The Cell Danger Response Explained

Your body does not fail all at once. Aging starts when cells quietly shift into survival mode and never come back out. In this episode, you go inside the thinking of a true medical outlier to understand how stress, travel, toxins, and metabolic overload reprogram cells, shut down energy, and accelerate aging, and how restoring mitochondrial function can reverse that trajectory from the inside out. 

Watch this episode on YouTube for the full video experience: 

https://www.youtube.com/@DaveAspreyBPR 

Host Dave Asprey sits down with Dr. Theodore Achacoso and Boomer Anderson, leaders in Health Optimization Medicine and Practice. Dr. Achacoso is a physician-scientist and the founding pioneer of Health Optimization Medicine, known for his work on cellular networks, metabolomics, and mitochondrial function. Boomer Anderson is the CEO of Smarter Not Harder and Troscriptions, where he focuses on translating complex biology into practical tools for human performance and longevity.  

Together, they unpack how cells respond to perceived threats through the Cell Danger Response, why mitochondria control energy, inflammation, and repair, and why chasing disease labels misses the real drivers of aging. The discussion covers methylene blue as an electron recycler, why LDL cholesterol plays a role in detoxification and immune signaling, how fasting and ketosis shift metabolism between repair and growth, and why sleep optimization, circadian rhythm, and light exposure matter even more when you travel. They also explore neuroplasticity, consciousness, nootropics, supplements, and why health optimization works best when you restore balance instead of forcing outcomes. 

You’ll Learn: 

• What the Cell Danger Response is and how it reshapes aging and performance 

• How mitochondria sense stress before symptoms appear 

• Why cellular energy controls resilience, sleep, and longevity 

• How methylene blue supports mitochondrial electron flow 

• Why fasting and ketosis shift metabolism between repair and growth 

• How travel, light, and circadian disruption affect aging 

• Why very low LDL can impair detoxification and immune signaling 

• Why real anti-aging starts at the cellular level, not with disease labels 

Thank you to our sponsors! 

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Dave Asprey is a four-time New York Times bestselling author, founder of Bulletproof Coffee, and the father of biohacking. With over 1,000 interviews and 1 million monthly listeners, The Human Upgrade brings you the knowledge to take control of your biology, extend your longevity, and optimize every system in your body and mind. Each episode delivers cutting-edge insights in health, performance, neuroscience, supplements, nutrition, biohacking, emotional intelligence, and conscious living. 

New episodes are released every Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday (BONUS). Dave asks the questions no one else will and gives you real tools to become stronger, smarter, and more resilient. 

Keywords: cell danger response podcast, mitochondria aging, mitochondrial dysfunction aging, health optimization medicine, dr ted achacoso, boomer anderson, troscriptions, troscriptions methylene blue, methylene blue mitochondria, methylene blue biohacking, cellular aging podcast, anti aging mitochondria, metabolic stress aging, fasting ketosis metabolism, mitochondrial energy production, neuroplasticity mitochondria, sleep optimization aging, functional medicine mitochondria, smarter not harder biohacking, dave asprey mitochondria 

Resources:   

•  Get A Discount On All Troscription Products with code ‘dave’ at: https://troscriptions.com/ 

•  Learn More About Methylene Blue From My Full Masterclass Covering The Topic: https://daveasprey.com/mb/ 

• Discover More About The ‘Health Optimization Medicine and Practice’ From Our Guests: https://homehope.org/ 

• Get My 2026 Biohacking Trends Report: https://daveasprey.com/2026-biohacking-trends-report/ 

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Timestamps: 

0:00 – Trailer 

1:25 – Introduction & Guest Background 

3:11 – Health Optimization Medicine Origins 

4:26 – Root Causes of Health vs Disease 

6:15 – Biohacking & Self-Experimentation 

8:19 – Medicinal Plants & Nootropics 

11:25 – Travel & Jet Lag Solutions 

13:42 – Cell Danger Response 

17:38 – Metabolites & Cellular Health 

18:57 – LDL & Lipopolysaccharides 

20:42 – Cellular Model & First Principles 

22:55 – Consciousness & Mitochondria 

25:46 – Nanotechnology Research 

28:55 – Giving Back & Service 

31:17 – Blue Cannatine Development 

34:48 – Methylene Blue Products 

36:22 – Metformin Discussion 

38:00 – Dosing & Cordycepin 

41:25 – Closing & Discount Code 

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