A man with aspirations of living indefinitely has encountered a significant obstacle.
Bryan Johnson, a biohacker well-known for candidly discussing his quest for longevity, recently revealed on social media that he has been diagnosed with an incurable autoimmune disorder, describing it as his “stomach is eating itself.”
Staying true to his biohacking philosophy, the 48-year-old expressed his determination to “try and solve [the condition],” which affects only about 2 to 5% of the population.
Currently, Johnson follows a comprehensive health routine aimed at optimizing everything from sleep to fertility, but he admits that this wasn’t always the case. As a child, he frequently indulged in fast food and sugary drinks.
After years of battling stress, weight gain, and chronic depression, Johnson’s body began developing autoimmune gastritis (AIG), which impacted his thyroid and stomach lining.
The prognosis isn’t encouraging; according to Johnson, “standard medical care concedes defeat, stating that nothing can be done except managing the condition.”
He was unaware of this condition despite its irreversible effects, which included nutritional deficiencies, anemia, and an increased cancer risk.
At 21, he was diagnosed with hypothyroidism and began taking medications like levothyroxine to help regulate his thyroid hormone levels.
Even so, he believes there may have been early indicators of AIG; looking back now, he realizes he had low ferritin levels without accompanying anemia.
People with AIG often don’t display obvious symptoms, which might include abdominal discomfort, iron deficiency, loss of appetite, nausea, or unexplained weight loss.
Despite taking iron supplements, Johnson found his ferritin levels unusually low, prompting a series of medical tests to uncover the underlying issues.
A clean colonoscopy dismissed concerns over colon cancer, leading his medical team to conduct a bi-directional endoscopy combined with blood tests.
The blood results indicated elevated anti-parietal cell antibodies, a strong sign of AIG, which occurs when antibodies start attacking healthy stomach cells, particularly in individuals with a family history or other autoimmune conditions.
Stomach biopsies ultimately confirmed early signs of autoimmune gastritis, revealing damage to the stomach lining.
Johnson highlighted that his various health struggles—iron deficiency, autoimmune thyroid disease, and AIG—are interconnected, complicating treatment for each issue.
He elaborated that “iron and thyroid feed each other both ways,” explaining how low iron can hinder thyroid hormone activation, while an underactive thyroid can impair iron utilization.
Although autoimmune gastritis cannot be cured, it can be managed through methods such as B12 injections or iron infusions; Johnson, for instance, received a “1,000 mg Monoferric iron infusion.”
Nonetheless, he remains committed to finding solutions, planning continual monitoring of diagnostics like ferritin and iron levels, B12, and chromogranin A. His team is also set to conduct follow-up biopsies and explore experimental treatments based on the findings.
