Biohacker Bryan Johson claims to have turned back the clock — or at least stalled the progress of aging.
The new Netflix documentary “Don’t Die: The Man Who Wants to Live Forever” focuses on the methods and madness of the California-based entrepreneur and tech millionaire who has sparked a cult following with his extreme “Project Blueprint” longevity plan.
In the doc, Johnson, 47, claims that his intensive routine means he now ages slower than the average person — and for every year that goes by, he’s only eight months older.
Launched in 2021, Project Blueprint is an anti-aging initiative and wellness brand that features Johnson as both spokesperson and guinea pig. Johnson documents his journey online to show others what is possible through his oft-extreme protocols.
“By doing Blueprint, one of the key objectives is to achieve the lowest possible biological age. Just like a tree has rings, we all have a signature inside of our body of our age,” Johnson explained.
Biological age — the age of our cells and tissues — is influenced by genetics and lifestyle habits such as diet and exercise. While chronological age is the number of years we’ve been alive and kicking, biological or “phenotypic” age measures factors like metabolism, inflammation, and organ function.
And according to Johnson, he’s managed to make major changes to his rate of biological aging.
“After doing Blueprint for 2 years, I’ve reversed my biological age 5.1 years, I have 50 perfect biomarkers, I have 100 biomarkers where I’m less than my chronological age,” he declared in the doc.
Johnson explained that his speed of aging before Blueprint was 1.03, but it has been reduced to 0.69, which means that for every 12 months, he ages only eight.
Theoretically, if Johnson maintains his progress, his biological age could be a spritely 69 by the time he reaches the chronological age of 80.
“In terms of how far this goes, it’s open-ended. We have no idea but I want to take my speed of aging to the lowest possible number,” he said.
Johnson. who spends a reported $2 million annually to retain his youth, also spends each morning ticking off a meticulous regimen of light therapy, 91 supplements, and multiple vegan-based meals.
“It’s probably over a hundred different things that I do any given day that the body has asked for to be in its ideal state,” he said.
Studies have suggested that a vegan diet effectively reduces biological age in as little as two months.
Conversely, numerous studies link ultra-processed foods (UPFs) like packaged snacks, sugary drinks, mass-produced bread, fruit yogurt, breakfast cereals, and meat alternatives to accelerated biological aging.
Further studies found that eliminating 10 grams of added sugar from your daily diet may reduce your biological age by 2.4 months over time
In his attempts to drink heartily from the fountain of youth, Johnson sticks to a hard, lights-out bedtime of 8:30 p.m. every night to ensure at least eight hours of sleep.
Good sleep hygiene is crucial for combating cell degeneration. Research published in the journal Sleep Health concluded that those with inconsistent sleeping patterns had a higher biological age than those with a regular sleep schedule.
Notably absent from Johnson’s cheat death plan is rapamycin, an immuno-suppressing anti-cancer drug Johnson said he experimented with for nearly five years.
He admitted in November that he dropped the anti-cancer drug from his death-defying roster over concerns about skin and soft tissue infections, abnormal levels of fats in his blood, elevated blood sugar, and a higher resting heart rate.
Because rapamycin suppresses the immune system, “side effects can include very dangerous bacterial infections, things like pneumonia or cellulitis or pharyngitis,” said Dr. Oliver Zolman, a longevity doctor who works with Johnson.
In addition to various therapies, fists full of supplements, and a strict schedule, Johnson has continued to prove that his quest to beat death knows no bounds or blood limits.
He even gets controversial blood transfusions from his teenage son in a bid to have the youngest possible biological age and has subjected himself to penis shockwave therapy in the name of sexual health.
