Updated
Updated · Bored Panda · Jul 6
Bryan Johnson Reveals 11-Year Autoimmune Gastritis Missed Despite $2 Million-a-Year Health Regimen
Updated
Updated · Bored Panda · Jul 6

Bryan Johnson Reveals 11-Year Autoimmune Gastritis Missed Despite $2 Million-a-Year Health Regimen

3 articles · Updated · Bored Panda · Jul 6

Summary

  • Bryan Johnson said doctors diagnosed him in May with autoimmune gastritis, a chronic condition with no approved cure, after it likely went undetected for more than 11 years.
  • Repeatedly low ferritin levels were the main clue, but normal hemoglobin and hematocrit led earlier doctors to dismiss iron deficiency as diet, exercise and sauna-related rather than investigate further.
  • A colonoscopy first ruled out internal bleeding, then blood tests showed anti-parietal cell antibodies at more than five times normal and stomach biopsies confirmed early-stage disease despite no obvious endoscopy damage.
  • The 48-year-old said autoimmune gastritis can impair iron and vitamin B12 absorption and raise long-term stomach cancer risk; he has already received a 1,000-mg iron infusion.
  • Johnson, who has hypothyroidism and spends about $2 million a year on his anti-aging Blueprint program, said he is assembling a research team to pursue experimental ways to slow or stop the autoimmune process.

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