A well-known "biohacker" known for his ambitious longevity plans has revealed a speed bump in his journey: Bryan Johnson, 48, said on social media that he has a condition called autoimmune gastritis, reports USA Today. The Mayo Clinic defines this type of gastritis as one that "occurs when your body attacks the cells that make up your stomach lining," adding that it "can wear away at your stomach's protective barrier." Or, as Johnson put it, "My stomach is eating itself," per Nine.com.au. It's not considered a life-threatening disease, but gastritis can lead to conditions including stomach ulcers and possibly increase the risk of stomach cancer, per the Mayo Clinic.
In his social media post, Johnson blamed years of poor diet, stress, and depression earlier in his life for helping trigger the condition. But a gastroenterologist who spoke to the Financial Review is skeptical about that. "He's tried to spin this to his activities in childhood, but that's because it can affect his brand," said Rupert Leong of Macquarie University and the University of Sydney. Leong said there was no way of knowing the cause but suggested Johnson's aggressive health interventions, which he said were based on "quasi science," were another possible explanation. Genetics also appears to play a role in the disease, per the Global Autoimmune Institute.
Whatever the cause, Johnson claims his medical team will try approaches outside typical care, from attempting to "reset" the malfunctioning immune cells to using AI-designed antibodies to target them—methods he describes as based on early-stage evidence. Johnson, a former tech CEO, has gained millions of followers across his various social media platforms.
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