Though controversial, tech billionaire’s pioneering approach to aging shows promise

Courtesy of TIME

Humans have yet to discover the magical fountain of youth. But one very wealthy man is trying to make it a reality.

Meet Bryan Johnson, the 46-year-old eccentric technology billionaire who co-founded Venmo and Kernel. His morning routine consists of waking at 5:15 a.m. and taking over 100 pills, followed by a  6-hour workout. On the slightly bizarre side, he even measures the number of nightly erections he has and transfuses his 18-year-old son’s blood and plasma into his own veins — all in the name of better health and slower aging. 

Blueprint is Johnson’s groundbreaking anti-aging initiative, designed to inspire individuals to adopt specific recipes, incorporate supplements into their diet and engage in targeted workouts. Many critics say it’s simply another online health fad, yet such a description misses the mark. 

While his methods are unusual, they are working: Johnson claims he has slowed his aging pace to be equivalent to a 15-year-old and accumulated aging damage slower than 88% of 18-year-olds in a matter of two years of following his intensive routine. Blueprint stands apart from other online health fads as an evidence-based health protocol that is scalable to the everyday person’s lifestyle.

Project Blueprint emphasizes scientific rigor with a systematic approach to health. Johnson backs all components of his Blueprint protocol by measuring tangible benchmarks. Rather than saying eating sweet potatoes or doing active calisthenics made him feel better in a vague sense, he provides quantitative data such as his current body fat percentage of 6.9%, which places him within the 98th percentile of 18-year-old males.

While some of his benchmarks such as the nightly erections one are clearly odd, they provide transparency and remove bias from his health protocols.

Other critics have flagged Blueprint as being “out of touch” with the everyday person. After all, Johnson pours $2 million per year into funding his health research and has recruited a team of over 30 scientists to track and supervise his health. However, Johnson claims that all Blueprint essentials, from food and supplements to monthly blood testing and kitchen preparation utilities, add to a monthly total cost of $1,684.50, which remains much more affordable in comparison to the average American household monthly expenses of $6,081.

While many call his methods highly impractical, the purpose behind them is to encourage us to actively engage and develop healthy living habits. Johnson’s routine is designed to be scalable and accessible to any audience: Though not everyone has the money and children needed to transfuse blood plasma and not everyone can afford to follow the exact Blueprint lifestyle, the vast majority of his tips, including regular meditation for stress relief or tongue scraping for oral health, are reasonable practices that the average person can implement at home at virtually no cost.

His website, which is filled with scientific information, is presented in a user-friendly manner, making it easy for anyone to follow. 

Moreover, Blueprint goes beyond single-faceted health routines and views health as a holistic guide toward a wholesome and efficient lifestyle. His routine stresses the significance of fundamental healthy habits, including the importance of having morning sunlight exposure to positively impact our circadian rhythms. 

Additionally, his approach encourages timely eating and discourages late-night indulgences that can disrupt the body’s natural rhythms. One way to remedy this is by using modern technology. For instance, f.lux is a software that adjusts your screen’s brightness to emit warmer, less eye-straining orange tones. 

 Johnson’s relentless pursuit of health and longevity through his Blueprint project stands out as a pioneering effort in the quest for eternal youth. His approach, grounded in scientific rigor and unconventional benchmarks, challenges conventional health wisdom and provides a transparent and objective framework for optimizing human well-being.