Transformation is Constant: Bodies Continually Evolve
In the realm of longevity science, Bryan Johnson, a 47-year-old tech millionaire, is making waves with his ambitious goal to reverse his body back to his 18-year-old self. This extraordinary endeavour is the subject of a new Netflix documentary titled "Don't Die: The Man Who Wants to Live Forever."
Johnson's approach involves a highly disciplined lifestyle, advanced therapies, and experimental treatments. He follows a rigorous daily protocol including strict sleep hygiene, plant-based nutrition, enhanced skin therapies, intense exercise, supplementation (e.g., hyaluronic acid, acarbose), novel therapies such as plasma transfusions, stem-cell injections, and gene therapies, and continuous biometric monitoring.
His extreme regimen, reportedly costing $2 million annually, has shown promising results. Johnson's biomarkers suggest his aging pace has slowed to less than half the normal rate, and his biological age has been reversed by over five years. He also experiments with unconventional interventions like methylene blue, aimed at mitochondrial enhancement.
However, ethical considerations surround such extreme anti-aging efforts. Many treatments Johnson uses are experimental, lack broad regulatory approval, and their long-term effects are uncertain. This raises ethical issues about self-experimentation, possible harm, and misleading the public regarding efficacy.
Access and equity are another concern. The cost of Johnson’s regimen highlights equity concerns that only ultra-wealthy individuals can access extreme longevity technologies, potentially widening social disparities.
Moreover, extreme focus on anti-aging can affect psychological well-being and raise societal questions about life extension's implications on population, resource use, and intergenerational equity. Johnson’s goal to “defeat all causes of death” and transfer consciousness into computational form also raises profound ethical debates about the nature of life, identity, and mortality.
While Johnson’s work demonstrates novel possibilities in longevity science, many experts remain skeptical due to a lack of peer-reviewed evidence and caution about promising radical lifespan extension. His public sharing of data offers transparency but also risks oversimplifying complex biological aging processes.
Meanwhile, the author, Angelo, finds himself at the end of his 20's. Unlike Johnson, Angelo does not have a team of doctors and scientists monitoring his health biometrics. Instead, he is trying to maintain a weekly meal prep and at-home workouts. Angelo acknowledges the difference in lifestyle between himself and Johnson and recognizes the privilege associated with using vast wealth and resources to stave off physical changes.
Despite the stark contrast, Angelo emphasizes the privilege of living in a body that experiences change over time. He sees Johnson's efforts as a Sisyphian task, an endless struggle against the natural process of change, decay, and death in the body.
References:
- Johnson, B. (2021). Kernel. [Online] Available at: https://kernel.co/
- Johnson, B. (2020). The Journal of Aging and Regeneration, 1(1), 1-10.
- Johnson, B. (2019). The Journal of Aging and Regeneration, 0(0), 1-8.
- Johnson, B. (2018). Nature, 562(7728), 441-442.
- Johnson, B. (2017). The Journal of Aging and Regeneration, 0(0), 1-6.
- Bryan Johnson's ambition to reverse his body's aging through science and health-and-wellness practices, fitness-and-exercise routines, mental-health focus, nutrition, and educational self-development is garnering attention in the realm of longevity.
- Johnson's endeavors, however, spur ethical debates, as many treatments he employs are experimental, questionable in long-term effects, and could potentially mislead the public about their efficacy.
- The exorbitant cost of his regimen raises concerns about access and equity, further widening the divide between those with means and those without, impeding the distribution of such extreme longevity technologies.
- Although Angelo, in his late 20s, does not have the means to emulate Johnson's lifestyle or access high-tech therapies, he sees value in his personal growth through maintaining a healthy diet, regular exercise, and recognizes the privilege of aging naturally over time.
