In a late June post on the social media platform X, Bryan Johnson, a millionaire and renowned anti-aging expert, revealed his diagnosis of autoimmune gastritis (AIG). This condition occurs when the immune system attacks the stomach lining itself.

Calling this "bad news", the millionaire shared, "I have an autoimmune disease. My stomach is self-destructing". He added that approximately 2-5% of the population experiences a similar condition, and the actual rate could be higher as the disease often progresses silently.

Medically, AIG is a chronic autoimmune disorder where the body's immune system mistakenly attacks cells in the stomach wall. These cells are responsible for secreting digestive acid and a special protein that helps the body absorb vitamin B12. Over time, this erroneous attack damages the stomach's protective lining, leading to a gradual loss of ability to absorb iron and vitamin B12, resulting in severe deficiency and weakness.

Tech entrepreneur Bryan Johnson. Photo: Magdalena Wosinska

For many patients, symptoms primarily stem from these nutritional deficiencies rather than the inflammation in the stomach itself. Common manifestations include prolonged fatigue and weakness, low iron levels or iron-deficiency anemia, and vitamin B12 deficiency leading to numbness, tingling, loss of balance, or memory impairment. Patients may also experience pale skin, shortness of breath, loss of appetite, bloating, nausea, upper abdominal discomfort, and mouth ulcers.

The tech entrepreneur believes that years of consuming sugary cereals, soft drinks, fast food, and enduring prolonged stress in the past were the triggers for his autoimmune conditions.

His unhealthy lifestyle during childhood, coupled with the pressure of starting a business and raising three children, led him to neglect his health, resulting in weight gain and chronic depression. This period is believed to be when the autoimmune process began, affecting both his thyroid and stomach lining.

Bryan Johnson stated that he discovered he had hypothyroidism at age 21 through a routine blood test. Since then, he has managed the condition by using hormone replacement medications like levothyroxine and Armour Thyroid. The entrepreneur explained that these are hormones the body should produce naturally but his thyroid does not, and daily intake of these pills helps his body function normally as if his thyroid were healthy.

Additionally, Johnson's stomach had begun attacking itself. This disease progressed silently, causing no symptoms, and was missed for many years, only being detected last May. The millionaire noted that autoimmune gastritis can cause irreversible damage, including nutrient deficiencies, anemia, and an increased long-term risk of stomach cancer.

Early warning signs of the disease appeared 11 years ago when his ferritin levels, which indicate the body's iron stores, were consistently low despite his red blood cell counts not yet showing anemia. All efforts to raise iron levels through a plant-based diet, supplements combined with high-intensity exercise, saunas, and hyperbaric oxygen therapy yielded no results.

To determine the cause, he underwent a colonoscopy, which ruled out the risk of slow bleeding in the digestive tract. However, a subsequent upper gastrointestinal endoscopy combined with five stomach biopsies helped detect early-stage autoimmune gastritis. These biopsy samples showed early mucosal atrophy localized only to the acid-secreting region, with other parts of the stomach remaining unaffected.

"It turns out this wasn't a single disease, but three closely related health issues: iron deficiency, with autoimmune gastritis being the root cause, and an autoimmune thyroid condition occurring simultaneously," Johnson wrote.

To treat autoimmune gastritis at its root, he implemented an intensive medical approach: drawing a large blood sample for analysis and gene mapping (sequencing) of over one million immune cells. According to him, the goal is to precisely identify the specific immune cell populations attacking his stomach lining.

The entrepreneur likens immune cells to soldiers carrying unique "keys" and explained that advanced sequencing technology can identify the faulty immune cells causing autoimmune gastritis. Johnson stated that once these immune cells are identified, the analysis results will help determine the most suitable therapy to target and suppress this autoimmune attack.

Bryan Johnson is an American entrepreneur and investor. He is also passionate about improving health and extending lifespan, investing in biological research projects to slow aging and enhance quality of life. Johnson has previously sparked controversy for adopting extreme methods such as high-dose nutritional smoothies, red light therapy, and even injecting his son's blood for rejuvenation.

Binh Minh (According to Times of India, Health and Me, X)