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November 25, 2025
Marianne Waldenfels
"Hacking Age" author Dr. Felix Bertram reveals why supplements alone are not enough and which 3 pillars truly ensure longevity. Plus: His protein and sleep strategy
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Founder, entrepreneur, owner of several clinics, doctor, "Lion's Den" investor in Switzerland, owner of a 2-star restaurant - and now also an author. The dermatologist Dr. med. Felix Bertram wrote about his own health story with "Hacking Age". When Bertram, who lost a leg in a motorcycle accident at the age of 19, underwent a medical test at the age of 49, he was diagnosed with a biological age of 74. A shock. In the interview, he talks about how he changed his life due to this diagnosis. He also dealt intensively with longevity research.
Your book is called "Hacking Age": You write that it's actually about "Hacking Life" – how exactly do you hack your life?
We want to live a life that is worth living for a long time. A happy, healthy, and fulfilling life. And to achieve that, I focus on 3 pillars: health, relationships, and purpose. Purpose is for many the profession or career, but it can also be something else like children, sports, or a volunteer task.
When you balance these 3 areas - health, relationships, and purpose - you not only do the best for a fulfilling life in the here and now, but also the right thing to "hack age," that is, to slow down aging.
Liam Rudolph.webp)
© Liam Rudolph
The entrepreneur, doctor, and author: Dr. Felix Bertram
At 49, you learned that your biological age was 74. What have you changed since then?
At first, I tried to measure everything and solve it with supplements and medications. Similar to Brian Johnson, the US tech millionaire. My values didn't change - they remained equally poor. It was only when I took these three things seriously in my life that all values improved on average by 30% to this day:
1. Sport. Here with a focus on endurance (Vo2max), muscle strength - but also muscle mass.
2. Sleep and stress resilience. Sleep has such an important function, it's like a software update for the body overnight.
3. Nutrition. With a focus on protein and fiber. Protein, because it is the most important building block for our muscles. And muscles are crucial for various reasons as we age. On one hand, strength and stability help prevent falls, but both are also important for participating in life and being independent: carrying, walking, climbing stairs.
Muscles are real longevity miracle weapons. They also regulate sugar metabolism and inflammation, play an important role in metabolism, and serve as a crucial reserve - essentially a backup battery - in case we become ill in old age and need to live off our "substance."
But beware: Protein cannot be stored well. Although it is converted into muscles, muscles are quickly broken down again when protein intake decreases.
Fiber – in the form of colorful salads, fermented vegetables, nuts, and legumes – is essential for our gut health. 70% of our immune system is located around the gut - (GALT is the technical term). The immune cells are in constant exchange with the metabolites produced in the gut by the microbiome.
Fiber ensures that the intestinal wall remains "tight" and that the wrong metabolites do not come into contact with the immune system and trigger an "alarm." Such an "alarm" could lead to chronic inflammation and promote the development of chronic diseases.
How much protein do you consume per day?
At least 1.5 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. And since the body can only process about 35 - 40 grams per meal, I divide my protein needs into four meals a day.
Protein can also easily come from purely plant-based sources; I just have to make sure I have enough variety in my protein sources to get all essential amino acids.
Are there foods you completely avoid?
I am not dogmatic. But I rarely drink alcohol, rarely eat convenience food, minimize white flour, and avoid sugar as much as possible. But then again, life is for living, and food is about nurturing relationships and love. So, in the summer, I might have an ice cream or enjoy a few beers with friends in the evening. The body loves patterns. And if the pattern is generally 'healthy eating,' then an occasional indulgence is almost ignored by the body.
What do you think of superfoods like chia seeds or acai berries?
I don't believe in that at all. People are always looking for that one 'hack,' that one superfood. It doesn't exist. A balanced diet is still the be-all and end-all, consisting of protein, fiber, complex carbohydrates, and healthy fats.
What supplements do you take?
I'll divide this into two segments. 1. Those that, in my opinion, anyone can take without concern, and 2. Those that are very individualized.
You suffered from sleep disorders for years and had to take sleeping pills. How did you learn to sleep better and deeper again?
The body loves patterns - even when it comes to sleep. Proper behavior should definitely be preferred over supplements.
I try to be home around 8 or 9 PM. I don't eat anything after 7 PM and avoid alcohol. I then try not to do anything exciting at home - no movies, no emails, no sports. Sauna, on the other hand, is great, it not only promotes sleep but is one of the few well-researched longevity boosters.
The mind needs to wind down, as does cortisol. Melatonin, on the other hand, should slowly rise, which is important for the transition from day to night and for good sleep. I turn off the ceiling light and only use indirect lighting from the floor or sides. Ceiling light signals the receptors in the eyes that the "sun" is shining from above and that it is day.
If no light comes from above, your internal clock knows that night is falling. Then I try to go to bed consistently at 10 PM. Whether it's 10 PM or 11 PM is not so relevant, the important thing is - if possible - to always go to bed at the same time and wake up at the same time. The room I sleep in should also be dark and cool. That's the whole magic, and I sleep well with it. If you can't fall asleep like this, you might consider the following supplements: 3g glycine, magnesium L-threonate, or L-theanine.
How important is exercise and how could you motivate yourself to establish regular sports routines?
Exercise and sports are the greatest lever when we talk about longevity. I have spoken extensively about muscles and their importance, but endurance is almost even more important. Endurance is measured by Vo2max, i.e., the ability of the cardiovascular system and the lungs to transport the maximum volume of oxygen to the organs within 1 minute.
Endurance sports have so many benefits, you can hardly list them all. Heart health, metabolic health, cellular energy, etc. The mortality from any cause – that is, the likelihood of dying from one of the major common diseases – differs by a factor of 400% between a person with a Vo2Max from the top quarter vs. a person with a Vo2max in the bottom quarter of the endurance scale. But now, let's talk about how to integrate sports into everyday life, with joy, because I believe that we can only stick to something long-term if it's fun.
Firstly: everything accumulated above zero, like investing money with compound interest. Even small measures accumulate in the "health account" over time. Those who manage 7000 steps daily already reduce their overall mortality risk by 40%.
I therefore recommend finding a sport that is fun. It can be something with a partner (tennis doubles) or against a partner (tennis singles). A team sport, something with music like dancing, something in nature, the main thing is it’s fun. For me, it's road cycling, nobody needs to motivate me for that.
Strength training is harder for me because I find it boring. With these two tricks, I still manage: First, establish a habit by going to the gym three times a week for just five minutes. If I do this for 8 - 12 weeks, a habit is established, like brushing teeth.
That's the first step. Then you should associate strength training with something positive. For example, I’ve allowed myself to only listen to my favorite podcast in the gym. Now I'm looking forward to the gym because I finally get to listen to my podcast.
And how important is the psyche for longevity?
Absolutely crucial! That's why I'm so convinced that relationships and purpose play a big role when we talk about longevity. For example, we know that people in good and stable relationships have a 50% better life expectancy. In my eyes, a healthy psyche and a healthy mind are still underestimated. They certainly play a key role, both for a long life and for a fulfilling, curious, and happy life in the here and now.
How do you manage not to fall back into old patterns?
That is, of course, not always easy. And I forgive myself if it happens. But I generally have a joker rule: one day I can skip everything—exercise or even healthy eating—but never two days in a row, because then a new habit begins.
What do you do today when you realize that you are stressed over a longer period? How do you relax?
Our life and our body work in cycles: I'm awake, but I also have to sleep. I eat, but I also have to digest. Anyone who does sports knows how important recovery is.
Our nervous system also knows this rhythm. Let's call it 'gas' and 'brake.' Gas is the sympathetic nervous system, the activity and stress nerve. Brake is the parasympathetic nervous system, the calming nerve.
I can't just keep my foot on the gas... That's why it's important to incorporate small breaks and time-outs even during the greatest stress. Taking a five-minute walk outside, doing a two-minute breathing exercise, clearing your head quickly, and lowering your heart rate.
