Sleep, diet and ageing - S’pore’s version of Bryan Johnson on his clinical trial with just himself as a sample

Synopsis: Conversations and interviews that give you something to think about. Each week, In Your Opinion speaks to thinkers, leaders, and the people shaping our lives and the issues of the day.

Strict bedtimes, daily exercise and cutbacks to fat and sugar intake are usually gleaned from big data as standard advice for better health. But what if you could effectively tailor these rules for your own body? 

To find out more about how an individual’s biological baseline shifts over time, Dean Ho, director of the Institute for Digital Medicine (WisDM) at NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine (NUS Medicine), embarked on a two-year study on himself to develop a technology that analyses the data from wearables. 

Known as DELTA, this study had helped reverse he 47-year-old’s biological age by 15 years, after undergoing a series of lifestyle interventions, including varying fasting durations, exercise routines and nutrition adjustments. Throughout the process, this biological response was monitored in real-time to track a biological baseline shaped by age, stress, sleep, food, exercise and illness. 

His intense regimen included around 20 hours of fasting each day, multiple 48-hour fasts, 90 minutes of strength or cardiovascular training every morning, and a structured diet centred on leafy greens, seeds, olive oil, lean protein, and other Mediterranean-style foods. His beverages were limited to water, electrolytes, and black coffee or tea without milk and sugar.

In this episode of In Your Opinion, Lynda Hong, assistant podcast editor from The Straits Times, sits down with Ho, who is also provost’s chair professor at the NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine. They delve into why he embarked on this study with just himself as the study sample, and how he can still eat everything from chicken rice, and pizza to five chendols in 2.5 days when he went on a trip to Penang with his son. 

Highlights (click/tap above): 

7:48 Technology aspect to DELTA study in analysing vitals and biological age

10:00 How DELTA differs from Project Blueprint

12:52 Have your pizza and eat it too - understanding ‘your delta’ to optimise your biology

15:24 Ho’s interaction with Bryan Johnson 

15:52 Ho on Bryan Johnson: ‘His dedication to sleep is inspiring’ 

17:46 Did Ho take any testosterone replacements, HGH, supplements? 

20:30 Why a sample size of one is enough for the DELTA study

27:08 The function of a ‘digital twin’ in tailoring strategies to improve health

30:05 ‘Human behavior is more powerful than the most powerful medicines on the planet’

39:00 Taking small steps to drinking Kopi ‘O’ Kosong and sleeping more

43:00 Beyond the wrinkles and cutting sugar to the real reason why Ho pursues longevity

52:10 The Pursuit of Longevity vs. Quality of Life

Read ST’s Opinion section: https://str.sg/w7sH

Follow Lynda Hong on LinkedIn: https://str.sg/Gm2v

Host: Lynda Hong (lyndahong@sph.com.sg) 

Produced and edited by: Hadyu Rahim

Executive producers: Danson Cheong and Lynda Hong

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