THE NUANCE

The Problem with Raspberries: An Interview with Biohacker Dave Asprey

The ‘father of biohacking’ talks living to 180, his bad night’s sleep, and high-toxin plant foods.

Markham Heid
THE NUANCE
Published in
7 min readMar 7, 2024

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Credit: Dave Asprey

Dave Asprey is not at his best.

He’s a few minutes late for our 9:30 am call, and he tells me he didn’t sleep well last night — a rarity for him. “I was up for four hours in the middle of the night, and that hasn’t happened to me in a long time,” he says. And he would know; he’s been tracking his sleep for the past 15 years.

He assures me that, normally, he has “incredibly good sleep.” So what happened? “I tried a new recipe last night — a tomato-free barbecue sauce — and it had a couple ingredients I don’t do well with,” he says. “Let’s just say, excessively caramelized onions are not my friend.”

It’s a little scary to think that this is Asprey at less than 100 percent, because this version of him is imposing. During our 45-minute call, he discusses a wide range of health topics with depth and fluency. He’s funny and charming. I don’t think I’m buying what he’s selling, but I’m impressed by his pitch.

‘They will say there’s no way to extend human lifespan — all you can do is…

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Markham Heid
THE NUANCE

I’m a frequent contributor at TIME, the New York Times, and other media orgs. I write mostly about health and science. I like long walks and the Grateful Dead.