May 21, 2020

My guest on today's show, Joe Cohen of SelfHacked, first appeared on the episode “How To Decode Your Genome, Unlock The Nitty-Gritty Details Behind Your DNA, Discover Your Good Genes, Your Bad Genes & More.,” then later on “32 Ways to Stimulate Your Vagus Nerve, Fine-Tune Your Nervous System & Self-Hack Your Hormones.” 

Joe won the genetic lottery of bad genes. As a kid, he suffered from inflammation, brain fog, fatigue, digestive problems, anxiety, depression, and other issues that were poorly understood in both conventional and alternative medicine. Frustrated by the lack of good information and tools, Joe decided to embark on a journey of self-experimentation and self-learning to improve his health—something that has since become known as “biohacking.”

With thousands of experiments and Pubmed articles under his belt, Joe founded SelfHacked, the resource that was missing when he needed it. SelfHacked now gets millions of monthly readers. Joe is a thriving entrepreneur, author, and speaker. He is the founder and CEO of SelfHacked as well as SelfDecode and LabTestAnalyzer, popular genetic testing and lab software tools to improve health. His mission is to help people gain access to the most up-to-date, unbiased, and science-based ways to optimize their health.

Joe has been studying health sciences for 17 years and has read over 30,000 PubMed articles. He's given consultations to over 1,000 people who have sought his health advice. After completing the pre-med requirements at university, he founded SelfHacked because he wanted to make a big impact in improving global health. He's written hundreds of science posts, multiple books on improving health, and speaks at various health conferences. He's keen on building a brain-trust of top scientists who will improve the level of accuracy of health content on the web.

At SelfDecode, Joe has recently launched a longevity tool that allows you to live longer by knowing how to take actionable steps based on your genes. You can order tests here. Use code BEN to get a 10% discount.

During this discussion, you'll discover:

-How Joe is handling the coronavirus while living in Tel Aviv, Israel…9:24

• Affected populations are very different from that of the Spanish Flu of 1918
• Relatively young and healthy, not worried about it at all
• Personal life insurance policy:
  • Pulse oximeter
  • Oxygen concentrator
• Ben uses a hyperbaric chamber
• Ozone generator
• Pay close attention to oxygenation and antiviral strategies

-How SelfDecode differs from 23andMe and other genetic testing tools currently available…13:12

• SelfDecode focuses on different topics: longevity, mood, sleep, etc.
• 23andMe doesn't give specific recommendations on how to improve your genes
• SelfDecode makes recommendations based on priorities based on an individual's genes
• 23andMe sells the data of their customers for drug R&D
• SelfDecode business model is to give updates, to remain engaged with genetic data

-Tips for maximizing the value of a gene analysis…18:30

• Good science is vital
• Curation
• Do they give recommendations
• Polygenic Risk Score: Using multiple genes and SNPs to determine if the genes are increasing your risk in any way
• Receive updates on the science regularly
• Comprehensiveness on the number of genes and SNPs tested
• Diet reports

-Common concerns about the reliability of genetic testing…27:50

• Tommy Wood interview “Gene Testing Does More Harm Than Good, What You Need to Know“
• JAMA article: “The Need to Improve the Clinical Utility of Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Tests Either Too Narrow or Too Broad“
• Look at multiple variants in a gene
• The more specific the results, the better you can determine the best course of action
• Pay attention to your genes; pay closer attention to how the body responds to certain lifestyle factors
• Pay attention lab results and symptoms
• Book: The End of Alzheimer's by Dale Bredesen
• Book: Genius Foods by Max Lugavere

-Why Ben would rather play with his kids than live forever…40:00

• Ben is on the low side of SRT1, one of the primary sirtuin genes associated with longevity
• Resveratrol may be a recommended supplement, particularly with NAD
• BGF podcast with Dr. Mercola on EMFs
• Organic blueberry powder
• Pterostilbene
• Two genes that showed shorter telomere length (OBFC1)
  • Meditation
  • Astragalus
• Cold thermogenesis, sauna, sunlight therapy are good for sirtuins
• Look at atherogenic index over the LDL cholesterol counts
• TP53 – mostly associated with cancer, as well as longevity

-Joe's response to the claim that some cells may be cytotoxic…52:49

• Book: The Carnivore Code by Paul Saladino
• The totality of research suggests this is not the case
• Book: Nourishment by Fred Provenza

-Effective ways to mitigate telomere shortening…56:20

• Psychological stress is a big factor
• Meditation
• Green tea (15% off of $60 minimum purchase)
• Intermittent fasting
• Mediterranean Diet
• Ben has 4 variants that cause the OBFC1 gene (associated with telomere shortening)
• TAM818 and TA65
• NMN and NAD
• Spectracell for telomere measurements
• Epitalon peptide was particularly efficacious for Ben in maintaining telomere length
  • International Peptide Society

-Inflammatory markers in Ben's test results…1:05:00

• Interleukin 10, an anti-inflammatory cytokine
• Bioavailable curcuminoid is more able to enter the bloodstream and cross the blood-brain barrier
• Kion Flex
• Kettle and Fire bone broth
• BGF podcast with Thomas Delauer (PuraTHRIVE)
• Longvida Curcumin
• Theracurcumin

-An intelligent approach to IGF-1…1:09:30

• Don't obsess over it to where you're sacrificing quality of life
• Intermittent fasting
  • 12-16 hrs daily
  • Dinner to dinner once a month

-Genetic testing analysis for risk of acquiring the coronavirus…1:16:20

• Are Some People More Susceptible to Coronavirus Infection? (ACE2)
• ACE2 and TMPRSS2 variants and expression as candidates to sex and country differences in COVID-19 severity in Italy
• ARDS (Acute respiratory distress syndrome) is how people are dying from COVID-19
• Ways to block the effects of the ACE2 gene:
  •  Zinc acetate lozenges
  • Black Ant Extract is high in zinc
  • Ashwagandha may help with respiratory endurance
  • Vitamin D

Click here for the full written transcript of this podcast episode.

Resources from this episode:

– My SelfDecode Longevity DNA Wellness Report

–

– Tests:

• SelfDecode (use code BEN to get a 10% discount)
• 23andMe
• AncestryDNA

– Podcasts and Articles:

• Ben with Dr. Mercola on EMFs
• Ben with Thomas Delauer on Purathrive
• Gene Testing Does More Harm Than Good, What You Need to Know– Dr. Ruscio interview with Tommy Wood
• The Need to Improve the Clinical Utility of Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Tests Either Too Narrow or Too Broad – JAMA article
• Are Some People More Susceptible to Coronavirus Infection? (ACE2) (SelfDecode article)
• ACE2 and TMPRSS2 variants and expression as candidates to sex and country differences in COVID-19 severity in Italy (medRxiv article)

– Book:

• The End of Alzheimer's by Dale Bredesen
• Genius Foods by Max Lugavere
• The Carnivore Code by Paul Saladino
• Nourishment by Fred Provenza

– Food and Supplements:

• Green tea (15% off of $60 minimum purchase)
• NMN and NAD
• Kion Flex
• Kettle and Fire bone broth (use code GREENFIELD for 10% off)
• Longvida Curcumin
• Theracurcumin
• Ben's Ultimate anti-aging smoothie
• Purathrive Curcumin Gold (get a 15% discount using this link)
• TA65

– Other resources:

• International Peptide Society
• TAM818

Episode sponsors:

–Kion Coffee: Carefully selected and roasted for taste, purity, high antioxidants and health. BGF listeners receive a 10% discount when you use discount code BEN10.

–Organifi Red Juice: Enjoy all the benefits of the 11 superfoods and their micronutrients that help increase resting metabolism, support cardiovascular health, and remove toxins to turn back the hands of time! Receive a 20% discount on your entire order when you use discount code BENG20.

–Thrive Market: Organic brands you love, for less. Your favorite organic food and products. Fast and free shipping to your doorstep. Receive a gift card up to $20 when you begin a new membership using my link.

–Powerdot: Relieve your pain, Recover faster from workouts, build muscle and endurance to help you accelerate past those training plateaus and feel great doing it.

Do you have questions, thoughts, or feedback for Joe or me? Leave your comments below and one of us will reply!