Biohacker Bryan Johnson has explained why he’s ditched a purported anti-ageing drug despite his ongoing efforts to try and ‘live forever’.

Johnson, who is 47 years old but claims to have the heart health of a 37-year-old, spends as much as $2 million a year on research and trials to try and reduce his biological age.

His efforts have included ‘editing’ his DNA and sharing blood with his family members, and he’s also described taking a cocktail of supplements and drugs to ward off ageing.

Bryan Johnson says his organs are younger than his actual age (Kyle Grillot/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Among those drugs was rapamycin; a drug typically used to treat conditions such as cancer or lung diseases, but which has also been studied for its anti-ageing properties.

It was this latter use that Johnson was interested in as he took part in ‘almost 5 years of experimentation with this molecule for its longevity potential’.

However, in a post on Twitter shared in recent weeks, Johnson announced that he stopped taking rapamycin in September 2024.

The biohacker told his followers he’d been testing the drug in various different ways, switching up dosages and schedules to ‘optimize rejuvenation and limit side effects’.

But while pre-clinical trials revealed ‘immense potential’, Johnson revealed a concerning finding: the drug could actually have been speeding up the ageing process due to its side-effects.

Johnson listed the symptoms he’d experienced from taking the drug, including ‘intermittent skin/soft tissue infections, lipid abnormalities, glucose elevations, and increased resting heart rate’.

Johnson said the drug was not worth the side-effects (David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Research cited by the National Library of Medicine has indicated a link between a higher resting heart rate and increased risk of cardiovascular disease, meaning the symptom experienced by Johnson could have detrimental effects in the long term.

He went on to site research published in October that indicated rapamycin was ‘one of a handful of supposed longevity interventions to cause an increase/acceleration of aging in humans across 16 epigenetic aging clocks’.

With that in mind, Johnson explained: “My team and I came to the conclusion that the benefits of lifelong dosing of Rapamycin do not justify the hefty side-effects.

“With no other underlying causes identified, we suspected Rapamycin, and since dosage adjustments had no effect, we decided to discontinue it entirely.”

“Longevity research around these experimental compounds is constantly evolving, necessitating ongoing, close observation of the research and my biomarkers which my team and I do constantly,” he added.

Though Johnson has decided to stop using rapamycin, his mission to reverse ageing is ongoing, and he continues to shares insights and updates with his followers.

A biohacker who is spending a staggering $2 million a year to reverse his biological age claims he’s beat balding and stopped going gray.

Bryan Johnson is taking part in a lengthy and intense experimental medical program in the hope of looking a lot younger than he actually is.

Whether it be following a strict diet, or using his son’s blood, the biohacker is doing everything he can to make his body as young as possible again.

And speaking in a recent YouTube video, the 46-year-old spoke about how his transformation has allowed him to keep his hair.

“Genetically I should be bald,” he said at the outset of the video.

The biohacker then took his followers through the three tactics he uses to keep his locks looking so luscious – a routine that is part of his project to stay young.

“The best time to work on your hair is before you start losing it,” Johnson insisted, before saying that folks in their 20s should be thinking about and implementing precautionary measures before their hair starts to disappear.

Instagram/@bryanjohnson_

So, the first thing Johnson does every morning is embark on red light therapy, which sees the tech guru wearing a battery-powered red light therapy cap for six minutes.

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Man spending $2 million a year to reverse age could end up harming his body

Full breakdown of biohacker Bryan Johnson’s daily routine

Johnson says this handy device ‘increases blood flow and also stimulates hair follicle activity.’

After using his cap, Johnson applies a topical treatment.

“I apply this topical to my scalp on a daily basis,” Johnson said in the video. “You’ve probably heard of topicals like Rogaine and Minoxidil 5% – both are effective.”

Apparently, using this formula once in the morning and once in the evening can allow aggressive hair growth.

And the third and final tactic involves the process of microneedling, which Johnson does to ‘enhance the effects of the topicals’.

This procedure involves a medical professional using a roller with small needles equipped, which is moved over areas of hair loss to create punctures in the skin.

These small injuries caused by the needles are said to help provoke hair growth.

Johnson is additionally trying out laser treatment to help with his anti-ageing treatment and has told fans he will keep them updated with the results.

Bryan Johnson/YouTube

Johnson first noticed those dreaded gray hairs in his 20s – something he contributed to his lifestyle.

“It was kind of a crazy time in my life,’ he recalled.

‘I was building Braintree, Venmo, I had three little babies, I was in a challenging relationship, trying to leave my born into religion … a lot going on. Also, I was really depressed.”

Now, Johnson uses GR7, an anti-hair loss and anti-gray treatment, and Mayraki, a herbal extract that he applies once a week.

And nowadays, Johnson is looking as fresh as ever.

A self-described ‘biohacker’ has shared how he travelled to a remote island in order to undergo a procedure to ‘live forever’.

The old adage may say that nothing is certain in life but death and taxes, but clearly no-one told millionaire ‘biohacker’ Bryan Johnson, who wants to ‘live forever’.

Johnson lives by an extremely strict regimen, including using his own son’s blood, in order to try and and increase his life expectancy.

In addition to his restrictive lifestyle centred around diet and exercise, Johnson also frequently shares the latest ‘treatments’ that he is undergoing.

The latest of these has seen the millionaire travelling to an island in Honduras to undergo a treatment called ‘gene therapy’.

He shared the story of the procedure in a video on YouTube with a title straight of a Bond film: ‘I Edited My DNA On A Secret Island (To Live Forever).’

But why does Johnson want to change his DNA?

In the video, he explained that this is because of how long human beings can generally live.

Bryan Johnson has spent millions to reverse aging. (Instagram/@bryanjohnson_)

Johnson explained: “Humans have a 120-year ceiling and so far no one can punch through it – gene therapy might be the answer.

“I never imagined I would be doing gene therapy on an island off the coast of Honduras.”

He added: “Their target: follistatin gene therapy. A pioneering technology with the potential to improve muscle and strength [and] slow the speed of aging and many more benefits.”

The millionaire explained that the procedure involves an injection in the stomach and in the buttocks.

It also costs $20,000, so not exactly cheap.

The co-founder and CEO Mac Davis explained that the procedure involves using a plasmid.

No, that’s not the thing from the video game Bioshock, it’s actually a molecule of DNA which can replicate independently within a cell.

Bryan Johnson has gone to absurd lengths to reverse the aging process. (Instagram/@bryanjohnson_)

Davis said: “We designed was a plasmid, a circular loop of DNA, that was easy to subcutaneously inject, easy to manufacture and could be loaded with any gene that we wanted to add to the human body.”

Johnson explained that he has previously avoided treatment involving DNA due to concerns around cancer.

He said: “If a therapy caused say cancer in my body there’d be nothing I could do to reverse the process.”

Johnson added: “What makes Minicircle therapy different is that it has a built-in kill switch if my body reacts badly I can take the antibiotic tetracycline instantly killing and deactivating the DNA molecules I’ve been injected with.”

As for why he travelled to Honduras, it’s because the treatment is not actually FDA approved in the US.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last few years, you’ve likely heard of a man called Bryan Johnson.

Mr Biohacker himself has spent millions of dollars to fend off the effects of aging.

Alongside help received from doctors and health experts, Johnson, who is biologically 46, has taken up treatments to achieve the body of an 18-year-old.

His ambitious plan to make him look a lot younger involves a strict diet, exercise and a meticulous sleep routine.

Johnson also embarks on a number of different medical procedures ranging from regular blood tests and infusing himself with a litre of his son’s plasma to ‘painful’ shock therapy on his penis. Yep, I know.

Now, the biohacker has turned his attention to his oral health, claiming there is a way to go from rotting teeth to a white and bright smile.

Speaking in a recent YouTube video, Johnson said: “I used to have terrible oral health. My dentist now reports ‘you have the gums of a healthy teenager’.

“By following this routine and sticking to a Blueprint diet, my mouth is the healthiest it’s ever been in my adult life.”

Bryan Johnson has spent millions to reverse aging. (Instagram/@bryanjohnson_)

He added: “My teeth were literally rotting I was losing attachment on my gums my teeth were not in a good place I had a lot of sugar in my diet – the situation was not good.”

According to Johnson, there are four baseline level measurements required to your assess oral hygiene before the extensive regime can commence.

The biohacker first advises to look at the pocket depth of teeth, he explained: “You want to see how deep that is. If it’s 1 to 3mm you’re in good shape, if it’s four to five it needs some work.”

Next Johnson says you want to check the firmness of the tooth in the gum, and then monitoring the plaque index – the hardened plaque around the tooth.

And the fourth check you want to complete is how easy or hard it is for your gums to bleed.

The biohacker has advised how to get the ‘healthiest’ teeth. (YouTube/BryanJohnson)

Bryan Johnson’s routine for the ‘healthiest’ teeth

The biohacker’s eight-minute dental routine begins with a waterpik.

“It’s a high pressure stream of water that comes out like a hose and you run it along the gum line around your entire teeth,” he explained.

Next up is flossing and then Johnson uses an electric toothbrush to actually brush his teeth.

“You may prefer a manual and that’s just fine – find the one that’s right for you,” he encouraged.

A tongue scraper then follows. Johnson said: “The tongue gets kind of dirty just like the teeth do and it needs a cleaning – just like the teeth do.”

And to round off the rather long routine, Johnson uses xylitol mouthwash and a bruxism device to stop his teeth from grinding.

It’s probably best to consult with your own dentist before trying out this routine for yourself.