Biohacker and entrepreneur Bryan Johnson has revealed an ambitious research plan to try to cure his autoimmune gastritis, describing it as an approach that, according to his team, has never before been attempted for an autoimmune disease.
In a post on X, Johnson said he was diagnosed with autoimmune gastritis (AIG) in May after doctors identified the condition through a stomach tissue biopsy. He explained that the disease causes the immune system to mistakenly attack the stomach lining, reducing the body's ability to absorb nutrients such as iron and vitamin B12 and potentially increasing the risk of stomach cancer over time.
Johnson believes the condition may have begun decades ago, linking it to his diagnosis of hypothyroidism at the age of 21. He added that years of focusing on his health may have prevented the disease from progressing further, while noting that many people with AIG remain undiagnosed because the condition often develops without obvious symptoms.
Rejecting what he described as the current standard approach to treatment, Johnson outlined a five-step strategy aimed at understanding and eventually stopping the autoimmune attack.
The first step involves accurately diagnosing the disease. Johnson said autoimmune gastritis is frequently missed because early signs, including low iron and vitamin B12 levels, may not be accompanied by visible anaemia. He added that routine colonoscopies cannot detect the condition because they examine the lower digestive tract rather than the stomach, and even stomach biopsies may miss affected areas if tissue samples are not taken from the right locations.
