trials carried out in ways acceptable to the scientific community.
COMMUNITY CHANCE
One of the most prominent figures associated with the biohacking movement is David Asprey, known for popularising Bulletproof Coffee – coffee blended with butter and coconut oil – alongside a high-fat, low-carb dietary philosophy.
David and others in the biohacking community promote techniques such as intermittent fasting, cold exposure, supplementation, and sleep optimisation to enhance cognitive and physical performance. Intermittent fasting in particular has become widely adopted in recent years, with growing scientific interest in how it may affect metabolism, inflammation, and longevity – although long-term evidence is still evolving.
Other popular biohacks include red-light therapy, sometimes called photobiomodulation. Early research suggests certain wavelengths of light may support tissue repair or reduce inflammation, though claims remain ahead of robust clinical trials.
Increasingly, the modern biohacker is also a data-tracker — using wearable devices, sleep monitors, continuous glucose monitors (CGMs), and health apps to gather detailed personal health metrics and experiment with ways to improve them. Citizen science and open-data initiatives remain core to the movement, with biohackers documenting benefits, side effects, and outcomes in publicly shared datasets.
A few years ago, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) held its second Global Summit on Community Biotechnology, providing a space for DIY biologists, biohackers, biomakers, and members of independent and community laboratories to plan, build fellowship, and continue the evolution of the movement. Attendees included doctors, PhDs, start-up founders, and academics interested in verifying and extending their work beyond traditional labs. Their work models accepted scientific practice while encouraging experimentation in a safe and collaborative environment.
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SO YOU WANT TO BE A BIOHACKER?
Want to tap into your grey areas? Then it’s smart to put safety first
BE SMARTER
You need to know everything about any potential biohack you want to experiment with. Openness and innovation do not necessarily go hand in hand with safe and ethical thinking, so seek out scientific papers and/or certifiable information from credible media sources that can back up claims.
BE OPEN AND SHARE
Document everything about the biohack you undertake, especially if others are doing so; you can remain anonymous and still provide the data. Excellent journalling and note-taking apps include Bear, Day One and Evernote. Fans of pen and paper might like to look at the Bullet Journal method of note-taking, which has a huge number of passionate fans.
BE HONEST
As with any large change to diet or lifestyle, it’s important to speak with a medical professional before embarking on any form of biohacking. They have all the necessary training to provide you with the base knowledge you may not possess.
