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Biohacker hoping to live to 160 reveals alarming diagnosis: 'My stomach is eating itself'

Fox News Staff
Biohacker hoping to live to 160 reveals alarming diagnosis: 'My stomach is eating itself'
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Bryan Johnson, a biohacker and longevity guru who has claimed "we may be the first generation who won’t die," revealed he has an autoimmune condition causing his stomach to "eat itself."

The Los Angeles-based tech entrepreneur, 48, has previously shared publicly that he is hoping to live until the year 2140, when he would in theory be 160 years old.

Now, Johnson says he has been diagnosed with autoimmune gastritis (AIG), a chronic autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks the stomach's acid-producing parietal cells, reducing stomach acid and impairing vitamin B12 absorption, according to Nature Reviews Disease Primers.

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"My stomach is eating itself," he wrote in an Instagram post. Johnson also shared that anywhere from 2% to 5% of people likely have this disease.

"I’m going to try to solve it," Johnson went on. "Will share all."

Bryan Johnson longevity guru

Bryan Johnson, a biohacker and longevity guru who has claimed "we may be the first generation who won’t die," revealed he has an autoimmune condition causing his stomach to "eat itself." (Getty Images)

The biohacker shared that as a child, he ate sugary cereal, drank sugary soda and "gobbled down fast food."

"I became a young father of three and began building a business," Johnson went on. "Juggling that stress and grind, I let my health slip and gained 40 lbs. Within a few years I’d fallen into a deep, chronic depression."

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"Somewhere in that timeline, my body began developing an autoimmune process affecting my thyroid and then my stomach lining," he added.

Fox News Digital reached out to Johnson for comment.

AIG can remain hidden and can be challenging to diagnose, Johnson noted, often surfacing years after damage has already occurred to the stomach. It can cause iron deficiency, B12 deficiency and anemia, and can also increase the risk of stomach cancer, the expert warned.

"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."

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He also shared that for 11 years, he has had low levels of ferritin, a protein that stores iron inside the body's cells. Ferritin releases iron when the body needs it, supports muscle function and carries out other essential processes.

"We continually tried to raise my iron levels with food and supplementation, but nothing would work," he said.

Bryan Johnson biohacker speaking

The Los Angeles-based tech entrepreneur, 48, has previously shared publicly that he is hoping to live until the year 2140. (Getty Images)

Johnson acknowledged that some common biohacking techniques — including hard training, sauna and hyperbaric oxygen — all raise the body’s demand for iron.

"But none of them explained the core failure: Despite me taking iron orally, trailing every formulation and using every timing trick, none of the iron would stick."

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Johnson underwent a colonoscopy and upper endoscopy, which examined his entire intestinal tract. Five biopsies were also taken from his stomach, which found "clear signs of early autoimmune gastritis: early atrophy confined to the acid-producing lining."

In January 2026, the biohacker stated in a post on his website that "by 2039, my goal is immortality."

Bryan Johnson longevity guru on stage

"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," Johnson said in his post. (Getty Images)

He detailed his strategy for defying aging, which includes embracing a strict regimen to slow or stop biological aging, using AI to accelerate longevity research, testing new treatments in lab-grown cells and organs, and reaching "longevity escape velocity" — in which medical advances would eventually extend lifespan faster than he ages.

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"I may fail at this task, but my team and I will try our best," he wrote at the time.

There is currently no cure for AIG, which Johnson said he wants to change.

Hyperbaric treatment center

Johnson acknowledged that some common biohacking techniques — including hard training, sauna and hyperbaric oxygen — all raise the body’s demand for iron. (iStock)

"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."

Johnson ended his post by urging others to prioritize their health.

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"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."

The longevity guru also shared an image showing the detailed findings of his five stomach biopsies.