"Biohacking" is heating up among the IT wealthy - attempts to extend lifespan and lack of scientific basis

The scientific journal Nature reported on June 16 that biohacking, the practice of modifying one's own body using unproven drugs and supplements to extend one's lifespan, is currently heating up among the wealthy and entrepreneurs in the IT industry.

In 2019, for example, tech entrepreneur Brian Johnson began experimenting with daily injections of rapamycin, an immunosuppressant commonly used to prevent rejection of organ transplants, to extend his life.

However, in September 2024, the team announced on social media that the experiment was being canceled because the side effects, such as skin infections and abnormal blood sugar levels, outweighed the benefits. The billionaire is one of many biohacking technology entrepreneurs who routinely test unproven drugs and supplements on their own bodies.

Like Johnson, there are many wealthy people and influencers who hack their bodies and share their secrets to longevity by posting the process on social media. However, it is not uncommon for people to suddenly withdraw the health methods they had recommended.

For example, a supplement that was touted in Silicon Valley to improve brain function was later shown to cause symptoms similar to fatty liver in animal experiments, prompting prominent entrepreneurs to issue alarms.

There is no shortage of other IT leaders taking advantage of methods whose efficacy and safety are questionable, such as transfusions of young people's blood, which the FDA has warned against, and taking human growth hormone in order to live to age 120.

These wealthy, long-lived influencers have become tasked with disseminating nascent science to the masses. Because they use difficult terminology to give scientific-looking explanations, many people tend to mistakenly believe that their methods are proven and safe. In some cases, influencers themselves sell supplements and make a profit.

As a result, there has been an increase in the number of people who suddenly seek out specific ingredients or drugs that have become a hot topic on social media at specialized clinics, without even undergoing tests to check their physical condition. In the medical field, there is a strong sense of crisis over the phenomenon in which the results of unofficial experiments conducted by a few wealthy people are accepted as standard by society.

Scientists who study aging and longevity do not completely deny that their methods are meaningless. There are certainly promising ingredients in existing diabetes and weight loss drugs that may help prevent aging in the future, and there is some biological basis behind our behavior.

However, the biggest problem is the lack of proper clinical trials on humans. It is extremely difficult for the average person to distinguish between what is truly effective and what is irrelevant, given the insufficient data that only showed an effect in animal experiments.

Experts point out that it is a typical arrogance of the technology industry to assume that just because it has achieved huge success in the IT business, it can control the complex phenomenon of human aging.