Biohacking, the trend built around slowing aging and lowering biological age, is gaining momentum globally and in Israel. The article follows people who promote the approach, a community leader and a genetics expert, to ask whether the body can really be “hacked” to beat old age, or at least delay it.
The story begins with a simple physical test, the “sitting-rising” exercise, which some proponents say predicts longevity. Mya Elhalal, founder of the “Biohacking Lab” in Ramat HaSharon, says the method is scientifically proven. She offers 12 weekly sessions for 11,800 shekels, plus three-day retreats at the Six Senses hotel in Shaharut for about 10,000 shekels per couple, or a digital course for 236 shekels. Elhalal says her clinic is not a treatment center but a data-driven longevity lab, with clinical advice from Dr. Oliver Zolman, who also worked with Bryan Johnson.
Johnson, the American multi-millionaire featured in Netflix’s “Don’t Die: The Man Who Wants to Live Forever,” has become the movement’s most prominent face. With 2 million Instagram followers and more on YouTube, he spends heavily on strict diet, dozens of supplements, hundreds of medical tests and experimental treatments in hopes of living to 150. Other figures cited include Wim Hof, Tom Brady and Larry Ellison. Rami Shachter, who runs Biohacking TLV, says his own tests showed he is biologically 17 years younger than his chronological age, with bone age 26 and testosterone like an 18-year-old.
But Prof. Eitan Friedman, head of oncogenetics at Assuta Ramat HaHayal, strongly rejects claims that biohacking can extend life. He says cold plunges, monitoring gadgets, fasting and supplements may feel good or help in specific cases, but there is no scientific proof they meaningfully prolong lifespan. He warns that the field is commercial, often overhyped, and that too much testing or supplement use can waste money and even cause harm. The article notes that Israel is also seeing growth in longevity research, including a center at Sheba, but the broader biohacking boom remains scientifically disputed.
