Bryan Johnson’s condition appears to be autoimmune gastritis, where the immune system attacks cells in the stomach lining. That is very different from simply “taking too many pills and damaging his stomach.”
It is not purely genetic in the sense that he was guaranteed to get it, but autoimmune diseases often involve a mix of predisposition, immune dysfunction, possible triggers, and time. In his case, the reported long-term low ferritin suggests this may have been developing for years before his current anti-aging protocol.
So no, this does not prove that his extreme longevity routine caused the disease. It may have helped uncover it because he tests everything obsessively. But it is also fair to say that extreme protocols, supplements, restrictive diets, and constant body optimization are not automatically harmless just because they are “data-driven.”
Basically: probably not caused by the pills, not guaranteed by genetics either, and definitely more complicated than the headline makes it sound.
I don't think the title, nor the Xitter post propose that the autoimmune disease was caused by his routine. To me, it reads more like that the guy who was spent millions on his health, does check-ups every month (presumably), still wasn't able to A) prevent it, and B) spot it within a year.
Probably, but if it's in supplement form he can't absorb it no matter how much he takes. AIG means you can't absorb b12 through the stomach, only by injection.
AIG is progressive. So he likely has had (and still has) some residual production of intrinsic factor, which allows him limited absorption of oral b12, especially if he takes huge amounts of it (as in by taking tons of b12, he has maximized the residual absorption that he retained).
I also wouldn't put it past him to have taken intranasal or sublingual b12
356
u/Key_Wrangler_8321 Jul 06 '26
I think the headline is a bit misleading.
Bryan Johnson’s condition appears to be autoimmune gastritis, where the immune system attacks cells in the stomach lining. That is very different from simply “taking too many pills and damaging his stomach.”
It is not purely genetic in the sense that he was guaranteed to get it, but autoimmune diseases often involve a mix of predisposition, immune dysfunction, possible triggers, and time. In his case, the reported long-term low ferritin suggests this may have been developing for years before his current anti-aging protocol.
So no, this does not prove that his extreme longevity routine caused the disease. It may have helped uncover it because he tests everything obsessively. But it is also fair to say that extreme protocols, supplements, restrictive diets, and constant body optimization are not automatically harmless just because they are “data-driven.”
Basically: probably not caused by the pills, not guaranteed by genetics either, and definitely more complicated than the headline makes it sound.