In a recent Fortune interview, tech CEO Byran Johnson—whose $2 million reverse aging regimen caught the internet’s attention—says he wants to live long to enjoy more of what life offers.
“I love life,” Johnson says, whose rigid medical interventions have given him the heart health of a 37-year-old, skin of a 28-year-old and lung capacity of an 18-year-old, according to his team of doctors. “If we can dramatically show that aging can be slowed and reversed, it would change everything for the human race.”
He adds: “Am I scared of dying? No.”
A few years ago, Johnson says he learned to fly a plane, receiving his flying license.
“It was stunning to me how well the autopilot flew the plane,” he says. “I wondered, could I build an autopilot for me and my body.” In order to do that, he has put faith on medicine and technology.
Bryan Johnson’s daily routine
His fascination led him to adhere to a strict approach with the goal of reversing aging with the help of a team of 30 from nutritionists to MRI specialists. He undergoes daily body fat scans, routine MRIs, and often, invasive blood and stool sample tests to see the biological age of his organs.
He has 100 different protocols embedded in his day, he says. Johnson consumes a precise 1,977 calories a day, and over 70 pounds of vegetables a month. His breakfast is a standard mix of broccoli, cauliflower, black lentils, mushroom, garlic, and ginger, followed by a meal of “nutty pudding” with nuts and berries, and finally, a meal of vegetables, berries, nuts, and seeds (along with 15 grams of 100% dark chocolate and 30 milliliters of extra virgin olive oil). He admits to ending his three ounces of red wine a day he used to consume in order to meet the metrics.
With a wakeup at 4:30 each morning, Johnson completes 35 different exercises and takes a list of supplements. It has all been a part of his Blueprint Project, where he measures the health of his organs to determine his rate of aging. He says he plans to continue this regimen forever.
‘A walking experiment’
But the data, and the effect his endeavors have on his biological age, is preliminary.
While aging and longevity experts find Johnson’s commitment fascinating, they say it poses a concern given the level of discipline and money required to upkeep the routine—not to mention, the limited science available to back up his choices.
In many ways, he is “a walking experiment,” Dan Buettner, longevity expert and founder of Blue Zones LLC, previously told Fortune. He adds that he is still “worth paying attention to,” although results in a decade from now will prove more fruitful.
“I applaud anybody who’s tried to use science to live longer…eventually, there’s going to be an intervention that’s going to represent a big leap in life expectancy,” he says. “I don’t think it’s here yet.”
But the uncertainty of whether or not Johnson’s approach will succeed doesn't seem to bother him. "Is the fountain of youth here right now hiding in tens of thousands of scientific publications and really hard work?” he says.
The wealthy CEO does not mind being the guinea pig.
“Let's play an infinite game together,” he tells Fortune. “None of this stems from fear; it all comes from an absolute joy for life and a belief that there are majestic things that await us in our next evolution.”
