Optimization Isn’t Wellness: A Reality Check for the Biohacking Era
By Will Kleinberg, ANAD Intern
What is Biohacking?
Biohacking is not just a trend online — it is a massive industry. In 2024, it was estimated to bring in $24.8 billion, and by 2030 that number is projected to reach around $70 billion. That kind of money is not being made by creators and companies simply giving clear, honest health advice. A lot of the profit in biohacking comes from targeting people’s insecurities and then selling them misinformation that is profitable. Instead of telling consumers what is actually healthy and evidence-based, many influencers and brands push products, routines, and trends that make money.
One well-known fitness influencer built a huge following by claiming that his bodybuilder physique came from what he presented as an “ancestral” lifestyle. He promoted habits like eating raw organs, especially liver supplements, along with cold exposure and sun exposure, and framed them as the reason for his body and success. But after building his platform and profiting from that image, it was exposed that he had been using steroids while denying it publicly. By the time the truth came out, he had already made money and gained influence from a lie, while many followers were left chasing a result that was never fully real to begin with.
Biohacking & Men
While this issue has affected both men and women for years, there seems to be a growing wave now specifically targeting men. Between fake-natural (on steroids and claiming not to be) influencers, looksmaxxing culture, and constant physique content, it is easy for anyone to feel insecure or overwhelmed, especially if they are not equipped to tell the difference between real advice and online manipulation.
Women’s struggles with beauty culture, unrealistic standards, and harmful products have been discussed for a long time, especially when it comes to young girls. But the idea that men can also be deeply affected by these pressures has not fully become mainstream. There is still a stereotype that body insecurity is mostly a women’s issue, and that if a guy is shredded, he must simply be healthy and disciplined. But that mindset is exactly what makes eating disorders and body image issues in men so easy to miss. Men are often praised for chasing a certain look, but people do not always stop to ask what comes with it: the obsession, the comparison, the guilt, and the pressure to be perfect.
At its core, biohacking is often pushed online as a shortcut to getting the body or life someone wants. The problem is that these “biohacks” are marketed as replacements for the real process instead of complements to it. When people are told that a certain pill, supplement, or extreme routine is the missing key to success, it creates unrealistic expectations. Then, when those shortcuts do not work, frustration sets in, motivation drops, and insecurity gets worse.
Biohacking on Social Media
On social media, biohacking is usually presented as self-optimization. It is framed around words like optimize, maximize, and hack, instead of simply being healthy. It shows up in routine videos, outlandish workout plans, expensive gadgets, and promises of a “magic” diet or pills that will supposedly transform your body. In more extreme cases, creators even suggest that science, doctors, or mainstream health advice have been lying to you, and that the real breakthrough only comes from following them. That kind of messaging is powerful because it makes ordinary people feel like they are only one purchase or one extreme habit away from becoming a better version of themselves.
A lot of influencers market a “perfect” body as the only definition of health, which naturally leads people to feel insecure. Once that insecurity sets in, it’s easy for brands to step in and sell a “cure.” This becomes a toxic cycle when the influencers themselves aren’t being honest—like using steroids while promoting natural supplements. We have to remember that real health is more than just an image. It’s about having energy, feeling mentally stable, and actually enjoying your life, rather than being obsessed with the reflection in the mirror.
A Gateway to Orthorexia
Another issue is that a lot of these extreme habits are presented as scientifically correct, but that does not always mean they are healthy in practice. Something can sound smart, disciplined, and optimized, while still taking away from a person’s quality of life. For example, eating healthy is a good thing, but when the focus shifts from balance to perfection, it can become harmful. If getting ice cream with your little sister or grabbing fast food with your friends once in a while suddenly causes anxiety or guilt, then health is no longer helping you live better. It is controlling you. At that point, wellness stops being about balance and starts becoming rigid.
Many people begin copying these extreme habits in an attempt to perfect themselves, without fully understanding the risks, consequences, or trade-offs involved. Biohacking does not automatically lead to an eating disorder, but it can push someone toward disordered behavior when health turns into obsession and control. One major pathway is comparison, mixed with rigid rules about food, exercise, and appearance. It can show up as trying to eat as “clean” as possible, feeling like you can never miss a workout, or believing that your worth depends on being the best version of yourself at all times. What starts as self-improvement can turn into fear, guilt, and compulsive behavior as ANAD’s Director of Community Engagement Jason Wood shares in his memoir Starving for Survival which chronicles his journey with orthorexia.
All Food & Body Image Concerns Deserve Attention
That is part of what makes this so dangerous: it can look normal. A lot of people mistake obsession for discipline because online, these behaviors are often praised. Healthy eating can become fear-based. Exercise can become something you feel guilty for missing. Not hitting your calories for a day can ruin your mood. And because all of it gets labeled as dedication, self-control, and grind-set behavior, people can miss the fact that it is becoming harmful.
At the end of the day, control does not always mean health, and more discipline does not always mean better. Sometimes the healthiest thing is not optimizing harder — it is giving yourself balance. It is being able to enjoy food without guilt, take a day off without panic, and live your life without constantly feeling like you need to fix yourself. Health should help you enjoy your life, not trap you in anxiety over every choice. That is why the real goal should not be perfection. It should be balance, honesty, and a version of health that actually lets you live.
