In the twilight of 2023, in a report on Channel 7’s flagship documentary programme Spotlight, a scrutinising focus was placed on the pristine physique of Bryan Johnson, a former tech savant turned longevity protagonist, whose every breath is resolutely devoted to ensuring that twilight never envelops his perfect form in his quest to remain eternally young. Johnson, who amassed his fortune by selling his payment processing company Braintree Payment Solutions to eBay for $800 million in cash at the age of 30, is 45. He religiously devotes a significant portion of his wealth to the seemingly supernatural idea that he is now fixed in an ageless trajectory by maintaining the body of a 10-year-old, with the evidence that, on the surface, supports this.
To support this somewhat far-fetched claim, he even donated a quart of his blood to his 71-year-old father to demonstrate, by some, albeit transitory, measurements, that his aging rate could be reversed by 25 years compared to that of a 46-year-old. Johnson claims that these benefits persisted for at least six months, but acknowledges that we don’t yet know how long they will last. What makes it difficult to tease out the singular contributions of Johnson’s byzantine anti-aging strategy is the fact that he enrolled his 17-year-old son, Talmage, in this unique trigenerational blood-swap operation. Is it the meticulous, endless behaviors that Johnson resolutely engages in every day, or is it his son’s blood that drives his cells to function with inexhaustible efficiency?
For those who are cynically perplexed by Johnson’s claim that he is aging like a 10-year-old, believe it or not, that claim is based on a reliable measure deduced by a number of reputable scientists, the DunedinPACE test. This genetic study looks at something called DNA methylation, or the degree to which certain genes are turned on or off. The researchers followed a number of participants from birth through their 40s, repeatedly assessing a number of biomarkers and multiple organ systems up to age 45 to quantify the degree to which their bodies were deteriorating or aging. They were then able to correlate that assessment with a simple assessment, the DunedinPACE genetic test, which also revealed their rate of aging without having to go through an exhaustive series of scans. Not only was DunedinPACE able to discover the ages of these subjects, it was also able to predict the degree to which they were expected to decline mentally and physically and estimate how quickly brain aging might occur. (There is a lab in this country that does this test. Those interested should find a doctor interested in longevity to order it.)
To achieve this state of sublime aging inertia, Johnson’s military-style regimen begins at precisely 4:53 a.m. each day. Exposure to early morning light helps regulate our sleep-wake cycles, a foundation that seeds the robust energy our primordial ancestors enjoyed, Johnson advises. His sleeping arrangements, whether on or very close to Mother Earth, are minimalist, eschewing traditional mattresses, which release endocrine-disrupting and flame-retardant chemicals. The principles of his e-book, The 9 Ancestral Principles, peppered with macho profanity and the muscular bulk of a bearded Neanderthal lifting kettlebells and gorging on mounds of animal flesh, seem to have undergone a dramatic transformation since his current, exhaustively documented diet and everything he does on his website are exclusively vegan. Is this guy getting enough protein?
He pops more than 100 supplements a day, takes a number of hormones and medications, including the questionable supplement rapamycin that may impair the immune system, follows a rigorous exercise regimen, and relentlessly monitors his progress with MRIs, blood tests, and other repeated tests. He has the smooth, wrinkle-free face of Peter Pan and the muscular torso of an Adonis. Some estimates suggest that this investment costs more than $1 million a year. I’d like to see him when he’s my age. He pops more than 100 supplements a day, takes a number of hormones and medications, including the questionable supplement rapamycin that may impair the immune system, follows a rigorous exercise regimen, and relentlessly monitors his progress with MRIs, blood tests, and other repeated tests. He does indeed have the smooth, wrinkle-free face of Peter Pan and the muscular torso of an Adonis. Some estimates suggest that this
investment costs over a million dollars a year. I'd like to see him when he's my age.
Article published in WellBeing 211 magazine
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