In the twilight of 2023 in an exposé on Spotlight, Channel 7’s signature documentary program, a probing focus homed in on the pristine physiognomy of Bryan Johnson, a former tech savant and now longevity protagonist, whose every breath is steadfastly devoted to ensuring that dusk never envelops his perfect form in his quest to remain eternally youthful. Johnson, who amassed his fortune when he sold his payment-processing company Braintree Payment Solutions to eBay for $800 million in cash in his 30s, is aged 45. He’s religiously committing a sizeable proportion of his wealth to the seemingly otherworldly notion that he is now frozen in an ageless trajectory by maintaining the body of a 10-year-old, with the evidence to, on the face of it, support this.
To back up this rather far-fetched claim, he has even donated 1L of his blood to his 71-year-old father to demonstrate with some measures, albeit transiently, that his rate of ageing could be reversed by a staggering 25 years to that of a 46-year-old. Johnson asserts that these benefits persisted for at least six months but acknowledges that we don’t yet know how long they will endure. What makes it difficult to unravel the singular contributions of Johnson’s byzantine anti-ageing gambit is the fact that he has enrolled his 17-year-old son, Talmage, in this unique trigenerational blood swapping operation. Is it the meticulous and endless behaviours that Johnson resolutely embraces every day or his son’s blood that drive his cells to function with inexhaustible efficiency?
For those who are cynically quizzical about Johnson’s contention that he is ageing like a 10-year-old, believe it or not, this is based on a reliable measure deduced by a number of esteemed scientists called the DunedinPACE test. This genetic investigation examines what is termed DNA methylation or the extent to which certain genes are activated or switched off. The researchers followed a number of participants from birth until their mid- 40s, repeatedly assessing a number of biomarkers and multiple organ systems until the age of 45 to quantify the degree to which their bodies were breaking down or ageing. They were then able to correlate this assessment with one simple evaluation, the DunedinPACE genetic test, which similarly revealed their rate of ageing without having to go through an exhaustive set of analyses. Not only did DunedinPACE uncover how old these subjects were, it was also able to predict the degree to which they were expected to decline mentally and physically and to estimate how rapidly brain ageing might arrive. (There is a laboratory in this country which does this test. Those interested would need to fi nd a doctor with an interest in longevity to order it.)
To achieve this state of sublime ageing inertia, Johnson’s military-style regimen commences precisely at 4.53am every day. Early morning light exposure helps regulate our sleep-wake cycles, a foundation that seeds the robust energy enjoyed by our primordial ancestors, advises Johnson. His sleeping arrangements either on or very close to Mother Earth are minimalist eschewing traditional mattresses, as they release hormone-disrupting and flame-retardant chemicals. The principles in his eBook, The 9 Ancestral Tenets, peppered with macho profanities and the musclebound hulk of a bearded neanderthal lifting kettlebells and gorging greedily on mounds of animal flesh, appear to have undergone a dramatic makeover as his current eating program documented in exhaustive detail together with everything else he does on his website is exclusively vegan. Is this lad getting enough protein?
He wolfs down more than 100 supplements every day, takes a number of hormones and medications including rapamycin, a questionable addition, that might tinker adversely with the immune system, has a rigorous exercise schedule and relentlessly quantifies his progress with repeat MRIs, blood tests and other investigations. Indeed, he has the smooth, unwrinkled countenance of Peter Pan and the ripped torso of an Adonis. Some estimates suggest that this investment costs upwards of $1 million annually. I’d like to see him when he reaches my age.He wolfs down more than 100 supplements every day, takes a number of hormones and medications including rapamycin, a questionable addition, that might tinker adversely with the immune system, has a rigorous exercise schedule and relentlessly quantifies his progress with repeat MRIs, blood tests and other investigations. Indeed, he has the smooth, unwrinkled countenance of Peter Pan and the ripped torso of an Adonis. Some estimates suggest that this
investment costs upwards of $1 million annually. I’d like to see him when he reaches my age.
Article featured in WellBeing Magazine 211