Biohacker Bryan Johnson diagnosed with incurable autoimmune disease after years of unexplained symptoms

Bryan Johnson, the 48-year-old American tech multimillionaire and self-described biohacker, has been diagnosed with autoimmune gastritis (AIG), an incurable condition in which the immune system attacks the stomach lining. The diagnosis, made in May 2026, explains a decade-long struggle with unexplained low iron levels and adds a twist to his widely publicised quest to defeat death through extreme lifestyle interventions.

A long-running medical mystery

For 11 years, Johnson’s blood tests showed persistently low ferritin, a marker of iron stores. Dietary changes and supplements failed to raise the levels, and a colonoscopy found no polyps or cancer. Only in early 2026 did his medical team piece together the clues: iron absorption depends on stomach acid, and Johnson’s acid production appeared impaired. A stomach biopsy confirmed autoimmune gastritis. Johnson also has a history of autoimmune thyroid disease, diagnosed at age 21, which often co-occurs with gastric autoimmunity.

My stomach is eating itself.

What the diagnosis means

Autoimmune gastritis causes chronic inflammation that thins the stomach lining over time, leading to nutrient malabsorption, iron-deficiency anaemia and an elevated risk of stomach cancer. The condition affects an estimated 2 to 5 percent of the population, though it is frequently underdiagnosed. There is no approved therapy that can reverse the damage; standard care focuses on monitoring and managing complications.

Conventional medicine gives up and says there is nothing to do but keep the condition under control.

The world’s most quantified life

Johnson spends roughly $1 million per year on his longevity programme, called Immortals Care, which involves a 30-person team, a strict vegan diet of 1,977 calories per day, more than 100 daily pills, and experimental treatments such as blood plasma transfusions from his teenage son. His daily routines, down to sleep measured to the minute, were documented in the Netflix film Don’t Die: The Man Who Wanted to Be Eternal.

A tech-driven counterattack

Johnson refuses to accept the incurability of his disease. He has assembled a new medical team and intends to design his own treatment using artificial intelligence, genetic engineering and custom-designed proteins and cells.

In the era of artificial intelligence and custom design of DNA, proteins and cells, no condition should be considered incurable, simply because no one has yet tried to cure it with today’s technologies.