Biohacker Byran Johnson shares message to critics after revealing he has incurable disease
Topics: Bryan Johnson, Health, Science
Thomas Bamford
Featured Image Credit: Kyle Grillot/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Topics: Bryan Johnson, Health, Science
Bryan Johnson has responded to critics after revealing he's been diagnosed with an incurable condition, and it's safe to say his message wasn't exactly an apology.
The American entrepreneur, who has become one of the most recognisable faces in the longevity and biohacking world, took to X to address the constant stream of people telling him he needs to 'live a little', rather than dedicating his life to trying to slow down the ageing process.
Johnson, 48, has spent years and millions of dollars pursuing an intensive anti-ageing regimen, and last week revealed he's been diagnosed with autoimmune gastritis (AIG), a condition he claims affects only two to five percent of people.
The diagnosis comes after years of Johnson struggling with stress, weight gain and chronic depression, which he says eventually led to an autoimmune process affecting both his thyroid and stomach lining.
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Despite the health scare, Johnson used the moment to hit back at those who've long mocked his lifestyle choices, penning a lengthy post on X explaining exactly why he refuses to change course.
In the post, Johnson argued that people who tell him to relax and enjoy life more are simply following what he called society's shared rituals for avoiding the fear of death together, whether that's through food, drink, spontaneity or staying up late. He claimed that when someone opts out of those rituals, like he has, it can be experienced by others as an insult, prompting them to lash out rather than confront their own feelings.
"I don't intend to live a little," Johnson wrote. "I intend to live more than any human who has yet lived and invite you to join me."
He went on to argue that his critics misunderstand his goals entirely, insisting he isn't opposed to pleasure itself, just what he called the 'counterfeit' version of it that comes from short-term indulgence at the expense of long-term health. Johnson said his ultimate aim is a clearer, more vibrant state of consciousness that allows for experiences he believes most people chronically inflamed or sedated bodies simply can't reach.
Despite being famous for his obsessive health monitoring, Johnson admitted he didn't notice any obvious symptoms of AIG at first, though he now believes there were early warning signs he missed along the way.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, autoimmune gastritis doesn't always present with clear symptoms, but when it does, sufferers can experience abdominal pain, iron deficiency, a loss of appetite, nausea and unexplained weight loss.
The condition develops when the body's antibodies attack healthy stomach cells, and can also target a protein released by those cells known as intrinsic factor, which usually helps the body absorb vitamin B12. Without it, the body can struggle to produce healthy red blood cells, potentially leading to a condition called pernicious anaemia, along with possible nerve damage caused by a lack of B12.
AIG is also notoriously difficult to diagnose.
In Johnson's case, doctors first ruled out colon cancer with a colonoscopy before performing a bidirectional endoscopy to examine the rest of his gastrointestinal tract. His results showed elevated levels of anti-parietal-cell antibodies, which ultimately pointed his medical team towards the AIG diagnosis.
While there's currently no cure for the condition, it can be managed through B12 injections or iron infusions, the latter of which Johnson has already started receiving, recently undergoing a 1,000mg Monoferric iron infusion. His medical team will now routinely monitor several markers going forward, including ferritin, iron, B12 and chromogranin A.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, people are considered more at risk of developing autoimmune gastritis if they're over the age of 70, eat a high-salt diet, smoke, have a family history of the condition, or already live with other autoimmune diseases.
Writing on X, Johnson made clear he doesn't plan to simply accept the diagnosis as something to live with. "Current medical standards treat AIG as something to be managed, not resolved. We want to change that," he said.