There’s ONE best way to absorb vast amounts of information without dedicating years to study: reading.
To maintain peak physical, and mental performance, nothing compares to reading top biohacking books.
Breakthrough ideas come from absorbing and contrasting different perspectives of thought leaders. Read three or four books on a topic, and you weave together novel ideas. Share on XBooks offer a number of advantages over forms of learning. This (regularly updated) post is the most comprehensive biohacking booklist on the internet. You’ll learn why the reads below deserve a spot on your bookshelf.
Why Biohacking Books Over Podcasts, Youtube Videos, and Articles
Greater depth: books go from introducing a topic to explaining it, to providing evidence, and anticipating the questions readers will have. They have more time and space to do so. Biohacking topics have nuance and require adequate background that you don’t get in other mediums.
Sources cited: you can’t take everything you hear or see at face value. Any respectable book cites its sources. Readers have the ability to verify claims and the rationale of the author. Rarely do I see citations in videos, and virtually never in podcasts. If the speaker’s entire point is built upon something they heard somewhere from someone, you should wonder about the credibility.
Curated information: filling pages takes work. Before they go about spending an enormous amount of time writing a book, authors heavily research and compile as much information as possible on everything regarding their chosen topic. Before getting started they must look into the opposing side’s arguments. It would do no good to spend hundreds of hours writing only to realize that they missed major points. So you get all kinds of related information all in one place.
World-class experts: authors don’t write on topics they know nothing about. Instead, they painstakingly brainstorm, research, outline, and write on topics near and dear to their heart. You probably won’t ever encounter these experts in your daily life, but you have access to their every thought regarding their specialty.
Investment cost. Writing books takes time but also other investments. These days, authors do virtual book tours (guesting on podcasts), and also must pay publishing fees. Between grilling from well-informed podcast hosts, and vetting from publishers, each book puts the authors’ reputation on the line.
Low-quality information is worse than none at all. Do your diligence in verifying author claims. I have compiled a reading list of the books that I have read, or others commonly recommended.
Prefer the same thorough content via the convenience of audio?
My Favorite Biohacking Books
Most Thorough Biohacking Book: Boundless
Health Optimization for Beginners: HEMBH!
Biohacking Fasting: The Complete Guide to Fasting
Biohacking Ancestral Medicine: Idiot’s Guide to Ayurveda
Biohacking Emotional Stress & Trauma: The Body Keeps The Score
Biohacking Gut Health: Healthy Gut, Healthy You
Becoming Supernatural
By: Joe Dispenza
Anything with “quantum” and “spirituality” in the same sentence instantly loses me. It’s all B.S. Or so I thought.
I read Dawson Church’s Mind to Matter, and that first introduced me to the idea of the unity between science and spirituality. Before you write to book off as unscientific, give the first chapter or two a skim. Read my Becoming Supernatural book review. Joe has conducted and compiled hundreds of studies on the powerful overlap of the mind and the material world.
You’ll understand how thoughts become things, how to shift your life out of autopilot, how to upgrade your affirmations to actually work, how to radiate happiness, and much more.
I rarely gift the same book to people across all walks of life, but Becoming Supernatural deserves an exception.
I’ve heard back from the most hardcore of skeptics that this one changed their lives and it’s among their most gifted books too.
Anything with “quantum” and “spirituality” in the same sentence instantly loses me. It’s all B.S. Or so I thought.
I read Dawson Church’s Mind to Matter, and that first introduced me to the idea of the unity between science and spirituality. Before you write to book off as unscientific, give the first chapter or two a skim. Read my Becoming Supernatural book review. Joe has conducted and compiled hundreds of studies on the powerful overlap of the mind and the material world.
You’ll understand how thoughts become things, how to shift your life out of autopilot, how to upgrade your affirmations to actually work, how to radiate happiness, and much more.
I rarely gift the same book to people across all walks of life, but Becoming Supernatural deserves an exception.
I’ve heard back from the most hardcore of skeptics that this one changed their lives and it’s among their most gifted books too.
Boundless
By: Ben Greenfield
A one-stop-shop for all things biohacking, peak performance, and personal health optimization. Boundless is packed with tips, tricks, and resources to help you sort through the noise.
Ben shares his experiences in decades of high-level athletic competition.
At 641 pages and with an entire site dedicated to providing additional resources, it isn’t exactly a quick read.
There’s something for every level in this book. Beginners appreciate the definitions and stories, while the pros can nerd out over the science.
Head Strong
By: Dave Asprey
Responsible for popularizing the “powerhouses of the cell”, Dave’s book makes mitochondria simple and easy to understand.
One of the first biohacking books I loaded on to my kindle, Head Strong prompted me to look after my mitochondria. You’ll learn how these tiny organelles underlie health and a game plan to quickly change the way you feel.
Head Strong connects the dots on other reasons to live healthily.
Biohacker’s Handbook
By: Teemu Aruna, Olli Sovijärvi, Jaakko Halmetoja
Multiple authors and an illustrator teamed up to bring you information you won’t find elsewhere.
Another all-in-one resource that has stood the test of time. Each member of the team specializes in one of their five life categories.
Weighing in with over 1,500 references and hundreds of images, this beast looks as good as it reads. $65 for a book is a hefty investment, unless you consider it a work of art.
Not convinced?
They generously offer the sleep section FREE on their website.
Lifespan
By: David Sinclair
David considers aging a disease.
His life’s work has focused on preventing and eventually reversing that disease. An anti-aging and longevity expert, in David’s latest book he shares his ground-breaking discoveries into the aging process from decades of research.
I disagree with David regarding protein consumption. High performance takes a fair amount of protein. Occasionally activating mTOR and shutting down autophagy is necessary for growth and to feel good.
More compelling yet are his ideas on slowing the aging process through diet, lifestyle, exercise, and the subject of a lot of attention — supplementation. He covers subjects like NAD+ boosting, Metformin, and the leading theories on the causes of aging. Aging like Benjamin Button may be too far-fetched.
Metabolic Autophagy
By: Siim Land
What if you could improve your lifespan without the hassle of caloric restriction?
Siim explores the research and explains a different path to longevity. One that has exploded in the last few years: intermittent fasting.
A nice pairing with Sinclair’s Lifespan, you’ll understand how to use intermittent fasting as a tool to stay healthy, perform at your peak, and find a type to incorporate into your lifestyle.
Metabolic autophagy brings clarity to a term tossed around lightly by everyone and their grandmas.
The Circadian Code
By: Satchin Panda
Your internal clock, known as circadian rhythm, holds a key into understanding your energy patterns.
Satchin’s work pioneers the field of circadian rhythm. He has uncovered why some people fall asleep at noon, and others feel wired with energy through the night.
Circadian rhythm impacts another form of energy too: your eating habits.
While the rest of the world has been off obsessing over what to eat, Satchin has painstakingly run experiment after experiment seeking to determine the ideal when to eat.
Siim’s intermittent fasting protocol outlines the different timings of eating/fasting, use The Circadian Code to understand your fasting timing.
His book is about more than eating and energy though. You’ll learn how to optimize facets of your lifestyle ranging from exercise to sleep.
The Complete Guide to Fasting
By: Jason Fung, MD
I know what you’re thinking… another book on fasting?
Yes, but this one is different. This is the bible on designing a fasting plan. The book has been around since 2016. To modern society, that’s an eon before fasting became popular.
Written by a doctor who guided over 1,000 patients in designing unique fasts for every need, The Complete Guide to Fasting assumes no prior experience and will walk you through each and every type of fast.
If you’re looking to understand the process as you go beyond intermittent fasts, this book has you covered.
I found it right when it came out, and by then had used intermittent fasting for a few years. It gave me the reassurance I needed to try my first extended fasts. To my delight, my muscle didn’t disappear, I didn’t get weaker, and my energy stabilized.
What The Heck Should I Eat
By: Mark Hyman
Confused by what’s “healthy” and what’s not?
Mark gives you a background on the importance of food in staying healthy.
Then brings research and analysis to each of the food groups, helping you cut through the popular science and make smart decisions.
If you have a good grasp of nutrition, you’ll want to choose something more advanced.
Healthy Gut, Healthy You
By: Michael Ruscio
Before Healthy Gut, Healthy You, I did everything I knew to keep my gut healthy.
I drank lots of kombucha, occasionally swallowed a probiotic capsule, and ate my vegetables.
I nearly spit my kombucha out when Michael pointed out that most Westerners have bacterial overgrowths (not undergrowth) in the small intestine thanks to a variety of modern practices.
I began connecting the dots between the gut, overall health, and a few minor symptoms I had written off as a part of life for years. I followed a similar protocol to the one he described, and my gas, bloating, and fatigue lifted.
Endure
By: Alex Hutchinson
I discovered Alex when researching for my post explaining why running is unhealthy.
Healthy or not, books give us the unique ability to peer into the minds of the world’s most elite.
Skeptics of the mind take note, these people redefine what science says is physically possible. Alex takes us to the forefront on modern sports science showing how athletes and biohackers can get more out of their mind and body.
I just started this one, and Alex has already busted several myths I believed.
The Carnivore Code (v 2.0)
By: Paul Saladino
Paul challenges mainstream nutrition like no other.
While the world preaches “more plants”, Paul disagrees. Speaking from research, the experience of his patients and himself personally, Paul brings up good points on the role of plants in the diet of the modern human. Some points of his that really struck home with me:
- Humans didn’t always have access to plants in their environment. In the winter plants didn’t bear fruit. In the winter plants didn’t bear fruit.
- Plant’s cannot move. Their defense compounds are meant to be toxic to predators (like humans). We may or may not break them down depending on our other parts of our health.
He goes on to debunk myth after myth about the dangers of meat, necessity of plants, and how certain compounds like fiber, TMAO, and polyphenols factor into the carnivore diet.
Paul expanded and revised his opinions in the 2nd edition, after healthy debate and as new evidence emerged.
I personally lurked in the Carnivore subreddit for a few months and did my own extensive research before I tried eating only animal products. I eventually relapsing back to plants, but I could see why thousands of people swear by carnivore as an effective elimination diet. Especially when so many other diets fail them.
The Wahls Protocol
By: Terry Wahls
Plagued with autoimmunity?
Terry Wahls, once relegated to a wheelchair, literally used food to do what medication could not: help her overcome her broken biochemistry.
The Wahls Protocol recounts the power of a modified nutrient-rich paleo diet to create lasting health changes, autoimmunity or not.
Terry doesn’t just give you her incredible story but pairs it with research. As any biohackers would expect.
If you or someone you know suffers from autoimmunity (and can handle the common story-arch of food reversing disease), this one is for you.
Beyond The Pill
By: Jolene Brighten
Little things often evade thought. From strengthening your stabilizer muscles all the way down to the tiny pills that millions of people mindlessly pop every single day.
Hormones are powerful.
Jolene shines a light where few others have. In Beyond the Pill she explores the alarming correlation between the birth control pill and:
- Mental conditions like depression, anxiety, and even Alzheimer’s
- Significantly worse athletic performance
- Microbiome damage
- Inflammation
- Vitamin and mineral deficiencies
- Mitochondria damage
And a whole lot more. It’s not all dark. Jolene dedicates a large portion of the book to the actions you can take today.
I’ll never take the pill, but it’s still a must-read. Why?
We all know someone (or hundreds) on the pill. They likely have no idea about the plethora of smarter choices out there.
Why Isn’t My Brain Working
By: Datis Kharrazian
The brain is a key separator between humans and other species. Powerful, but fragile.
Cognitive hackers rave about Datis’ work which aims to solve the laundry list of symptoms related to subpar brain functioning. Some of them include memory loss, fatigue, brain fog, depression, anxiety, difficulty learning, lack of motivation, or inability to focus.
It’s not quite as fresh off the press as some of the others, but I’ve seen this one come up time and time again in conversations and book lists.
I experience fatigue and lack of focus occasionally, so I am excited to dig into Why Isn’t My Brain Working.
Earthing: The Most Important Health Discovery Ever!
By: Clinton Ober
This one is near and dear to my heart as I only recently finished.
Humans are chemical beings. And the layer below that, electrical.
Clint Ober worked as a Cable TV installer, until one day he drew a striking comparison between humans, electronics and the ground.
Today, we never touch it. He postulated that our obsession with footwear has insulated humans from the profoundly healing Earth’s surface. His book highlights that most animals evolved in constant contact. Earthing helps everyone from the most diseased, to world-class strength athletes and Tour de France cyclists. With the help of modern technology, we can now harness Earthing anywhere—sleeping indoors, or watching TV.
Earthing may be the highest leverage health activity, requiring zero effort and potentially profound benefits.
The Body Keeps The Score
By: Bessel A. van der Kolk
Here’s your answer to everything you’ve wanted to know about trauma.
Before you roll your eyes and skip to the next book: it’s not just war veterans or the unlucky who have trauma. Each and every one of us experienced traumatic events that fundamentally rewired our brains.
Humans store trauma in their bodies. Covering it up doesn’t work Throughout the course of a lifetime, that trauma comes out in everything from minor tics to the severest of mental and physical illnesses.
Sounds farfetched until Bessel reveals what he’s learned from decades of research and working with those that have healed from the very worst of it.
Thankfully, he also offers a number of effective treatments that don’t involve talk therapy or medications. These same things benefit your health across the board.
Biochemical Individuality
By: Roger J. Williams
Think there’s a once-size-fits-all for diet, nutrition, exercise, problem, or therapy?
Nope.
I blanketly advocated a number of things before I came across this book. Roger underscores the unique biochemical makeup of every human. The “average person” does not exist.
He lays out the implications of significant biochemical difference between individuals in nutrition, science, and life.
Every doctor, science student, or even patient should add this 1970 classic to their reading list. I don’t know why it isn’t required reading. This book alone could change the courses of treatment throughout the world.
Roger meticulously goes over each bodily system and covers the vast difference in anatomy and function found between individuals in the research.
The densest book on the list, you can get the gist very quickly.
The Oxygen Advantage
By: Patrick McKeown
Mouth breathers perform, feel, and even look below their potential.
I discovered the Wim Hof Method and thought that I knew everything about breathing.
Patrick changed my mind. Suddenly I became conscious of my breathing patterns outside my daily breathwork routine. Sitting at my desk I found myself breathing through my mouth. I now see a respiratory rate trending down on my Oura.
As he puts it, everyone from couch potatoes to Ironman champions can employ Patrick’s teachings to hack their fitness and overall wellness. The Oxygen Advantage not only taught me how to breathe properly through the nose, but went on to explain all the lesser-known reasons to do so.
Warning: you may feel betrayed that no one showed you this one earlier.
Genius Foods
By: Max Lugavere
I’ve found most food books dry and well researched, or packed with emotional heart-wrenching stories but lacking substance.
Genius Foods is the refreshing exception. Family needs made Max drop everything to dive into the complex world of health, diet, and nutrition. He applied his journalism skills to weaving the literature into an easy-to-understand and entertaining read.
Your brain needs fuel, and Max’s non-intrusive recommendations make easy additions to any diet.
Something for every level. The book is not overly advanced, so I was surprised to find some of the latest longevity molecules and research within its pages.
Ayurveda
By: Sahara Rose
Ayurveda is the original time-tested wellness science.
It has prescriptions, lifestyle recommendations, and natural remedies for just about everything under the sun. Ayurveda is the science of optimal living. In her book of the same name, Sahara Rose beautifully lays out complex topics for the layperson. Each of the 500+ pages contains gems of wisdom digestible to beginners and advanced practitioners alike.
I’ve read several books on the subject, and haven’t found other material with the same breadth or depth. A few of the topics that caught my attention:
- Connecting to your life’s purpose
- Ideal morning and evening routines
- Little-known yet powerful lifestyle habits
- Bringing your physical, mental, and other esoteric facets back into balance
And answers to medical mysteries that stump Western medicine. If you’re serious about building your toolbox to diagnose, solve, and optimize wellness, Sahara’s Ayurveda has much-needed perspective.
How to Eat, Move, and be Healthy! (HEMBH)
By: Paul Chek
Founder of the Chek Institute, Paul Chek is one of today’s great minds in health, wellness, spirituality, and performance.
The book’s name doesn’t convey the true value of its contents. Though I’ve studied performance for a decade now, I learned so much from Paul that I’m currently becoming a certified Chek Practitioner. Paul sheds light on the surprising contents of our food supply, common health misconceptions, and a framework to get healthy quickly.
Though he released the first edition in 2004, it’s wisdom holds true today. Edition two came out in 2018. I rarely review books, but this is a timeless classic. Paul explains difficult concepts in a way accessible to beginners. If I controlled the education system, I’d make HEMBH a required read for all students.
The Wedge
By: Scott Carney
Scott Carney is an immersive journalist on a mission to understand human resilience.
In The Wedge, he takes you along on his exploration of superhuman feats including:
- Kettlebell meditation
- Cognitive fear re-training with state-of-the-art virtual reality
- Hot-cold contrast therapy
- Fast-tracking relationship depth using MDMA therapy
- Summiting Mount Everest
- Sensory deprivation float tanks
If you like tangible, well-explained experience rather than dry acronyms and cellular diagrams,
The “wedge” is the space between emotionally charged stimuli and our automatic reaction. Scott posits that self-mastery comes from increasing that space, or wedge as he calls it. Beneficial hormetic stressors do exactly that.
This quick and engaging read will pump you up to try new things and expand your comfort zone.
Breath
By: James Nestor
Thanks primarily to Wim Hof, breathwork has boomed in recent years.
Fascinated by the lost science, James Nestor documented his now-famous experiment.
He taped his nose shut and voluntarily underwent deleterious mouth breathing, monitoring the change in his vitals throughout. If you need any convincing on mouth versus nose breathing, look no further. Surprised by his results, he takes readers through the elaborate history and web of breathwork.
His book resulted from meeting the top scientists from around the world. With material spanning from thousands of years ago to the latest experiments.
As compared to The Oxygen Advantage, Nestor’s Breath better tells the historic side of breathwork told in captivating stories and personal anecdotes.
Peptide Protocols
By: Dr. William Seeds, MD
Peptides are the future of hyper-personalized medicine.
They are tiny, strings of amino acids that coerce (but not force) the body to go back into alignment. Ultimately your body chooses whether to react to the compound, making this class of compounds safer with fewer side effects. Peptides get the approval of bioregulatory medicine and bioharmonization.
Dr. William A. Seeds, MD is one of the world’s most knowledgable humans on all things peptides. At the time of its release, no other books cover peptides as thoroughly as his detailed explanations of a wide variety of specific molecules, and ideal dosing protocols. Written for doctors but accessible to the advanced biohacker, Peptide Protocols is a cutting-edge read.
Melatonin Miracle Molecule
By: Dr. John Lieurance
Melatonin, not glutathione, is the body’s most powerful endogenous defense. It’s far more than a sleep supplement.
Your mitochondria rely on it for protection against stress and oxidative damage. Melatonin plays a role in virtually all disease states.
Dr. Lieurance’s is one of the world’s foremost experts on melatonin. He regularly trains MDs and other medical professionals. This book is a thorough distillation of his wisdom. With tons of practical tips on using melatonin for healing, longevity, resiliency, and much more.
Ultimate Guide to Methylene Blue
By: Mark Sloan
Methylene blue is one of the most powerful metabolic medicines discovered. Considering almost all diseases are metabolic in nature, this ingredient has an impressive track record.
It’s regularly used to boost brain function, increase energy, accelerate wound and injury healing, uplifting mood, and balance the immune system. Whether you’re completely healthy and looking to boost cognitive performance, or looking for something to improve health conditions, methylene blue (get it here) likely can help.
It’s been dubbed, “one of the most important anti-aging and neurological disease-preventing nootropics available today because of its ability to quickly cross the blood-brain barrier.”
I’m currently reading this one and using it to customize my own MB protocol.
The Secret Teachings of All Ages
By: Manly P Hall
Humans have understood the intricacies of life, the body, and the mind for longer than we give credit. For example, the ancient Indian system of Ayurveda wrote about the importance of digestion (and the microbiome), and even the brain’s lymphatic waste removal system.
Yet until Manly Hall, no one dared to research, compile, and synthesize all the world’s most popular teachings throughout history into one understanding.
If you’ve studied the sciences of Ayurveda, Traditional Chinese Medicine, Hermetic Principles, Mystic Christianity, Cryptology, Kabbalah, Tarot, The Pyramids, Alchemy, Medical Astrology, Masonry, etc, this book will blow your mind.
Until now, I’ve written off many of these topics. I’m slowly working through this one, and there is a TON to unpack.
Healing is Voltage
By: Jerry L. Tennant
The body runs on microcurrents of electricity. Disease occurs during periods of low bioelectrical voltage.
In this quick read, Dr. Tennant explains how many “health” practices actually work to restore bioelectrical flow throughout the body.
He teaches how to measure the voltage of each organ, address deficiencies, and prevent future health challenges.
This is a fairly simple introduction to the bioelectrical world of human physiology.
Your Biohacking Booklist to Fast-Track Peak Health, Wellness & Performance
Biohackers are life-long learners. Reading a variety of books multiple related books virtually guarantees that you will gain a deep understanding of the pursued topic.
Podcasts, videos, and articles supplement your (book) reading.
By basing your knowledge on books, and filling gaps through other mediums, you’ll build strong foundational knowledge while layering the latest trends, insights, and perspectives on top.s
Now’s the best time to pick up that book and make reading a part of your daily routine.
The effect compounds over time and looking back in a year, you’ll be shocked by how far you’ve come.
Other top biohacking resources:
Thanks for all the amazing ideas!
I hadn’t heard of about half these books – I definitely hope to read a few of them soon! I think I’ll probably check out Eat, Move, and Be Healthy first.
I also noticed that you’re interested in the 10k learning rule and 80/20. I haven’t applied these much to wellness and other areas, but I have been interested in seeing how they might works with learning multiple instruments.
I don’t haven’t interesting new results other than the idea/hypothesis:
If start learning well in advance of when you want to be good at something, you can invest just a little time. It’s sort of like studying in advance for a test versus cramming the night before – except the time frame is much longer.
I’m not saying it’s the only way – only that it’s an interesting spin on the 80/20 rule and 10k hours.
If I start to learn (drums, for example) many years in advance, but only practice a little bit each day (say 5 minutes), it can really add up. While it won’t make me the world’s greatest drummer, over time I can accumulate a lot of knowledge that it would take someone with good instruction, practicing many hours a day at least a year or two to probably equal (imho), especially if it’s their first instrument.
And learning things that relate (like different languages or instruments), also gives some interesting possibilities, too.
Just my two cents.
In any case, all the best and thanks for all the cool info!
Hope you enjoy! EMBH is a great starting point into health & wellness. It’s the rare wellness read that lends itself to multiple readings.
With you on that concept. Very much like studying. Because of the way retention & repeat exposure reinforce learning. I call the practice my “daily 1%” — the same concept behind compound interest. Improving just 1% every day (which is admittedly difficult) leads to massive skill gains after a year, two years, and five years. Perhaps not total mastery, but approaching it.
Thanks for weighing in!