By the time Melanie Avalon32 years old, she decided on a career in acting she was well aware of the expectation of women in her industry to look forever young, so she started looking for ways to get back.
“I did ‘biohacking’ before it was really a thing, like when I was in college,” he says. Avalon is absorbed in all things health and wellness, including dietary changes like intermittent fasting.
But after college, Avalon was faced with health issues, such as chronic fatigue from exposure to black mold and a diagnosis of hypothyroidism, which prompted him to start looking for ways to feel better physically.
This inevitably led him to a new venture.”Melanie Avalon’s podcast Biohacking“, where she interviews longevity experts about healthy aging.
“Honestly, the anti-aging piece is quite selfish. I’ve done a lot of acting and I’ve always been haunted by the fear of aging, and so, I’ve always been really interested in longevity from that perspective,” she said. he tells CNBC Make It.
“I thought a biohacking podcast would be the perfect platform to really connect with all these authors, doctors. [and] researchers and ask them all my questions, and share what I’ve learned with other people.”
188 episodes later, here’s what Avalon learned from seasoned longevity experts it interviewed about healthy aging.
Getting enough sleep is “the cornerstone of a healthy life”
“A lot of things involving sleep are really consistent, and I think addressing your sleep is the foundation of a healthy, anti-aging life. [and] longevity,” says Avalon.
Some tips for better sleep that Avalon has heard from many experts are:
- He wears blue light glasses at night while looking at screens: “You can really get your body in tune with a more natural rhythm,” he says.
- Keep your room really dark and cool
- Limit social media use before bed
Exposure to extreme heat and cold could affect the way you age
In conversations with researchers and experts, Avalon says, exposure to extreme heat and cold was often mentioned.
“Before our modern lifestyle, we were exposed to extreme temperatures, and that actually has an anti-aging effect because it activates cellular pathways and stress signals that create repair modes in our body,” he adds.
Saunas activate heat shock proteins that can extend your health and benefit cardiovascular health, according to a 2021. systematic review published in the journal Elsevier.
“On the other hand, exposure to cold is good for inflammation. It can activate something called ‘brown fat.’ [brown adipose tissue] which is actually a type of fat that burns energy and is good for weight loss and body composition,” says Avalon.
Researchers at Rutgers University-New Jersey Medical School made brown adipose tissue more active in mice and found that their lifespan increased. More research is needed on how this translates to humans.
Cold exposure can be achieved in a number of ways, including:
- Go outside in cold weather
- Take a cold shower
“Moderate intake of alcohol is probably better than complete abstinence”
“If you have a thesis on alcohol and health, and you want to make a case anyway, like you want to say it’s the worst thing ever or it’s the elixir of longevity, I promise you can find 100 studies for make your point. either side of the spectrum,” says Avalon.
For his podcast, he brings in people of all different opinions, and “alcohol is always a J-shaped curve,” he says. When you examine the blue areas, populations with the highest rates of life at 100 and the highest life expectancy of middle age, almost everyone incorporates alcohol in their diet to some capacity, he notes.
“For most people,” says Avalon, “it seems that a little or moderate alcohol intake is probably better than complete abstinence, and definitely better than extreme, for longevity.”
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