Why you absolutely MUST take algae daily to protect your longevity : 1334
The Human Upgrade: Biohacking for Longevity & Performance
Dave Asprey
4.6 • 7.3K Ratings
🗓️ 25 September 2025
⏱️ 67 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Your mitochondria are the power plants of your cells, and when they break down, you lose energy, brain sharpness, and resilience against aging. In this episode, you’ll learn how to hack your mitochondria to supercharge human performance, prevent decline, and extend longevity with tools that are natural, effective, and backed by decades of research.
Watch the condensed video highlight version of this episode (and much more!) on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@DaveAspreyBPR
Host Dave Asprey sits down with Catharine Arnston, founder of ENERGYbits, recent PhD graduate, and one of the world’s top experts on algae and functional medicine. Entering her 70th year without medications, with the cognition to finish a doctorate, and the health markers of someone decades younger, Catharine is living proof of how mitochondria and nutrition shape aging, brain optimization, and resilience.
Together they break down why mitochondria fail after age 30, how algae works as a master supplement to restore superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione, and what happens when you give your cells the nutrients they’re wired to need. They uncover how mitochondria connect to energy, inflammation, metabolism, and cellular resilience. This is a masterclass in hacking energy and longevity, built for people who want to upgrade every system of the body and mind.
You’ll learn:
• Why mitochondria decline after age 30 and how to stop it
• The role of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione in preventing cellular “rust”
• How spirulina and chlorella outperform most supplements for detox and energy
• The connection between mitochondria and brain optimization
• Why men’s higher iron levels accelerate aging and how algae helps balance it
• The real link between metabolism, inflammation, and longevity
• How to build a mitochondria-first biohacking stack that actually works
This is essential listening for fans of biohacking, hacking human performance, functional medicine, and longevity who want actionable tools from Host Dave Asprey and a guest who embodies what it means to age with energy, clarity, and vitality.
Dave Asprey is a four-time New York Times bestselling author, founder of Bulletproof Coffee, and the father of biohacking. With over 1,000 interviews and 1 million monthly listeners, The Human Upgrade brings you the knowledge to take control of your biology, extend your longevity, and optimize every system in your body and mind. Each episode delivers cutting-edge insights in health, performance, neuroscience, supplements, nutrition, biohacking, emotional intelligence, and conscious living.
New episodes are released every Tuesday, Thursday, Friday (audio-only), and Sunday (BONUS). Dave asks the questions no one else will and gives you real tools to become stronger, smarter, and more resilient.
Keywords: Catharine Arnston, mitochondria, biohacking, algae supplements, spirulina, chlorella, superoxide dismutase, SOD, glutathione, metabolism, longevity, human performance, brain optimization, functional medicine, supplements, neuroplasticity, nootropics, ketosis, fasting, cold therapy, sleep optimization, carnivore, Danger Coffee, Smarter Not Harder, Dave Asprey, Human Upgrade podcast
**CTA: Go to www.energybits.com and use code ‘BEYOND’ for a 20% discount**
Thank you to our sponsors!
- HeartMath | Go to https://www.heartmath.com/dave to save 15% off.
- Zbiotics | Go to https://zbiotics.com/DAVE for 15% off your first order.
- STEMREGEN | Go to https://stemregen.co/dave25 and use code DAVE25 for 25% off your order.
Resources:
• Danger Coffee: https://dangercoffee.com/discount/dave15
• Dave Asprey’s BEYOND Conference: https://beyondconference.com
• Dave Asprey’s New Book – Heavily Meditated: https://daveasprey.com/heavily-meditated
• Upgrade Collective: https://www.ourupgradecollective.com
• Upgrade Labs: https://upgradelabs.com
• 40 Years of Zen: https://40yearsofzen.com
Timestamps:
0:00 — Trailer
1:18 — Intro
3:03 — Longevity & Algae
8:48 — Mitochondria & ATP
13:08 — Free Radicals & SOD
13:18 — Aging After 30
17:18 — Men vs Women in Aging
24:18 — Mitochondrial Breakdown
30:03 — Algae for Mitochondria
37:18 — SOD, Glutathione & Manganese
45:18 — Algae Dosing Tips
51:18 — Processing & Quality
58:18 — Carnivore vs Plants
1:00:48 — Takeaways
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Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | I'm entering my 70th year, and I am so in the rabbit hole. |
| 0:03.8 | I take no medications. I have no illnesses. I don't even take any other supplements. |
| 0:08.3 | This is my own hair. There's no extensions. This is my own teeth. I take nothing except |
| 0:12.7 | I think the is the best hack, period. There's 100,000 studies proving the science, and it's effortless |
| 0:19.1 | and it has all the nutrients that you are missing for that optimal energy, life, wellness, brain health, everything. It's proven to kill |
| 0:27.0 | cancer cells, and you no longer have it after the age of 40. That's when metabolic health issues, |
| 0:32.1 | brain fog, weight gain, heart attacks, cancer, all of this escalates after 40. And then by the time you're 40, |
| 0:39.1 | you have even less of it. And by 50, you have none of it. Without, you're basically dead. |
| 0:43.5 | Catherine Arnston is a globally recognized biohacker and nutrition strategist. With decades of |
| 0:48.6 | experience in longevity and cellular health, she has helped countless individuals optimize |
| 0:53.2 | energy, vitality, and overall |
| 0:55.3 | well-being. Her pioneering work in anti-aging and mitochondrial health is transforming how we approach |
| 1:00.9 | human performance and rewriting the rules of what the human body can do. I taught myself most of what I know |
| 1:06.9 | just by going deep into PubMed because I am determined to find out how we can make aging |
| 1:12.4 | easier for people. It shouldn't be so difficult. It shouldn't be so expensive. It shouldn't be so |
| 1:17.4 | complicated. It shouldn't be so reliant on the medical profession. And I know I'll probably |
| 1:21.3 | sound like a crazy woman, but I'm convinced to that is the answer. |
| 1:25.1 | You're listening to The Human Upgrade with Dave Asprey. |
| 1:33.0 | Get this, if you're over 30, you've already lost about 50% of your stem cells. |
| 1:37.3 | That means that half your body's repair crew is gone. |
| 1:41.0 | Even with a dialed-in biohacking routine, if you're not addressing your stem cell decline, |
| 1:45.6 | you're missing a key piece of what keeps you young and powerful. And your body knows how to repair itself, |
... |
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