Millionaire Is Trying to Reverse Aging By Using Blood Infusions from 17-Year-Old Son

A 45-year-old millionaire is raising eyebrows for his claims that he's managed to roll back his biological age through a variety of obscure techniques—including taking blood transfusions from his 17-year-old son. Tech executive Bryan Johnson has declared that his mission in life is to make his organs function like those of an 18-year-old, and he's spending upward of $2 million a year to employ more than 30 doctors and experts to staff what he calls Operation Blueprint. Read on to find out what the operation entails, how it's been greeted by the media and the public, and an ironic lawsuit filed by Johnson's former fiancée.

In late May, Johnson announced that he, his son and his father had participated in the "world's first multi-generational plasma exchange" at a Dallas medical spa. Johnson's 17-year-old son, Talmage, had a liter of his blood extracted, then separated into its components—plasma, platelets, and red and white blood cells.  Johnson then underwent the same process and had his son's plasma infused into his body. His father, Richard, then had Johnson's plasma infused. 

Medical therapies involving plasma aren't new. PRP procedures—so named because they use platelet-rich plasma—are commonly utilized for both cosmetic and orthopedic issues.  In these procedures, a patient's blood is extracted and processed to separate plasma from the blood itself. Platelet-rich plasma contains an abundance of growth factors. It's then injected into various areas of the body—from the hairline to the skin to joints—to stimulate hair growth, smooth wrinkles, or repair injury.

In other words, there is some medical evidence that plasma injections might reverse the effects of aging in specific ways on certain parts of the body. But Johnson's experiment is believed to be the first time plasma has been traded among different generations via infusion to slow systemic aging.  And there is little evidence to suggest that the experiment will be effective. Johnson acknowledged this in a YouTube video, calling the approach an "experimental, invasive therapy" with "some level of risk". But he said infusing his father with his plasma "will help him in a variety of ways."

Johnson has gone all-in on his anti-aging program. He takes dozens of supplements and follows a strict vegan diet totaling 1,977 calories per day, including a myriad of vegetables, walnuts, flaxseed, and berries. He wears blue-light glasses to shield his eyes from potentially harmful electronic rays for two hours before bed, then wakes at 5 am for an hour-long workout with 25 exercises.  His medical team claims he has the fitness level and lung capacity of an 18-year-old, and the typical skin of a man age 28.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/may/25/bryan-johnson-800m-baby-food-mortality  At face value, Johnson's program has drawn criticism. In a May 25 column in the Guardian, Emma Brockes wrote, "As a man who made $800m from the sale of his company to eBay, he enjoys a diet of "brown sludge" made of pureed vegetables – baby food, in other words. From the photos, these measures certainly seem to be working: the 45-year-old tech entrepreneur looks approximately 43."

"There is nothing quite like the spectacle of a man with huge resources failing to grapple with his own mortality and spending what precious time he has left in joyless pursuit of a goal that is doomed to fail."

Johnson also posts regularly about his program on his Instagram account, often alongside images of himself shirtless. In one picture of himself in the shower, he wrote, "You can't see my liver in this picture. But it's there. A recent 3T MRI scan showed that I have perfect liver fat, perfect liver iron and perfect liver stiffness. My liver fat is 1.36%, which is the top 10% of people. Less than 5% is the normal range for non-fatty liver. Human opinion is entertaining. Data is more trustworthy."  The comments aren't altogether supportive. "Never thought I would see a liver flex on social media but here we are," was the most-liked comment on that post.  "Awesome, but why does your skin look yellowish?" wrote one commenter.  "Looks like a middle-aged woman," said another.  And another compared Johnson's appearance to that of Commander Data from Star Trek: The Next Generation.

But other commenters pointed out that what Johnson is advocating isn't actually that radical.  "I am 59 years old, and I am in better shape than both of you, and it doesn't cost me anything.. what a joke all that is. All it takes to stay in shape is exercise and eating right.. what a bunch of new age nonsense," wrote one Instagram commenter on a post of Johnson shirtless next to his teenage son.  "To those saying this is only a path for the privileged, it actually doesn't cost a lot to buy veggies, beans, seeds, and nuts, drink water, honor sleep, do yoga and work out," wrote another. "What it may take is time, though."

Johnson's very public quest has been met with controversy on another front. In April, People magazine reported that Johnson's former fianceé, Taryn Southern, 36, had filed a lawsuit claiming he left her after she was diagnosed with breast cancer and had given up a lucrative career to focus on his business ventures and their relationship.  According to People, Southern, now 36, claimed in the suit that in March 2018, the two were living together, engaged, and Johnson promised to "take care of her, financially and medically, for the rest of her life." 

However, "While repeatedly telling Ms. Southern to stop worrying about money and promising to take care of her for the rest of her life," the lawsuit claimed, "Johnson demanded Ms. Southern's devotion of her time and creative energy to his personal needs and professional aspirations."  Southern was "financially dependent" on Johnson when she was diagnosed with stage III breast cancer. In October 2019, Southern was undergoing chemotherapy, radiation and other treatments when Johnson demanded she move out of their shared home, the lawsuit stated.

"Johnson then took advantage of Ms. Southern's weakened and vulnerable state and repeatedly leveraged his power and financial control over Ms. Southern to try to get her to give up her rights and the promises she was entitled to: financial security and stability in the future and, specifically, to share in the anticipated success of his start-up company," the lawsuit states, according to People.  Southern is seeking millions in damages; the litigation is ongoing.