Bryan Johnson's core body temperature dropped 5°F through what he calls metabolic cold plunging: 10% caloric restriction, daily hour-long exercise, an 18-hour daily fast, and a low-inflammation diet. He cites research linking lower body temperature to longer lifespan and emphasizes measuring everything.
Over the past few years, my body temperature has declined almost 5 degrees Fahrenheit. Now, to put that into context, you would have to swim in ice for over a mile to achieve an equivalent reduction. Okay, so what is going on? Does this mean I'm dying or am I just cold hearted? Many people are familiar with the practice of cold plunging, where you get into cold water for some duration of time. I am metabolically cold plunging, which means my body temperature is dramatically reduced all the time. Now, there's a few things going on. One is I'm on a 10% caloric restricted diet, which means for my age and level of activity, I should consume 2, 500 calories a day. I'm actually consuming 2,250 calories a day. And also on top of that, I exercise pretty rigorously for one hour a day. So when people hear this, they oftentimes say, if you're in a deficit, wouldn't you just constantly lose weight until you die? What's going on is the body is metabolically adjusting to this lower caloric intake while activity levels remain high. So there's, the idea behind this is that the body lowers its metabolic burden. And so there's interesting research showing that a lower body temperature and a lower metabolic load has, in both animals and humans, may contribute to improved longevity. Now this is important because as we age, our body starts cutting energy to our organs and even the brain itself, which can lead to fatigue, muscle loss and cognitive decline. So as we age, we need to do things to protect our metabolic health. So for food, I have a low inflammation diet. Berries, nuts, seeds, a lot of extra virgin olive oil. And when I do my blood work and look at other markers for inflammation, it's barely detectable. I eat in a six hour window, I fast for 18 hours a day, I exercise for one hour a day, I get over eight hours of sleep per night. And I work very hard on stress management through breathing exercises, meditation, and then of course, having good friends and family around me. All, all these things stacked together lower my body's metabolic burden. Now, equally important to what I do is what I don't do. That includes smoking, alcohol, vaping junk food, processed foods. And so oftentimes, the most powerful thing for your health is deciding what not to do. It's important to note that this is what I'm doing is not to say it's the only way of doing it. There are many paths to a similar solution. The most important thing is that you're measuring and using data as a guide to your decision making. So there you have it. The lizard person hypothesis is confirmed. I am cold blooded. I'm also fighting climate change within. I'm also cold as ice. Class dismissed. Until next time. Be well.
