Facepalm: Bryan Johnson, the tech millionaire famous for his many biohacking procedures as he attempts to live forever, has been diagnosed with an incurable autoimmune disease. The subject of the Netflix documentary Don't Die: The Man Who Wants to Live Forever has autoimmune gastritis (AIG), a condition which, in Johnson's words, has led to his stomach "eating itself."
Johnson revealed his diagnosis on Instagram. He wrote that 2-5% of people have autoimmune gastritis, though the number may be higher as it can be hard to spot in its early stages.
Not one to be deterred by an incurable autoimmune condition, Johnson says he will try to "solve" his illness and will share everything he learns.
The Braintree founder has tried many ways to reverse and even stop the aging process, the most famous being injecting himself with plasma from his teenage son.
He was also taking 54 supplements every day, though he discovered last year that one of them, an immunosuppressant called rapamycin originally used to prevent organ rejection, was actually aging him.
In his post, Johnson blames his diet of cereal, soda, and fast food as a kid, combined with the stress of later becoming a father of three and building a business, for his autoimmune conditions – he was also diagnosed with autoimmune hypothyroidism at age 21.
While lifestyle factors can increase the risk of developing some autoimmune conditions, their exact cause is unknown – genetics and environmental triggers are believed to play the biggest roles. And people who develop one often get others.
Johnson said one of the main indicators that he had AIG was his 11 years of low ferritin levels, which indicate low stored iron. Having a vegan diet meant Johnson took iron tablets, but they weren't raising his ferritin levels.
A colonoscopy, an upper endoscopy, and five biopsies of his stomach confirmed clear signs of early autoimmune gastritis.
AIG treatment involves managing the disease, but Johnson said in the "age of AI, multiomics, and custom-built DNA, proteins, and cells, no condition should be presumed incurable" just because nobody has tried to cure it with today's technology.
Johnson is said to spend around $2 million annually on his health regimen, which includes a plant-based diet, avoiding the sun, and daily exercise. He's also used shock treatments on his genitals in an apparent effort to gain the erections of an 18-year-old.
Johnson earned over $300 million when his mobile and web payment company Braintree was acquired by PayPal in 2013. He now sells his own (very expensive) supplement stacks and individualized health regimens under the Blueprint name.