Are Bryan Johnson’s New Supplements Worth the Splurge?
- By Rebekah Harding
- January 24, 2024
P
roject Blueprint founder Bryan Johnson is infamous for his intense biological age reversal protocol, which includes young blood infusions, dozens of daily supplements, and extreme intermittent fasting. Now, Johnson is monetizing his optimization journey with a new endeavor: his own supplement line. The first product, the Blueprint Essential Capsule, is a dietary supplement that packs 26 nutrients into one pill.
The Essential Capsules are “coming soon” sometime in 2024, but they’ve already garnered criticism from several longevity experts. On X, internal medicine physician Adam Bataineh, M.D. writes that he’s impressed with Johnson’s marketing, but not the actual product. Biologist Andrew Steele, Ph.D., slammed the safety and efficacy of several of the ingredients, many of which are still considered experimental, in a post on X.
So, are the pills worth a try or should you skip? We asked longevity expert Neil Paulvin, D.O., and registered dietitian Sydney Greene to weigh in on the safety and efficacy of Johnson’s debut supplement line.
About the Experts:
Dr. Neil Paulvin, D.O., is a longevity expert and regenerative medicine specialist with a 360-degree approach to health, lifestyle, and wellness. He specializes in creating customized supplement stacks based on individual deficiencies and dietary needs.
Sydney Greene, MS, RDN, is a registered dietitian and nutritionist. She’s passionate about debunking dangerous fad diets.
What’s in Bryan Johnson’s Essential Capsules?
Essential Capsules contain “clinical trial doses” of 26 supplements that Bryan Johnson currently takes for anti-aging. Project Blueprint only teases 25 of the 26 ingredients and their alleged benefits—hint: see the full list below.
Sydney Greene, M.S., R.D.N., expresses concern about many of these experimental ingredients being marketed as “essential.”
“The name is misleading,” Greene says. “Half of these ingredients are not essential for optimal health.”
Only 10 of these ingredients—aka, the key vitamins and minerals—are considered essential for the body, according to the National Institutes of Health (1). What’s more, Johnson’s capsules lack vitamin K, vitamin A, potassium, magnesium, and sodium, all of which are considered essential for health.
The Essential Capsules contain a few ingredients that are still considered experimental (meaning they haven’t undergone numerous clinical trials to prove their efficacy and safety in humans), including:
- Nicotinamide riboside: A short, placebo-controlled pilot study found that nicotinamide riboside increases blood levels of NAD+. NAD+ is a coenzyme which has been shown to improve brain function in some rodent studies. (2).
- Rhodiola Rosea Root extract: Small, preliminary studies suggest that plant extract may reduce stress symptoms from burnout (3).
- Genistein: This compound is thought to have anti-cancer properties. One small clinical trial found that genistein is safe to use in combination with chemotherapy for patients with colon cancer (4).
- Glucoraphanin: This plant compound is believed to prevent cancerous gene expression and combat inflammation (5).
- Luteolin: Pre-clinical trials suggest that luteolin may have antioxidant and ant-inflammatory properties. However, research shows that it has limited bioavailability—meaning that it takes a high dose for luteolin to be effective (6).
Are Essential Capsules safe?
While most of the vitamins and minerals in Essential Capsules are generally safe for consumption, according to Neil Paulvin, D.O., he expresses concern about the vague doses of each ingredient.
“Many people don’t need all of these supplements,” Paulvin says. Alternatively, you may require specific doses of specific vitamins and minerals, such as vitamin D and vitamin B12 based on blood work, he notes.
Another issue experts have with this nutrient-stuffed supplement? You roll the dice on whether certain ingredients will work well for your body—and which ones will potentially backfire. If you have an adverse reaction after taking the gargantuan supplement, it will be challenging to identify which nutrient(s) caused your symptoms, Paulvin explains.
So, Are Essential Capsules Worth It?
“If you’re looking for a general anti-aging supplement, this is just OK,” Paulvin says, adding that it’s actually missing some of the big anti-aging compounds. These include urolithin A, fatty-15, and taurine (7, 8, 9).
He notes that some of the essential vitamins and minerals included may be beneficial, especially if you have a known deficiency in any of them.
“I always recommend having lab work done first and foremost to find any vitamin and diet deficiencies,” Paulvin says. “Once the deficiencies are addressed, you can have your healthcare provider share recommendations on a specific anti-aging supplement plan.”
Greene also says the supplement isn’t worth it, for similar reasons Paulvin mentioned, and questions the hefty $57 price tag for just one month’s supply.
“I see this supplement as being a multivitamin, and you do not need to spend $57 on a multivitamin,” Greene says. “There are plenty of high quality options available at a lower price tag.”
And remember, it’s always a good idea to consult your doctor before adding a supplement to your routine.
References
1. National Institutes of Health. Vitamins and Minerals.
2. Orr, et al (2023). A randomized placebo-controlled trial of nicotinamide riboside in older adults with mild cognitive impairment.
3. Kasper, et al (2017). Multicenter, open-label, exploratory clinical trial with Rhodiola rosea extract in patients suffering from burnout symptoms.
4. Pintova, et al (2019). Genistein combined with FOLFOX or FOLFOX-Bevacizumab for the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer: phase I/II pilot study.
5. Marino, et al (2021). An Overview of Registered Clinical Trials on Glucosinolates and Human Health: The Current Situation.
6. Taheri, et al (2021). Paving Luteolin Therapeutic Potentialities and Agro-Food-Pharma Applications: Emphasis on In Vivo Pharmacological Effects and Bioavailability Traits.
7. Kothe, et al (2023). Urolithin A as a Potential Agent for Prevention of Age-Related Disease: A Scoping Review.
8. Venn-Watson, et al (2022). Broader and safer clinically-relevant activities of pentadecanoic acid compared to omega-3: Evaluation of an emerging essential fatty acid across twelve primary human cell-based disease systems.
9. Sheikh, et al (2023). Taurine as a potential anti-ageing therapy: the key to reversing the ageing process? Short communication.
