A Redditor Tried All of Billionaire Bryan Johnson’s (Many) Supplements at Once—It’s a Lot
What supplements does billionaire longevity enthusiast Bryan Johnson take? More or less an entire GNC's worth.
What supplements does billionaire longevity enthusiast Bryan Johnson take? More or less an entire GNC's worth.
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Spurred by (some) new science and more people focused on living longer, healthier lives, supplements are having a moment right now. But, as with all things, there are levels to this game. Where we might recommend a handful of supplements to combat aging, or perhaps to do things that support healthy aging (like boosting muscle growth), there are some that have taken the supplement to infinity and, well, beyond.
One such person is Bryan Johnson, a billionaire software entrepreneur and longevity zealot. Johnson’s life-prolonging regimen costs him in the neighborhood of $2 million a year, so his supplement stack is likely a drop in the bucket comparatively, but it is as extreme as his pursuit of age reversal.
Bryan Johnson’s supplement protocol is 27 supplements strong—twenty-seven, folks—which is a lot by any measure. But it can be difficult to visualize the ludicrousness that is 27 supplements. Providing a visual aide and a glimpse into what it’s like to take 27 supplements a day is Redditor /u/HabitsForLongevity in a post in the site’s supplements subreddit.
It turns out seeing 27 pill bottles is a lot more arresting than simply listing 27 supplements out. Johnson’s supplement protocol is robust, though it should be said other longevity nerds like Andrew Huberman have similarly massive supplement stacks on deck.
“I am trying to maximally slow the speed of my biological aging. My goal: one year of chronological time passes and my biological age stays the same. There is no magic pill for this,” Johnson’s site reads, with at least 50mg/daily of irony.
The reddit post is flooded with comments, predominantly suggesting the redditor that either they, Bryan Johnson, or a combination of the two are acting the fool. The sum total of the supplements pictured is $880, according to the poster, and comes out to roughly $20 a day in supplements.
As of posting, the redditor testing the supplement stack was on day 16 of their test, though not without complications.
“[On day 7] I noticed some rashes and after seeing a specialist, decided to stop taking all the supplements. I’ve since reintroduced over half of them and haven’t had any issues, but I still haven’t pinpointed the culprit.”
Why take so many supplements? What are they all for? The answer to either question is the same: we only know Bryan Johnson really wants to reverse the aging process and effectively de-age, but anything more specific than that isn’t knowable.
It should be said, though, that the benefits of some of the supplements used here are supported by scientific evidence. Rapamycin, for instance, is a promising anti-aging drug first though to increase lifespan by inhibiting mTOR signaling, which is a fancy way of saying it decreases the likelihood of developing cancer and the frequency of inflammation. Vitamin B12 supplementation for low energy, fatigue, depression, or a host of other symptoms isn’t uncommon and is supported by research. Metformin was originally a drug used exclusively by diabetics to lower the amount of sugar your body produces, but it’s anti-aging properties have made it a popular and promising product for those looking to live longer.
Suffice to say, we can’t account for all the products in Johnson’s mountain of supplements, but they shouldn’t be discarded at face value. We recommend speaking with your doctor before jumping on any supplement regimen.
For a complete list of Johnson’s supplement stack, with exact dosage and timing included, head to his Project Blueprint site, which tracks his goal of reversing aging. It’s step two in his “starter’s guide” to the Blueprint lifestyle.