Billionaire who spent $2M a year on anti-aging — including his teen son's blood — diagnosed with incurable autoimmune disease

Bryan Johnson, the Silicon Valley billionaire who has poured vast sums into an anti-aging project under the motto "Don't Die," has revealed he has been diagnosed with an incurable autoimmune disease. The disclosure comes from a man who once received blood transfusions from his teenage son in pursuit of staying young.

According to the British newspaper The Telegraph on Monday (local time), Johnson, 50, announced on Instagram on June 30 that he has autoimmune gastritis. "I have an autoimmune disease. My stomach is eating itself," he wrote. He said he was diagnosed with the condition in May.

Autoimmune gastritis is a condition in which the immune system attacks the stomach's own mucosal cells rather than an external pathogen. As the parietal cells that produce stomach acid are destroyed, acid production declines and overall stomach function deteriorates.

The disease can interfere with iron absorption and cause deficiency anemia, and chronic inflammation may raise the risk of stomach cancer over time. Although classified as a rare disease, its exact prevalence is unknown. Johnson said 2 to 5 percent of people have the condition and that there is currently no cure.

Johnson speculated that the cause may be linked to a childhood diet heavy in sugary cereals and fast food, or to a period in his early 20s when his health declined and he gained weight. However, medical experts say there is insufficient evidence to establish a direct connection between diet and autoimmune gastritis.

"Autoimmune gastritis leads to nutritional deficiencies, anemia, and long-term increased cancer risk," Johnson said. "The current medical system essentially gives up when this disease is found. No matter how serious or potentially fatal it may be, they say there is nothing that can be done beyond management."

He said he is now conducting research using blood tests to identify the immune cells attacking his stomach lining. "Once we identify them, we can find a treatment pathway to suppress those cells," he said.

Johnson sold the payment-processing company he founded in 2013 for $800 million and has since channeled enormous sums into his anti-aging project. He spends roughly $2 million a year running a team of doctors and researchers and maintaining a regimen of tests, diet, exercise and sleep management. He has claimed his heart functions like that of a 37-year-old, his skin like a 28-year-old's, his lungs like an 18-year-old's and his gums like a 17-year-old's.

In 2023, he drew worldwide attention when he underwent transfusions of his teenage son's blood, hoping it could reverse cellular aging. He later acknowledged the experiment had failed to produce the results he had expected.

The diagnosis has prompted some observers to call it a demonstration of the limits of "biohacking" — the use of cutting-edge technology and vast wealth to slow aging. The fact that even Johnson, with his relentless regimen of advanced health monitoring and precision testing, could not avoid an autoimmune disease has renewed attention to the idea that delaying aging and preventing illness may be two entirely separate challenges.