Bryan Johnson: Man who wants to live forever diagnosed with incurable stomach condition

Bryan Johnson, the 48-year-old tech entrepreneur spending millions annually to reverse ageing, has revealed he has been diagnosed with autoimmune gastritis (AIG), a chronic and currently incurable disease in which his immune system is attacking his own stomach lining.

Johnson, best known for his extreme ‘Blueprint’ protocol involving rigorous diet, exercise, supplements, sleep tracking and experimental treatments, shared the news on X on Wednesday, July 8, 2026.

“In May, I got diagnosed with autoimmune gastritis (AIG). We found it by taking a tissue biopsy of my stomach. My stomach is eating itself,” he wrote.

Hidden health battle

Johnson said his condition was confirmed in May after doctors performed a targeted stomach biopsy, explaining that autoimmune gastritis is often missed because symptoms develop gradually.

He noted that low iron and vitamin B12 levels can be early warning signs, but many patients remain undiagnosed because they do not initially develop obvious anaemia.

Johnson believes the disease may have begun decades ago when he was diagnosed with autoimmune hypothyroidism at the age of 21.

“I feel fortunate that I’ve been taking such good care of my body for the past five years as my condition would otherwise be much more severe,” he said.

He added that millions of people could be living with the disease without knowing it.

Seeking new treatments

Despite working with a 30-member medical team and spending millions of dollars annually on health optimisation, the condition remained undetected for more than a decade, highlighting how silently autoimmune gastritis can develop.

Rather than accepting the diagnosis as incurable, Johnson says he intends to pursue cutting-edge research.

“No condition should be presumed incurable simply because no one has yet tried to cure it,” he said.

His team is now sequencing one million of his immune cells while exploring advanced therapies, including potential CAR-T treatments, to address the root cause of the disease rather than simply managing its symptoms.

Johnson has already corrected his iron deficiency through intravenous iron infusions.

The diagnosis has also highlighted the current limitations of longevity science, showing that even the most advanced health optimisation strategies cannot always prevent complex immune disorders.

Johnson, however, remains committed to his long-term ambition of living to 160 years or beyond.

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