Julie Gibson Clark doesn’t use expensive medical treatments, gadgets, or a team of scientists to “biohack” her age. She sticks to a vegetable-rich diet, exercises and meditates. Her biggest health expenditures are a $27-a-month gym membership and an $79-a-month supplement subscription.
So the 55-year-old single mom in Phoenix, Arizona was surprised to learn she ranks at No.2 on the worldwide leaderboard of an online competitive longevity game, the Rejuvenation Olympics, which tracks and ranks about 4,000 participants’ pace of what’s sometimes called “biological” aging. It’s based on epigenetic DNA tests—which give an insight into how environment and lifestyle can influence how people’s genes work. Clark ages at 0.665 of a year for every additional chronological year, according to her most recent test, which takes into account the average of participants’ pace of aging scores after six months or more.
“When we talked about the longevity economy, it was really focused on Fountain of Youth magic pills and alpha males wanting to live forever,” says Abby Levy, managing partner and founder at Primetime Partners.
Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel hypothesizes that male biohackers in their 40s and 50s are motivated by fear and ego. “There’s a real threat to masculinity at that age."
Nichol Bradford, an investor in wellness with a particular interest in the psychology of aging, tells Fortune that she doesn’t consider herself a “biohacker,” even though she spends $700 a month to take 106 pills a day, gets her blood drawn every six months, and has taken every biological age test in the book. “Biohacking is incredibly male”
“I have 20 years, maybe 25 years or so, and it’s just, what do I want to do to make those the best possible?” Hardison says. “84, 85, 86 is plenty for me.”
AFAIK longevity hasn’t gotten the “women are awesome / men are stupid” treatment yet but I suppose it was just a matter of time.
That’s one aspect of liberalism I really don’t like either. Women are not good and men are not bad by default. Nowadays the spectrum between the genders is more blurred anyway so to write articles how wanting to live longer is somehow “toxic masculanity” is stupid as hell.
I think it’s in good jest. If someone generalizes but aren’t joking, yes that should be discouraged, and it doesn’t help at all. I think these people have probably been taken out of context or just a snippet from a free flowing conversation, it’s too on the nose, and that’s a tell for fake news IMO.
This kind of crap is why I rarely read newspapers, and certain not Fortune…which should change its name to Equity. So ONE person scores very well with few interventions and that means all other attempts are not worth much? And the reason is of course female supremacy?
So many questions. Any kind of medical intervention is futile because its men being disgusting men? How exactly are women shut out of traditional medicine and research? Last I checked, U.S. medicine likes only one color…the color of money. And is a palpable sense of fatalism and passivity really a strategy or just giving up? Is that really what women do? It may make sense to many of them, but I don’t consider it all that constructive.
I disagree with the idea that these women are “joking.” These women have been encouraged to think that this is their way of gaining advantage, so they say these things. I don’t think it even matters if they believe these statements or not.
Women are genetically pre-disposed to living longer. Nothing amazing about that. Men want to live longer and have richer lives so they try things. Nothing wrong with that.
Bryan Johnson or someone from his team is reading this, your LDL cholesterol, and probably apoB too, is too high!
I think the most interesting aspect of this story is that people are having great results with minimal cost… and as Bryan is saying, its getting attention now from the press. This is good for the longevity field. Different people will have different takes on it, but I think the message in Business Insider is the most helpful positioning:
Full article here: https://archive.ph/wVn3M
Definitely agree. Bryan seems to enjoy trolling the press with the “2 million a year” and “I’m going to be 18 again” and showing vials of blood… but he’s also adamant that the vast majority of what he does is inexpensive and most of the money goes towards an unbelievable amount of testing and paying to have so many people working for him. But for the most part it’s not the actual regimen that is the source of the cost.
Are they really getting great results from their basic approach or are some women just testing higher? I guess the article does not really convince me it is the former.
But it seems quite clear that exercise, diet, good sleep, and avoiding bad habits are sources of very big gains. I would have appreciated more discussion of proof on that front.
This is the eternal question as to how good the tests are. The DunedinPACE speed of aging test is interesting. However, it remains quite a murky algorithm which depends upon results from white blood cells only.
There was a version of this back in 2019 to the effect that biohacking (and especially various forms of fasting) was the repackaging of lifestyle practices traditionally gendered female (“diet culture” and Goop-style pseudoscience) but marketed to men and without the stigma:
The key to glorifying a questionable diet? Be a tech bro and call it ‘biohacking.’
There is a great deal of woo and magical thinking in both spaces, but the gender war angle is needless outrage-mongering, as is the implication that it’s pathological to make lifestyle choices to improve one’s health or productivity that require resisting immediate gratification.
I’ve been looking at all of these tests. Are there any as we as a community here believe are very credible? I’m interested in them but they are quite expensive. I’d pony up if there really is one or two significantly more accurate than the free ai calculators where you plug in your labs.
Exactly. Honestly, I would call 90% of what he does a waste of money simply for the fact that he pays high prices in the US for all his treatments, team salaries and testing. Just throwing money at it so that he can boast about it.
I can personally compare the US prices and EU prices as I’ve done most of what he’s done in both places and its just stupid what he’s paying in the US.
For example he does :
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Hair PRP (US Price: $1800 - $2500 , EU price: $275)
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.3 ml of 0.1% dutasteride (US price $400 - $1200 , EU price $110)
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Autologous exosomes (US Price $4500 , EU $500, Doesn’t even work so not done much in EU)
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A Cell (US Price $3000 , Doesn’t even work so not done much in EU)
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Botox (US price $15-20 a unit so around $2500 full face, EU price: $275-$350 full face)
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Rapamune Pfizer 100 tabs (US price $3825 , EU price $350-$400)
Not taking into account cheaper bloodwork, medical care, brand name drugs, better produce etc… in most other countries.
Basically if he weren’t so against taking flights (because it apparently doesn’t go well with his protocol and his circadian rythm ) then his $2 million a year, would cost him at most $200,000 if not way less.
He can be paying 1/10th of US prices for the exact care but most of the time higher quality care in EU. No wonder lifespan in the US is going down. People can’t afford simple procedures or testing.
Ironically, my flights to the EU plus the cost of the procedures I do there is still cheaper than if I would’ve had any procedures done here alone.
(I’m not even going to drill into his actual protocol of why it’s pretty much useless.)
What EU country(ies) is this benchmarking? (Ask because I have trip to Scandinavia coming up)
Scandinavia tends to be a bit more expensive than the rest of Europe. I didn’t have a chance to do any procedures yet there so don’t really know. I know if you have a EU prescription , the cost of Rapamune in Sweden should be around $350 USD. But flights from there to the rest of Europe are relatively cheap and quick.
For procedures, I have done all the previously mentioned in Spain, Portugal, Austria, Bulgaria, Germany, Poland & Slovenia. In terms of hair treatments Spain and Portugal are the best and cheapest. Botox and facial procedures are pretty much good anywhere in the EU depending on the drs of course. Prices are pretty much the same across Europe unless you are in Switzerland or Nordic countries. I can recommend the top clinics that I had stuff done in if you are thinking of visiting any of the above countries.
Perhaps. But, if you read interviews with many of the most well-known men investing in longevity, they do make comments that exemplify Emmanuel’s points of view. They talk about “eternal life” “curing death”, living for centuries. Speaking only for myself, and no other woman or man, I have no significant interest in expanding lifespan. I am only interested in healthspan. If (based on my genetics) I am likely to be breathing for 100 years, I would prefer to do so in the same cognitive state I am now (or better), and with a high degree of physical strength and resilience. I too think 85 years is plenty. But I don’t think that there is any data-driven justification for taking $700 of supplements a month. I’d be hard-pressed to name 5 that have really solid data recommending them.
But, if you read interviews with many of the most well-known men investing in longevity, they do make comments that exemplify Emmanuel’s points of view. They talk about “eternal life” “curing death”, living for centuries
But what is wrong with that? How is it toxic?
But I don’t think that there is any data-driven justification for taking $700 of supplements a month.
Some people spend their excess money on supplements and medication, others on expensive alcohol and cigarettes. There are even a bunch of people who live frugally, invest all their money and die in their 40s because they completely neglected their health.
Well for me at least, that is the case.
If you can afford it, why not? Other people over 80 sit around waiting for their death while you are still active and kicking and will likely be doing so for a long time to come.
I am in good health and I am taking all of the life-extending supplements with any kind of verifiable scientific basis. Most people need to spend more time at the gym and less on supplement stacks.
I am not in for transfusions etc., at this time. And I am trying to reduce my supplement stack not extend it.
The amount of supplements I am now taking on a daily basis is quite tedious.