Tech mogul Bryan Johnson has made a name for himself globally with his anti-aging endeavors. He spends millions annually on Blueprint Protocol, his ambitious project where he aims to reverse his biological age and, hopefully, never die.

If you look at Johnson’s real, chronological age — he’s in his late 40s, but he claims to have shaved years off his biological clock by following an intense health, exercise, and wellness regimen. 

So, how valid are Bryan Johnson’s age reversal techniques? More importantly, can the average person achieve similar results without a multi-million dollar budget? Let’s find out!

In this article, we’ll go over:

• The difference between Bryan Johnson’s chronological and biological age

• His anti-aging strategies

• Some of his impressive age-reversal statistics

Bonus: We’ll also explore how you can personalize some of these anti-aging principles in a more targeted way through a deeper understanding of your DNA.

Bryan Johnson’s chronological vs. biological age

One of the most discussed themes around Bryan Johnson is the difference between his chronological and biological age — a popular measure in the anti-aging space. 

Chronological age refers to the number of years you’ve lived. On the other hand, biological age is a statistical measure that refers to how old your cells are and how your organs function compared to your peers.

It’s not a vanity-related metric scoring how young you “look” — the point of observation is how your body is aging on a molecular level, which can lower the pace of age-related decline in health. Depending on factors like your genetics, lifestyle, and health habits, your biological age can be equal, lower, or higher than the number of candles on your birthday cake!

[X](https://twitter.com/bryan_johnson/status/1777789375193231778)

So, how old is Bryan Johnson? He was born in 1977, which makes his chronological age 47 in 2024. That said, his biological age is much lower thanks to an intense anti-aging regimen — his publicly available Blueprint results show that he has reduced his biological age by at least five years so far.

How old is Bryan Johnson biologically?

Bryan Johnson’s biological age is typically not a single figure but a specific age allocated to each monitored organ or bodily function compared to the average metrics for a sample population. According to his markers reported over the years, he has:

• The heart of a 37-year-old

• The skin of a 28-year-old

• The lungs and fitness of an 18-year-old

• Kidney arteries of a 25-year-old

• Thyroid volume of a 23-year-old

• Prostate volume of a 30-year-old

His Blueprint website updates the latest age equivalent numbers for various biological markers at regular intervals.

Source: Blueprint Protocol

Johnson has achieved these results by following his science-backed Blueprint Protocol designed by a team of more than 30 doctors and health experts. They test and monitor a long list of his bodily functions, observing his biological markers to create a personalized daily routine that slows down his aging.

Bryan Johnson’s age-reversing $2 million routine

Many people view Bryan Johnson’s age-reversing efforts as an obsession, but if you look at the numbers he has shared, his methods seem to be effective, at least for him. So, how does he achieve a lower biological age?

The good news is that he has been completely transparent about his $2 million anti-aging routine under Blueprint. He also regularly shares valuable information through his books, official website, and YouTube channel.

In the following sections, we have broken down six key anti-aging strategies from Bryan Johnson’s health protocol:

1. Diet

2. Sleep

3. Exercise

4. Skincare

5. Oral care

6. Alternative procedures

1. Diet

Source: Blueprint Protocol

Bryan Johnson’s strict diet is at the core of his anti-aging efforts, consisting of three plant-based meals rich in fiber, vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, and protein. We’ve outlined his key meals in the table below:

| Meals                         | Description                                                                                                                                           | Calories |
| ----------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------- |
| Super Veggie                  | A nutrient-rich meal based on black lentils, broccoli, cauliflower, shiitake mushrooms, garlic, and ginger root — all boiled and blended into a mush. | 378 kcal |
| Nutty Pudding                 | A tasty superfood dessert consisting of macadamia nuts and milk, walnuts, chia seeds, flaxseed, cocoa, berries, and pea protein.                      | 432 kcal |
| Alternating veggie-based meal | A third meal that varies and consists of vegetables, nuts, seeds, and berries.                                                                        | 500 kcal |
| Other                         | Olive oil: 45 ml/day; Pea protein: 30 g/day                                                                                                         | 520 kcal

Besides these three main meals, Johnson also takes around 30 supplements in the form of pills and powders. On a daily basis, he also consumes three tablespoons of olive oil, pea protein, fermented foods, and cocoa — these items boost his levels of antioxidants, phytonutrients, and probiotics to inhibit contributors of aging, such as inflammation.

2. Sleep

According to Bryan Johnson, sleep is one of the most critical health and wellness practices he focuses on. He routinely sleeps from 8:30 p.m. to 5 a.m., getting eight hours of sleep each night.

Some of the sleep habits he swears by include:

• Sleeping in a blacked-out room

• Going to bed at the same time

• Sleeping alone

• Wearing blue light-blocking glasses before bedtime

• Having one hour of downtime before bed

• Using a temperature-controlled mattress

Sticking to this routine without fail has helped him achieve the best-recorded sleep score in history — eight months of perfect, 100% sleep, as measured by WHOOP.

[X](https://x.com/bryan_johnson/status/1824078073018581129)

3. Exercise

Source: Blueprint Protocol

Bryan Johnson’s workout routine is no less impressive than his sleep and diet. He spends one hour daily in his home gym, performing around 25 exercises to improve his strength and VO2 max (the limit of oxygen your body can absorb and use during workouts). 

Besides strength exercises, he also does stretches and posture exercises to counteract the ill effects years of inactivity and sitting have had on his body. 

Here are several areas where he scores the same or better than the top 10% of 18-year-olds:

|                            |                            |
| -------------------------- | -------------------------- |
| Bench press single rep max | 240 lb                     |
| VO2 max                    | Top 1.5% of 18-year-olds   |
| Leg press single rep max   | 800 lb                     |
| Continuous push-ups        | 60                         |
| YMCA sit and reach         | 26.5 inches                |
| Grip strength              | 132+ lb

According to many age-reversal experts, this strict exercise regimen, coupled with high-quality sleep and diet, has been the most significant contributor to Bryan Johnson’s transformation so far.

4. Skincare

Some critics claim that Bryan Johnson’s age reversal is mostly cosmetic, stemming from his efficient skincare routine and dyed hair. While his tests and biological age markers tell a different story, there’s no doubt that his daily skin care and measurement protocols are extensive, consisting of:

1. Face wash

2. Moisturizer

3. Tretinoin .1%

4. UVA+B mineral sunscreen

5. UV environmental filters

Besides this daily skincare routine, he performs regular acid peels, laser therapies, red light therapy, microneedling, and more to enhance his appearance.

So far, some key skin health markers show that he has spots and wrinkles equivalent to a 10-year-old, skin texture of a 14-year-old, and brown spots of an 11-year-old. Johnson often explores novel treatments to regain his face volume, and has also been transparent about some of his failed endeavors to look younger.

5. Oral care

Oral health has a huge impact both on appearance and overall health, which is why this is one of the key areas Bryan Johnson is trying to improve. At the moment, his daily protocol looks like this:

1. Brushing the teeth for 2 min, two times per day

2. Using a water pick two times per day

3. Flossing two times per day

4. Using a tongue scraper

5. Doing a tea tree oil rinse

6. Applying a CoQ10 gel

Some key oral health markers he’s tracking show that he has an ideal plaque index of 24.4% and has reduced teeth attachment loss by 41%.

6. Alternative and controversial procedures

Source: Blueprint Protocol

Much of what Bryan Johnson does is based on well-accepted science, such as his fitness regimen, plant-based diet, and strict sleeping routine. But his $2M/year protocol also includes some controversial practices, such as:

1. Taking human growth hormone

2. Taking blood plasma transfusions from his 18-year-old son

3. Wearing a device on his penis to track his erections while sleeping

4. Waking up at 5 a.m. and eating his last meal at 11 a.m.

5. Taking over 30 pills a day in supplements 

One of the more controversial procedures he tried on his immortality quest was gene therapy. He underwent a DNA-editing procedure to boost his follistatin levels and increase his max lifespan, which is limited to around 120 years for most humans. 

Follistatin is a protein that plays a key role in regulating muscle growth, tissue repair, and inflammation in mice. By successfully increasing its levels by 160% through gene therapy, Bryan Johnson hopes to maintain physical function, muscle health, and overall vitality well into old age. 

While some of these practices are controversial, it should be noted that Johnson stays true to the science—regularly abandoning things that don’t work and being vocal about them. The two most notable examples include taking human growth hormone and doing plasma transfusions. 

Most impressive Bryan Johnson’s age-reversal stats

Bryan Johnson claims he has achieved a significant milestone in his immortality quest, slowing down his rate of aging to 0.64.

This means that he ages only 233 days (0.64) out of every 365 days (1.00). He is also accumulating aging damage slower than 99% of 20-year-olds.

[X](https://twitter.com/bryan_johnson/status/1795568165252198672)

To quantify this progress, his team tracks a dozen different measurements for each of his organs, using MRIs, ultrasounds, colonoscopies, blood work, and genetic screening (to name a few), making him the most measured person in human history.

Here are some of his main achievements from following the Blueprint routine for three years:

• A slower speed of aging than 99% of 20-year-olds

• 85% lower body inflammation than the average 18-year-old

• A VO2 max level in the top 1.5% of 18-year-olds

• A top 99.5% muscle volume in his age group

• Top 1% sleep performance & recovery (measured by WHOOP)

• An 80% reduction in gray hair

• A free testosterone index (FTI) biological age reduced by 20 years

• Total bone mineral density in the top 0.2% of 30-year-olds

Can you achieve Bryan Johnson’s age reversal on a budget?

Source: Blueprint Protocol

Bryan Johnson’s age-reversing Blueprint protocol is not achievable for the average person unless you’re a former-tech-entrepreneur-turned-millionaire who can do this as a full-time job.

Money is another significant obstacle to achieving immortality, as Johnson spends around $2M a year on his diet, supplements, medical equipment, health procedures, and various tests. 

The diet and supplements alone cost only around $870 per month, though this number can vary by geography. Here’s a quick monthly cost breakdown:

• Food: $23 per day 

• Supplements: $6 per day

• Initial kitchen costs: Around $500 for a high-speed blender and scale

• Blood work: $350 (every 3–6 months)

It’s worth noting that Johnson spends tens of thousands of dollars on testing and measuring his results and experimental therapies, many of which are performed on remote islands in expensive VIP clinics and resorts.

While most people don’t have such spare resources, there are other ways to personalize your anti-aging efforts. One such way is to invest in Nucleus whole-genome genetic testing.

Whole-genome testing analyzes ~100% of your DNA to analyze genetic variants that increase your risk of developing different diseases, including age-related conditions. With Nucleus DNA analyses, you can discover your most probable health risks, make genetics-informed health and lifestyle choices, and streamline your anti-aging routine.

Nucleus brings you closer to personalized longevity decisions

While Bryan Johnson has millions to spend on staying young and reversing signs of aging, most people don't have that luxury.

That’s where Nucleus comes in, offering an accessible at-home DNA test that allows you to understand your genetic code and predict risks for the most common cancers, neuropsychiatric conditions, heart diseases, and more.

Nucleus offers three advanced, easy-to-interpret analyses that assess how likely you are to develop a particular disease:

1. Ancestry-informed common genetic scores

2. Absolute risk of developing a disease based on the joint influence of your DNA and lifestyle factors like BMI, cholesterol, age, and more

3. Presence of high-effect variants (rare genes that lead to chronic diseases diseases, which most genetic tests omit)

Nucleus can also support your anti-aging journey with its trait analyses, which highlight your genetic predispositions in areas like baldness, acne, and muscle strength. These analyses can help you prioritize supplementation, treatments, and other anti-aging therapies tailored to your genetic makeup.

The platform offers clinical-grade and physician-approved testing, so you can use your results to consult with doctors and get personalized advice for improving your longevity and quality of life. Nucleus can also connect you to genetic counselors via its SteadyMD partners.

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How to order and use a Nucleus DNA kit

Ordering and using a Nucleus DNA kit is quick and easy. Here’s what you can do:

1. Sign up for Nucleus Premium

2. Provide your personal information

3. Order your kit

Nucleus kit costs $399 and is HSA/FSA eligible. It’s the most affordable whole-genome DNA platform in the U.S. Nucleus is HIPAA-compliant and processes samples in CAP-CLIA-certified labs only.

You can expect your results in 6–8 weeks. The platform can also update your results if your lifestyle factors change or if new genetic research becomes available.

Start making smart longevity choices — order your all-in-one Nucleus health test today!

Bonus: Nucleus is the go-to DNA platform for many genetics and longevity enthusiasts, including Bryan Johnson. He swabbed to get his Nucleus all-in-one health insights in the 2024 Don't Die Summit in San Francisco. You can watch the video here!

Featured image source: Blueprint Protocol