Biohacker spending $2m a year to reverse his age beaten by man paying just $30,000 a year
Biohacker Bryan Johnson has made headlines for his efforts to reverse his age, but another, lesser-known man is beating him at his own game for a fraction of the price.
Forget the regular Olympics - we're talking about the Rejuvenation Olympics (RO); a unique competition conceived by the multimillionaire Johnson and his personal doctor, Oliver Zolman.
The RO website offers a platform to share protocols and results related to age rejuvenation - the effort to reverse your biological clock - and Johnson currently sits seventh on the list of the most successful biohackers.
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Johnson's 'chronological age', aka the number of years he's been alive, is 45, but test results show he has the 'heart of a 37-year-old'.
However, in sixth place on the list is another American named Dave Pascoe, whose chronological age is 61.
His 'epigenetic age' is 37.95 - with epigenetic age having previously been reported as being associated with 'age-related disease and all-cause mortality', according to the National Institutes of Health.
While Johnson spends $2 million per year on his attempts to turn back the clock, Pascoe spends just $30,000.
Speaking to UNILAD, Pascoe explained that he's been interested in the concept of ageing, or rather not ageing, since he was young.
"Every older person was a life teacher and an example to me," he said.
Pascoe didn't want the 'bad results' he'd observed from people older than him, so he had a realization: "I just needed to intentionally emulate all of the successful people's choices."
While other people might assume certain aspects of aging, like 'low energy, aches and pains and wrinkly skin' are 'unavoidable', Pascoe argues otherwise.
"I plainly saw then that [they were] were *very much* avoidable," he said. "I saw that the people who did certain things and didn't do other things always avoided them."
Pascoe has detailed his daily routine on his website, explaining that he starts each day with stretches, various supplements - 120 a day, to be precise - probiotics, vitamins, and a workout.
He also spends time in a sauna, watching Netflix and working on his balance and flexibility, while also caring for himself with whole-body skin treatments and moisturisers.
Four times a year, Pascoe does plasma donations in which his entire blood volume is filtered.
He also undergoes semi-annual Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment, which involves breathing pure oxygen in a pressurized environment.
Pascoe does this for injury repair, DNA repair, telomere lengthening, and clearance of senescent cells.
While it might sound like an extensive routine, Pascoe pointed out he's managed to reduce his spend in a number of ways.
"I don't outsource my health to someone else," he said. "I'll do the work myself and gladly pay only for occasional advice as a sanity check.
"I don't care to measure and know the age of my individual organs. I'm willing to live with some imperfections on my face and skin, [and] I leave no inexpensive well-studied intervention off the table, like sauna, or cold therapy."
Pascoe has also made a point of finding ways to do 'very expensive interventions cheaply, like plasmapheresis'.
He continued: "Instead of paying $8-10k to have plasmapheresis performed, I do twice weekly plasma donations and they pay me.
"In less than five donations, my entire blood volume is filtered, eliminating all of the older damaged proteins. It's a trade off in time, rather than money, but I'm retired now so that's fine by me."
Using what he's learned from his research and observations, Pascoe is now living life in a way he believes slows aging, and is 'willing to let time prove [him] right or wrong'.
"So far, I've been experiencing the results I expected," he said.
Outside of his attempts to extend his life, Pascoe, a retired systems engineer, has a taste for marathons and enjoys singing in his local church choir.
As well as earning him a place on the RO leaderboard, his efforts have also paid off with how he's seen in public.
"It's funny when people learn that I'm nearly 62," he explained. "Whether we've just met or they've known me for years, they're always very surprised, and don't believe me at first."
In spite of his ability to impress people with his youthful looks, Pascoe noted that people rarely ask him about how he does it.
"They immediately assume it's just good luck or genes," he said. "I'll explain that it didn't happen by chance, that it's from very intentional lifestyle choices. Then maybe only 1 out of 10 people will even ask what those choices involve.
"However, as soon as it occurs to them that they might have to give up their Diet Coke, for example, they say 'Oh, I'm not doing that!', and then the conversation is over."
Though the commitment might not be for everyone, Pascoe's philosophy is one anyone wanting to get healthier can take on board.
"My body is like a prized racehorse, or a cherished high-end performance vehicle," he explains. "I will only ever get this one, so just like any valued possession, I will invest heavily in its appearance, performance, fuel, care & maintenance.
"I only wish I knew & applied everything I know now, decades ago!"
John Mac Ghlionn contributed to this article.
Emily Brown