Biohacker Bryan Johnson Reveals He Has Incurable Autoimmune Disease: ‘My Stomach Is Eating Itself’
Biohacker Bryan Johnson has built a global following by spending millions of dollars each year in pursuit of slow the aging process and extending human lifespan. But despite one of the world’s most aggressive health optimization routines, the 48-year-old entrepreneur has revealed he is now battling an incurable autoimmune disease.
Johnson says doctors diagnosed him with autoimmune gastritis (AIG), describing the condition in blunt terms by saying that his “stomach is eating itself.” While there is currently no cure, Johnson says he has no intention of accepting the standard approach to treatment and plans to experiment with new interventions while closely tracking the disease.
The revelation is particularly notable given Johnson’s reputation for meticulously monitoring nearly every aspect of his health through blood work, imaging, and advanced diagnostics.
Bryan Johnson Says Years Of Testing Finally Revealed The Cause Of His Low Iron
Johnson explained that his diagnosis came after doctors investigated persistently low ferritin levels, a marker that reflects the body’s iron stores. Even with iron supplementation, his ferritin remained below normal, leading physicians to search for an underlying cause.
Doctors first ruled out more common explanations, including colon cancer, with a colonoscopy. They then performed a bidirectional endoscopy along with blood testing and stomach biopsies.
The blood work revealed elevated anti-parietal cell antibodies. Biopsies showed early damage to the stomach lining, findings consistent with autoimmune gastritis.
According to Johnson, the diagnosis also helped explain another long-standing health issue.
He has lived with hypothyroidism since age 21 and has managed it with thyroid replacement medications. He now believes his thyroid disease, iron deficiency, and autoimmune gastritis are interconnected.
Johnson explained that low iron can interfere with the body’s ability to activate thyroid hormone, while an underactive thyroid can also impair how the body utilizes iron, creating a difficult cycle to break.
What Is Autoimmune Gastritis?
Autoimmune gastritis is a chronic autoimmune disease in which the immune system mistakenly attacks the stomach’s parietal cells. Those cells are responsible for producing stomach acid and intrinsic factor, a protein required to absorb vitamin B12.
As the disease progresses, patients can develop:
- Iron deficiency
- Vitamin B12 deficiency
- Anemia
- Fatigue
- Digestive symptoms
- Increased risk of stomach cancer
Many people have few or no noticeable symptoms during the early stages, allowing damage to accumulate before the condition is discovered.
Johnson admitted that, looking back, his chronically low ferritin levels were likely an early warning sign.
Can Doctors Treat Autoimmune Gastritis?
There is currently no cure for autoimmune gastritis.
Treatment typically focuses on managing complications rather than reversing the disease itself. Depending on the patient, physicians may recommend vitamin B12 injections, iron infusions, and ongoing surveillance to monitor stomach changes over time.
Johnson recently received a 1,000 mg Monoferric iron infusion as part of his treatment plan.
Rather than accepting the diagnosis, Johnson says his team intends to aggressively monitor biomarkers including ferritin, iron, vitamin B12, gastrin, and chromogranin A while performing repeat stomach biopsies. He also plans to investigate experimental interventions if future data suggest they may slow or alter disease progression.
A Setback For One Of The World’s Most Famous Biohackers
Johnson has become one of the most recognizable figures in the longevity movement through his Blueprint protocol, an extensive regimen that reportedly costs around $2 million annually. His daily routine includes strict nutrition, exercise, sleep optimization, medical imaging, and hundreds of biomarkers designed to reduce biological age.
Over the years, Johnson has frequently shared health data publicly, claiming improvements in everything from cardiovascular health and hair growth to reproductive markers.
His autoimmune gastritis diagnosis serves as a reminder that even extensive preventive testing and lifestyle optimization cannot eliminate every health risk, particularly those driven by autoimmune disease and genetics.
Still, Johnson says he isn’t giving up. Instead, he plans to continue searching for ways to better understand and manage the condition while sharing what he learns with the public.
Image embed via Instagram @bryanjohnson_
