Summary
Bryan Johnson, a 46-year-old tech multimillionaire focused on anti-aging, stopped using rapamycin—a supplement he took for five years—after research suggested it might accelerate aging.
Johnson cited side effects like skin infections and glucose issues, as well as findings from a recent study showing rapamycin could worsen epigenetic aging.
Known for extreme anti-aging experiments, Johnson also created the health startup Blueprint, which markets pricey supplements.
His controversial methods, including teenage blood transfusions and genital shock treatments, have raised skepticism about their effectiveness and safety.
Someone testing on themselves is how we learned what causes and how to treat ulcers (the researcher earned a Nobel prize for giving himself an ulcer, and then treating it), among other things.
Controlled trials are great, but research has to start somewhere.