Bryan Johnson, known for his high-profile biohacking and audacious longevity goals, recently revealed a serious diagnosis: autoimmune gastritis, a condition he says is causing his stomach to “eat itself.” He outlined years of symptoms, failed fixes and a biopsy-backed diagnosis, and framed the setback as another problem he intends to investigate and try to cure using the tools he champions.
Johnson has long been open about pushing the limits of lifespan, saying at one point that “we may be the first generation who won’t die,” and planning a regimen aimed at extreme longevity. That commitment meant relentless attention to biomarkers, diets, intense training sessions, sauna work and cutting-edge therapies. The downside is that even the most obsessive routines can hide or complicate medical problems, and Johnson discovered that firsthand.
He shared bluntly on social media, “My stomach is eating itself,” and explained that the condition is autoimmune gastritis, often shortened to AIG. AIG attacks the stomach’s acid-producing cells, reduces stomach acid and interferes with vitamin B12 absorption, which can quietly sap energy and cause serious deficiencies over time. Johnson says the condition can be stealthy, lingering for years before people notice the full impact.
For Johnson the first sign was a stubborn iron problem: ferritin, the protein that stores iron, stayed low for more than a decade despite diet and supplementation. “Low iron stores get normalized and rarely investigated at all when anemia hasn’t shown up yet,” Johnson wrote. “That blind spot is what hid mine for a decade.” Those low ferritin numbers are central to how AIG slipped under the radar for him.
He detailed a long history of trying fixes that didn’t work: switching iron formulations, timing, and even stacking common biohacking strategies that actually raise iron demand. “We continually tried to raise my iron levels with food and supplementation, but nothing would work,” he said. He also noted that intense training, sauna sessions and hyperbaric oxygen therapy are all techniques he used that raise the body’s need for iron, which made the deficiency harder to hide.
To get clear answers Johnson underwent thorough testing: a colonoscopy, an upper endoscopy and five stomach biopsies. The pathology showed “clear signs of early autoimmune gastritis: early atrophy confined to the acid-producing lining,” confirming that the problem was structural and immune-driven rather than a simple nutritional oversight. Those biopsy results changed the conversation from management to investigation.
Johnson framed the diagnosis not as an endpoint but as a new project. “I’m going to try to solve it,” he wrote, and added, “Will share all.” He has staked a lot on the idea that modern tools—AI, multiomics, engineered proteins and custom cellular work—can push beyond current therapeutic limits. In his view, conditions written off as incurable should be reevaluated in an era where biological data and precision tools are advancing rapidly.
His larger mission remains intact: by 2039 he stated that “by 2039, my goal is immortality.” He hedged honestly, writing “I may fail at this task, but my team and I will try our best,” while also committing to transparent documentation of what he tries and learns. That public playbook approach is part accountability and part experiment, designed to accelerate discovery by exposing failures and small wins alike.
Johnson is candid about the roots of his health story, tracing it back to a youth of sugary cereal, soda and fast food, followed by the stress and weight gain of early parenthood and entrepreneurship. He says those decades of stress and poor habits contributed to autoimmune shifts that first touched his thyroid and later his stomach lining. The arc is familiar: early lifestyle choices combined with stress can create immune and metabolic vulnerabilities over time.
There is no established cure for AIG today, and the condition can increase risks like iron deficiency, B12 deficiency and even stomach cancer if left unrecognized. Johnson insists that in “the age of AI, multiomics, and custom-built DNA, proteins and cells, no condition should be presumed incurable simply because no one has yet tried to cure it with today’s stack.” He closed his updates with a call to care: “Care for yourself, care for others, care for the planet and care for our animal friends. Care for life, as it’s the most precious gift there is.”
