Biohacking News Weekly Update : 1391
The Human Upgrade: Biohacking for Longevity & Performance
Dave Asprey
4.6 • 7.3K Ratings
🗓️ 2 January 2026
⏱️ 10 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
This episode covers:
• Colon Cancer in the Young and Why Risk May Start in Infancy
New reporting highlights a troubling rise in early-onset colon cancer, including cases in highly fit endurance athletes. Researchers identified a distinct DNA damage signature linked to colibactin, a toxin produced by certain strains of E. coli, with evidence suggesting the damage may occur in infancy. Dave explains why fitness alone isn’t protective, how early-life microbiome disruption and low-fiber modern diets stack long-term risk, and why earlier screening and gut-supportive habits like fiber, resistant starch, and circadian alignment matter more than ever.
Source: https://www.businessinsider.com/why-so-many-young-people-getting-colon-cancer-answer-infancy-2025-12
• Kefir-Derived Bacteria, Immune Aging, and the Thymus
A mouse study found that a kefir-derived bacterial strain, even when heat-inactivated, reduced age-related thymus shrinkage and lowered inflammatory signaling like IL-6. Dave breaks down why the thymus is central to immune aging, how chronic inflammation accelerates immune decline, and why your immune system responds to microbial signals, not just live probiotics. He explains how consistent fermented foods can act as immune training rather than a one-off supplement strategy.
• Why Vitamin D Doesn’t Work Without Magnesium
A human trial shows that magnesium status strongly determines how vitamin D behaves in the body. Magnesium is required for the enzymes that activate vitamin D, and deficiency can block its effects. Dave explains why some people see no improvement despite supplementing vitamin D, how magnesium restored low levels and normalized high ones, and why nutrient networks matter more than megadosing a single vitamin.
Source: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/12/251228020010.htm
• The Selenium Sweet Spot and Mortality Risk
A large population analysis found a U-shaped relationship between dietary selenium intake and mortality. Low selenium increased all-cause and cardiovascular mortality, while higher intake offered no additional benefit and may increase risk. Dave explains selenium’s role in antioxidant defense, thyroid function, and immunity, why deficiency and excess are both problems, and how to approach selenium as a precision nutrient rather than a blanket supplement.
Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-025-29228-3
• Time-Restricted Eating: Why the Window Matters More Than the Meal
A randomized controlled trial compared early time-restricted eating, late time-restricted eating, and unrestricted eating. Both time-restricted groups naturally ate fewer calories without dieting, mainly by reducing snacking, while the unrestricted group drifted upward. Dave explains why the real benefit isn’t metabolic magic but behavioral control, how eating windows reduce decision fatigue and metabolic noise, and why consistency beats perfection when using time-restricted eating as a long-term tool.
Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-28662-5
Keywords: early onset colon cancer, colon cancer in young adults, gut microbiome infancy, colibactin E. coli, precancerous colon polyps, fiber and colon health, kefir immune aging, fermented foods immunity, thymus aging, T-cell decline aging, IL-6 chronic inflammation, immune resilience longevity, vitamin D magnesium interaction, magnesium deficiency vitamin D, nutrient cofactor metabolism, vitamin D activation enzymes, selenium intake mortality, selenium deficiency risk, selenium over supplementation, antioxidant enzymes selenium, time restricted eating study, eating window metabolism, skip breakfast vs skip dinner, circadian eating patterns, behavioral calorie reduction, metabolic health biohacking, longevity science news
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Timestamps:
0:00 – Intro
0:18 – Story #1: Colon Cancer in Young Athletes
1:40 – Story #2: Immune Aging and Microbial Signals
2:48 – Story #3: Vitamin D and Magnesium Connection
4:31 – Story #4: Selenium Sweet Spot
5:27 – Story #5: Time-Restricted Eating
6:56 – Weekly Upgrade Protocol
7:40 – Outro
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Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | I'm Dave Asprey. That's Dave Spell D-A-I-V-E. |
| 0:05.0 | And this is your 10-minute weekly upgrade on the biggest stories in biohacking, longevity, and the world of health. |
| 0:12.0 | Let's go. |
| 0:13.0 | Are you ready to plug into the latest science of longevity and human performance? |
| 0:19.0 | Join beyond the biohacking conference, |
| 0:21.7 | where biology, longevity, and consciousness collide. It's May 27th through 29th, 2026 in Austin, Texas. |
| 0:29.2 | Register now at beyondconference.com. Live longer, live better, live beyond. |
| 0:44.1 | Here's your first story of the week and it explains why colon cancer is rising in younger people, even in those who look extremely healthy. An oncologist named Tim Cannon |
| 0:50.4 | started seeing patients in their 30s with advanced colon cancer. Not sedentary lifestyles. |
| 0:56.8 | Three were elite endurance athletes. So we screened 100 long distance runners ages 35 to 50. |
| 1:04.0 | Nearly 40% had precancerous tumors and about 1 in 6 had advanced pre-cancerous polyps. |
| 1:11.4 | In that age group, you'd expect closer to 1%. |
| 1:14.3 | Researchers digging into early onset colon cancer found a specific DNA damage pattern |
| 1:20.4 | linked to coliactin, a toxin made by certain strains of e-coli. |
| 1:25.6 | When they modeled when that damage likely occurred, the answer wasn't |
| 1:30.0 | adulthood. It was infancy before nine months old. This doesn't mean fitness is bad. It means |
| 1:37.3 | it's not armor. Early microbiome disruption, low fiber diets, chronic inflammation, poor sleep, |
| 1:44.7 | and modern food all stack risk over time. |
| 1:48.4 | If you have GI symptoms or family history, |
| 1:51.1 | don't assume you're too young. |
| 1:53.0 | And if you want prevention, |
| 1:54.4 | focus on fiber, resistant starch, |
... |
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