r/technology • u/AdSpecialist6598 • Jul 08 '26

Society Bryan Johnson, the millionaire biohacker who wants to live forever, diagnosed with incurable autoimmune disease

https://www.techspot.com/news/113035-bryan-johnson-millionaire-biohacker-who-wants-live-forever.html
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u/T3Medusa Jul 08 '26

Any auto-immune disease is serious. Autoimmune diseases increase risk of cancer, increase likelihood of developing other autoimmune diseases, keep your immune system overactive (yet targeting the wrong things), shorten life expectancy, have no cure, and never go away. Comparing an autoimmune disease to chronic GERD - especially with GERD's variability in symptoms - is convenient for your argument, but dismissive to people those living with such diseases.

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u/Kajel-Jeten Jul 08 '26

I think it depends on what you mean by serious. People with auto-immune gastritis generally have normal expected lifespans if they get proper care and the headline can make it seem like he’s gotten a condition that’s going to make him die younger, so it’s less serious and bad than what a lot of people reading this might assume it means. That isn’t to say the condition itself isn’t serious or something important to solve. 

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u/cheapshotyouth Jul 08 '26

People want to be victims so badly. Anyone who works in the medical field knows what you ment. Auto immune gastritis is a perfectly treatable diagnosis and shouldn't be treated as some life altering cancer.

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u/LongBeakedSnipe Jul 08 '26

Sorry, but this is nonsense. For a start, there is no treatment for AIG. Second, the chance of gastrointestinal malignancy is very high (15% over 5 years)1.

medical field knows what you ment

You patently don't, neither do you have a clue about what you are talking about.

This isn't a 'nice' autoimmune disease by any means. Like other autoimmune conditions, it's one that can have highly variable results over a short or long period of time, or, some people can live a fairly normal life.

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u/cheapshotyouth Jul 08 '26

Im not gonna argue with someone on reddit who just googled what this is 15 minutes ago. Take care

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u/MetaSageSD Jul 08 '26

Not all autoimmune diseases are created equal. Vitiligo is not as serious as Multiple Sclerosis. Psoriasis is not as serious as Large Cell Myocarditis. Obviously, AIG isn’t nothing, but again, the suggested treatment for AIG is nutritional supplementation, a restricted diet, and monitoring. I can’t imagine someone more prepared to deal with AIG than Mr Johnson.

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u/Hawk13424 Jul 08 '26

As someone with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis, it’s pretty bad for me without immune suppressing biologics. Imagine being covered head to toe with cracked, itching, and bleeding plaques. Scalp, face, hands, bottom of your feet, etc.

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u/T3Medusa Jul 08 '26

AIG having fewer treatment options doesn't actually support your argument the way you think it does. Autoimmune disease, by definition, all share serious underlying implications involving maturation, positive feedback, and memory among lymphocytes. This list could go on, but I'll spare you. Nobody said autoimmune diseases were created equal.

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u/Darth_Punk Jul 08 '26

They're not but AIG is such a non issue you don't even need to test for it. You replace b12 and check iron and that's about it. 

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u/Dans_Username Jul 08 '26

I have AIG and I really wish you were right about that.

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u/Darth_Punk Jul 08 '26

You're right, I shouldn't be dismissive; the risk of malignancy is very real.

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u/Dans_Username Jul 09 '26

I appreciate you being humble.

I also found trying to get my iron and B12 back up sounded so easy; but it was expensive, uncomfortable, and took a very long time on different supplements.

Now I go to a naturopath instead of my doctor and it's going much better.

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u/ZamStudio3d Jul 08 '26

Is there a single known consumable or ailment that DOESN'T increase the risk of cancer?

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u/Same-Suggestion-1936 Jul 08 '26

Nothing that isn't known to the state of California

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u/Thisismetwotwo Jul 08 '26

GERD can literally cause cancer through chronic damage to the esophagus. GERD is often  incurable and will never go away. There are many chronic diseases that are not autoimmune that have significant impact on life.

Autoimmune gastritis is quite low impact to quantity and quality of life for most people with it. The variability in life impact is actually quite similar to GERD. Most people with autoimmune gastritis will never even know they have it. Someone stating that fact is in no way dismissing that some people have severe forms of it. Someone stating it is also not “dismissive to people living with such diseases” for all autoimmune diseases. 

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u/Brilliant1965 Jul 08 '26

I’d take my GERD over my rheumatoid arthritis any day

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u/defjam20000 Jul 08 '26

This might be a stupid thing to say but isn't GERD a lifestyle thing ? Cased by a combination of obesity, bad diet, high stress ?

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u/WhiteHeteroMale Jul 09 '26

From the Mayo Clinic Website:

Conditions that can increase the risk of GERD include:

  • Obesity.
  • Bulging of the top of the stomach up above the diaphragm, known as a hiatal hernia.
  • Pregnancy.
  • Connective tissue disorders, such as scleroderma.
  • Delayed stomach emptying.

Factors that can aggravate acid reflux include:

  • Smoking.
  • Eating large meals or eating late at night.
  • Eating certain foods, such as fatty or fried foods.
  • Drinking certain beverages, such as alcohol or coffee.
  • Taking certain medicines, such as aspirin.

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u/JWBananas Jul 08 '26

increase likelihood of developing other autoimmune diseases

That checks out, given this is now his second known autoimmune condition.

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u/Momik Jul 08 '26

Found Dr House

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u/neckbeardadmins Jul 08 '26

dismissive to people those living with such diseases.

i'm sure the biggest thing affecting their quality of life is getting their condition dismissed on the internet. oh the humanity