Healthy lifestyle and biohacking: Analysis of concepts, components and basic principles

The analysis of a new direction in Russia - biohacking - is presented. The media present biohacking as a comprehensive scientifically based approach aimed at improving body functions and slowing down aging. However, we have not found scientific evidence for this direction as a system. The founders of biohacking in Russia (S. Fage, D. Varnavets, A. Vasiliev) characterize it as a personalized wellness program that includes proper nutrition, identification of genetic risks and predisposition to diseases, moderate physical activity, restoration of hormonal balance, healthy sleep, improvement of brain activity, release from stress. What is the essence of this direction and how does it differ from the category "healthy lifestyle"? At first glance, biohacking is based on the principles and methods of the well-known "healthy lifestyle" system, but it remains unclear whether it corresponds to the principles of health protection? The aim of this study is to conduct a comparative analysis of the concepts that make up healthy lifestyle and biohacking. The research methods are: analysis and generalization of scientific and methodological literature, special literature and interviews; content analysis; mathematical methods. The concept "biohacking" and its interpretations are defined. The data obtained from the analysis of scientific articles call into question the statement about the scientific approach of biohacking. A comparative analysis of the categories of healthy lifestyle and biohacking showed that these phenomena are similar, and the concept of healthy lifestyle is fundamental for the latter. But the analysis of the components showed that some means are different. Thus, biohacking focuses on daily independent measurements and tracking a large number of biomarkers. Biohackers recommend using drugs (dietary supplements and medicines in unlimited quantities), which are questioned by our scientists due to the lack of medical clinical studies. The authors come to the conclusion that "biohacking" is an innovative direction in the field of physical culture and preventive medicine, the purpose of which is to prolong life.