This episode of Live Long and Master Aging is in partnership with the HVMN (pronounced human) Enhancement podcast. LLAMA is re-publishing an interview between host Peter Bowes and HVMN’s Geoffrey Woo, in which they swap stories and share their human longevity goals. In a reversal of roles, Peter is in the hot seat and Geoff poses the questions.

HVMN episode description: We all know a healthy diet is essential for all aspects of health, but what if we can further hack our lifespans by controlling our feeding windows? You can…it’s called intermittent fasting! If the direction current science is heading is any indication, taking charge of when to eat means taking charge of many levers in your biology that can lead to a long, healthy life. Episode 44 features Peter Bowes, a BBC reporter and host of the LLAMA Podcast. One of the earliest supporters of HVMN’s foray into intermittent fasting, Peter shares our core value of creating an open forum for the community to support and become educated. Peter has always had a foundational interest in longevity, spurring him to experiment with various practices and connect with thought-leaders around the world. The experimentation will never end, but it’s safe to say that Peter, like many biohackers, found intermittent fasting to be a biohack he will implement for the rest of his life.

Geoff and Peter discuss the biological mechanisms of fasting (such as lowering IGF-1 levels, a hormone that has been linked to cancer when it reaches higher levels), the difference between working towards a long health-span vs. a long life-span, ponder how to keep that “spark” in you alive as you age, and answer questions from the community.

Notes and quotes

This interview is from the HVMN Enhancement Podcast. The podcast explores the present and future of human enhancement, health, entrepreneurship & tech.  It features industry thought-leaders, world-famous scientists, researchers, and entrepreneurs. Also check out HVMN, the human enhancement company and follow @hvmn

02:51 Peter visits California ‘Blue Zone’ city, Loma Linda for the BBC World Service.

Listen: Living Longer in Lovely Hill

See also: Loma Linda: The secret to a long healthy life?

03:59 Peter and Geoff’s WeFast breakfast

Can giving up food make you work better?

04:15 Peter’s first experiences with fasting as a human guinea pig

• Trying it out for science
• Enduring the hunger pangs
• The good things it did to my body

04:55 What If?

BBC TV documentary: What if …we could stay young forever?

BBC World Service: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

See also:

• Living Longer, Better
• Digital Medicine: Machines for living
• The Science of a Long Life

18:41 Could people who suffer from Laron syndrome, which causes dwarfism, hold the secret to living a longer life? Peter visited the largest group, in Southern Ecuador, for Mosaic Science.

Check out this long read: An experimental diet mimics a rare genetic mutation that claims to slow down aging and guard against disease

35:04 Which lifestyle elements could Peter do better on, to promote health and longevity?

“What if we could stop everything, for just 24 hours, to rest, reboot and refocus? Take a day away from the gadgets, gizmos, to-do lists and anything remotely connected to work. Could that be the elusive secret to a long and healthy life?

Check out: Is this the secret to living longer

35:30 Listen to Peter’s interview with Evernote founder and fasting aficionado Phil Libin. Phil tells Peter “you have to be a little crazy to do any of this.”

36.00 Listen to Peter’s interview with 102-year old Ethel Travis.

“That element of having something just to look forward to, from a spiritual, mindful perspective, however you want to describe it… is a big part of what keeps her going.”

39:05 Listen to Peter’s interview with Disney legend Floyd Norman – still working as a cartoonist and active in his 80s.

“I talked to him about how he stays young, and one of the things he does, and it’s really fascinating; he’s moved with the times. He isn’t just one of the old guys with a pencil and paper. He has embraced technology. He’s embraced digital editing.”

To hear the tables turned, listen to Peter quizzing Geoff about biohacking, nootropics and aging.