Key insights

• Wearable Data and Research

  • 🏥 Personalized medicine journey and its impact on exercise and health markers.
  • 🔬 Company spin out from a lab focused on understanding time series physiological signals.
  • ⌚ Utilizing wearable data for clinical researchers through partnerships with big tech companies like Garmin, MoveSense, and Dexcom.
  • 📊 Platform integrates wearable data with surveys and questionnaires for at-home understanding of participants' physiological signals.
  • 🧪 Interest in expanding to include biochemical labs and partnering with organizations like self decode.

• Biochemical Pathways

  • 🏃 Impact of exercise on sulfation and methylation.
  • 💊 Use of supplements to manage methylation and neurotransmitters.
  • 🧬 Genetic predisposition to lower methylation.
  • 🔬 Need for personalized and public studies on biochemical pathways.
  • 🧠 Personal experiences and insights into managing physical and mental health through lifestyle choices and supplements.

• Health Management and Testing

  • 🔬 Importance of measuring and monitoring biomarkers.
  • 💊 Taking supplements to maintain health and prevent potential issues.
  • 🌡️ Challenges of traditional medicine and risk aversion.
  • 🔄 Evolution of available tests and supplements.
  • 👤 Individualized nature of health management.

• Lifestyle and Health Practices

  • 🏋️ Lifestyle recommendations including strength training, mindfulness, and breathing exercises.
  • 🏭 The impact of air pollution on heart rate variability (HRV) and genetic variants.
  • 🐟 The potential benefits of omega 3 supplements on HRV and inflammation.
  • 💉 Differences in approach to medicine, preference for a systems approach over a reductionist approach, and interest in unexplored areas of health.

• Influence on HRV

  • ⏱️ Breathing out slowly can increase heart rate variability.
  • 🏞️ Exposing oneself to hypoxic environments can increase HRV.
  • 🧬 Genetics may account for up to 60% of differences in HRV.
  • 🌬️ Breathing techniques, such as Wim Hof breathing and box breathing, can influence heart rate variability.

• Factors Affecting HRV

  • 🍷 Factors affecting HRV: alcohol, stress, exercise, respiratory health, HRV biofeedback, and specific breathing techniques improve HRV.
  • 🌬️ Importance of respiratory sinus arrhythmia in measuring HRV.
  • 🌬️ Breathing techniques to improve HRV: diaphragmatic breathing, nasal breathing.
  • 🧘 Research on different breathing techniques and their impact on HRV.

• Complexities of HRV

  • ⚙️ Factors contributing to heart rate variability are complex and dynamic, making it challenging to determine a formula for assessment.
  • 📈 Wearable devices like aura ring use proprietary formulas to track HRV, possibly based on RMSSD.
  • ❤️ High HRV may not always indicate good health and can be affected by conditions like atrial fibrillation.
  • 📉 Studies from the 1980s linked lower heart rate variability to higher all cause mortality, using SDNN for assessment and follow-up over one or two years.

• Significance of HRV

  • ⚕️ Dr. Ahn emphasizes the significance of heart rate variability (HRV) as a key biomarker for tracking health.
  • ⏲️ There are different measures of HRV, including time domain measures, frequency domain measures, and non-linear time series analysis.
  • 🛌 Lifestyle factors such as sleep, exercise, and stress can significantly impact HRV.
  • 💊 Supplements may have limited long-term effects on HRV, with genetic predisposition playing a significant role.

Q&A

• What is the significance of wearable data in clinical research?

  Using wearables for clinical research can provide continuous, real-world physiological data. The integration of wearable data with surveys and questionnaires offers a comprehensive understanding of participants' physiological signals at home. Such data holds immense potential for advancing personalized and clinical research in healthcare.

• How do exercise, supplements, and genetic factors impact biochemical pathways?

  Exercise, supplements, and genetic factors can influence methylation, sulfation, neurotransmitters, and anxiety. Understanding these impacts is important for personalized and public studies on biochemical pathways, leading to more targeted interventions for managing physical and mental well-being.

• Why is assessing biomarkers and individualized health management important?

  Assessing biomarkers and individualized health management are crucial in maintaining health and preventing potential issues. This approach acknowledges the impact of personal genetic variation, lifestyle choices, and the use of supplements, leading to a more personalized and effective health management strategy.

• What are some lifestyle recommendations to improve HRV?

  Lifestyle recommendations to enhance HRV include strength training, mindfulness practices, breathing exercises, and the consideration of genetic variants, supplement intake, and the impact of air pollution. These lifestyle adjustments can positively influence HRV and overall health.

• What are the factors that can affect HRV?

  Factors affecting HRV include alcohol consumption, stress levels, exercise, respiratory health, genetic predisposition, and exposure to hypoxic environments. Additionally, specific breathing techniques and HRV biofeedback can be employed to improve HRV.

• How do wearable devices track HRV?

  Wearable devices like the aura ring use proprietary formulas based on measures such as RMSSD to track HRV. These devices provide users with convenient and continuous monitoring of their HRV, enabling them to make informed lifestyle adjustments.

• What is the limited influence of supplements on HRV?

  While supplements may have limited long-term effects on HRV, genetic predisposition is acknowledged to play a significant role. It's important to note that adopting a balanced lifestyle, including proper sleep, exercise, and stress management, remains crucial for maintaining healthy HRV levels.

• How do lifestyle factors impact HRV?

  Lifestyle factors such as sleep, exercise, stress, alcohol consumption, respiratory health, and specific breathing techniques can significantly impact HRV. Adapting healthy habits and behaviors can positively influence HRV and overall well-being.

• What are the different measures of HRV?

  The different measures of HRV include time domain measures, frequency domain measures, and non-linear time series analysis. These measures provide insights into the adaptability and function of the autonomic nervous system, offering valuable information about an individual's health.

• What is heart rate variability (HRV) and why is it important?

  Heart rate variability (HRV) is the variation in the time interval between heartbeats, indicating the adaptability of the heart to different situations. HRV is important as it serves as a key biomarker for tracking health and can reflect the impact of lifestyle on overall well-being.

• 00:00 Dr. Andrew Ahn discusses the importance of heart rate variability (HRV) as a key biomarker, the different measures and categories of HRV, the impact of lifestyle on HRV, and the limited influence of supplements on HRV.
• 06:06 The factors contributing to heart rate variability are complex and dynamic, making it difficult to study and determine a formula for assessment. Wearable devices like the aura ring use proprietary formulas to track HRV. High HRV may not always indicate good health and can be affected by conditions like atrial fibrillation. Studies from the 1980s linked lower heart rate variability to higher all cause mortality. They used SDNN to assess HRV and followed up over one or two years.
• 11:42 The speaker discusses the factors affecting heart rate variability (HRV), including alcohol, stress, exercise, and respiratory health. They also talk about the impact of heart rate variability biofeedback on improving HRV through specific breathing techniques.
• 17:25 Breathing techniques can affect heart rate variability, genetics play a role in HRV, and exposure to hypoxic environments can increase HRV.
• 23:10 A discussion about lifestyle recommendations, supplements, and personal preferences regarding health practices and habits.
• 28:18 The speaker discusses the importance of measuring and monitoring biomarkers and taking supplements to maintain health and prevent potential issues. They highlight the challenges of traditional medicine, the evolution of available tests and supplements, and the individualized nature of health management.
• 34:05 Exploration of the impact of exercise, supplements, and genetic factors on methylation, sulfation, neurotransmitters, and anxiety. Discussion about the need for personalized and public studies on biochemical pathways. Personal experiences and insights into managing physical and mental health through lifestyle choices and supplements.
• 39:34 The speaker's personalized medicine journey led to the founding of a company focusing on utilizing physiological data from wearables for clinical research. The company partners with big tech like Garmin, MoveSense, and Dexcom to make raw data from wearables available for research purposes. The platform integrates wearable data with surveys and questionnaires to understand participants' physiological signals at home, aiming to expand to include biochemical labs in the future.