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How to Be 18 Years Old Again for Only $2M a Year

106 points by deeel 4y ago

kashunstva 4y ago
https://archive.is/ipiF3 https://archive.is/ipiF3
- btbuildem 4y ago
  Thank you. People keep posting paywalled articles, thanks for linking the alternative.
  - runjake 4y ago
    1. Create a bookmark in your browser -- preferably on the toolbar for easy access. Name it anything you want. 2. For the URL field, copy/paste this: javascript:location.href = '//archive.ph/newest/' + location.href.split('?')[0]; 3. Save it. 4. Visit a paywalled site. Click the bookmark button you created above. 5. Enjoy reading the full article.
    - btbuildem 4y ago
      Neat! Thanks
    - D-Coder 4y ago
      Oh wow. Excellent. Thank you.
Graziano_M 4y ago
> Johnson, Zolman and the team are more than a year into their experiments, which they collectively call Project Blueprint. This includes strict guidelines for Johnson’s diet (1,977 vegan calories a day), exercise (an hour a day, high-intensity three times a week) and sleep (at the same time every night, after two hours wearing glasses that block blue light) So you are like an 18 year old except you can't have any fun. Why would you want to live like this? You can't ever go to a party, have a drink, or go to a restaurant? Thank you, but I'll stick to eating healthy, exercising, and living my life.
- Double_a_92 4y ago
  Besides that, it just sounds like esoteric nonsense. What's next? Essential oils?
  - hanifc 4y ago
    At the risk of missing some intended sarcasm, which part of the vegan diet, regular exercise, and sleep hygiene sounds like esoteric nonsense? I don't see how any of those are comparable to essential oils.
    - radlad 4y ago
      On the contrary, they were so obvious I wondered if the parent's final comment was a tongue-in-cheek joke: > Thank you, but I'll stick to eating healthy, exercising, and living my life.
    - hoseja 4y ago
      None of those actually make you 18 in any appreciable form?
      - tsukikage 4y ago
        ...I do get a fair bit of rhetoric about going vegan from 18-year-olds ;)
    - jamesredd 4y ago
      The vegan part is nonsense.
      - afunctionof 4y ago
        Communities with little to no consumption of meat, like Seventh-Day Adventists, have significantly lower rates of prion disease and Alzheimers. While it may be nonsense if your goal is solely prolonging life, avoiding meat seems like a relatively easy way to reduce your risk of becoming worthless to society and yourself; virtually everyone can agree that dementia is something to avoid.
finnh 4y ago
Not that he wrote the headline, but: he certainly doesn't have the face of an 18 year old. I'd actually peg it > 40. One of the distinct pleasures I remember from the ages of 18 - 25 is _hanging out with other people that age_. They're not going to fall for it, you'll just be a creepy old guy with a ripped body.
- ravenstine 4y ago
  How do you do, fellow kids! Of course I think the point isn't to look 18, although I'm sure they'd pay an extra million of that was an option. I myself feel I understand the desire to want to stay youthful longer, but I'd only want to do so if I could enjoy it. I question how many of these ultra-wealthy are actually enjoying life as much as a nobody who gets to spend most of their time fishing in their boat and not be bothered by anyone. If I was a billionaire, I'd be more interesting in having some aspect of my brain rebooted. Some aspects of ageing can be staved off through diet and exercise, so I feel like spending millions to not even look younger is of limited value. What I would like is to experience that "spark" of being a young inexperienced brain that's capable of learning new things fast and finding novelty in the world. If I was a billionaire and I could pay to trigger a new "critical period" in my brain, I'd probably do it.
  - smolder 4y ago
    I'm not sure, but it could be impossible to separate that "spark" you're looking for from nativity and inexperience generally. The affinity for new info in young brains and the absence of prior knowledge may be inextricably linked.
    - soylentcola 4y ago
      Not advocating one way or the other, but this is often the reason people give for enjoying the rare/occasional use of things like LSD or psilocybin. By temporarily attenuating the "default model" established in early adulthood - which allows our brains to operate more efficiently by setting much of sensory input and perception on autopilot - one might approach and consider the mundane with the proverbial "fresh set of eyes". I don't mean to argue that this is an ideal way to achieve this effect, but it's definitely a major part of the appeal.
arcturus17 4y ago
> “What I do may sound extreme, but I’m trying to prove that self-harm and decay are not inevitable” Taken literally, it seems that he is starting from the conclusion and working backwards, and may be thoroughly disappointed. The question posed in scientific terms would be more akin to "Are self-harm and decay inevitable?" It's also a little bit pathetic how some of the ultrawealthy seem to have the hardest time confronting their own mortality.
- rom-antics 4y ago
  I think a certain proportion of the rich and poor alike fear death. But only the rich have the means to (try in vain to) do anything about it. And of course only the rich pay news outlets to write puff pieces about themselves.
  - ClapperHeid 4y ago
    >And of course only the rich pay news outlets to write puff pieces about themselves... Which comes across as tempting fate, to me. "Hey, international press, I'm spending millions every year, so I can live forever!" [Cut to hooded figure, sharpening scythe] <small caps>REALLY?</small caps>
- owlglass 4y ago
  While I do agree that this much fear of mortality likely warrants mental rather than anti-aging therapy, commercial applications like these are likely to motivate more research that generates actionable insights for your average person.
- Nevermark 4y ago
  > It's also a little bit pathetic how some of the ultrawealthy seem to have the hardest time confronting their own mortality. Putting one's resources to best use isn't "pathetic". If you do anything to maintain your health and longevity, proportional to your resources, then you are doing the same as a rich person with a private doctor. I expect natural biological death won't be so inevitable long before the end of the century. Sometimes rich people are like everyone else, but living just a little further into the future.
blippitybleep 4y ago
It all made me feel a little sad. This person’s fear of death stops them living. It’s like buying a Porsche and never driving it for fear of damaging it.
- rizky05 4y ago
  [dead]
- swyx 4y ago
  i mean, your definition of living doesnt have to equal his. he's a retired centimillionaire, he's spending say 10-15 hours a week doing this stuff (ok the penis-measurement-during-sleep thing is weird af) and the rest of it is still his own time to do whatever he wants. thats still more "living" than the rest of us working class. and perhaps no stranger a hobby than some of us have.
  - blippitybleep 4y ago
    No need to get defensive. Can I help viewing things through the lens that I do? Is it really such a problem for me to express my views?
    - snapcaster 4y ago
      The comment you're responding to didn't read to me as defensive, more just refuting your point. I think the idea that somehow he isn't really living is just a cope
      - twixfel 4y ago
        The idea that every single very, very rich person is necessarily "living" is cope as well, albeit in the other direction.
        snapcaster 4y ago
        Stop coping. Nobody claimed every single very rich person is necessarily living. Someone who is healthy, fit, rich and is doing whatever he is into at the time and your first thought is "maybe he's not happy" lol cope
suby 4y ago
Whenever I hear stories like this, I can't help but think that there must be a risk of suffering liver damage from taking excessive supplements. Even obsessively getting colonoscopies as he does carries a small risk that something will go wrong such as a perforated intestine.
- Beaver117 4y ago
  Yes but if your liver can't handle some supplements you probably weren't going to live to 100 anyway
rom-antics 4y ago
> Each month, he also endures dozens of medical procedures, some quite extreme and painful, then measures their results with additional blood tests, MRIs, ultrasounds and colonoscopies. Ah yes, nothing keeps the body young like performing frequent invasive experimental medical procedures.
sanjayio 4y ago
It’s wonderful that someone is pushing their diet to the limit and sharing that with the world. Contrary to the other comments, life isn’t just about eating for every individual on the planet. He can derive pleasure from other sources. It doesn’t necessarily mean he fears death either, he could be maximizing time spent with loved ones. He could be passionate about experimentation.
- iancmceachern 4y ago
  I think the thing to critique is the goal. The stated goal isn't to be as healthy and happy as possible at 45, it's to look 18. That's a fools errand and puts focus on the wrong things.
ramesh31 4y ago
Yikes.
CyberDildonics 4y ago
Why do people put up with titles like this? This is a rich tech person doing typical diet, exercise and sleep routines combined with experimental unproven therapies like pressure chambers and supplements that tom brady endorses. No one is getting their body "rebooted", no one is 'becoming 18 again', it's just nonsense.
- iancmceachern 4y ago
  Exactly. I think the thing to critique is the goal. The stated goal isn't to be as healthy and happy as possible at 45, it's to look 18. That's a fools errand and puts focus on the wrong things.
generalizations 4y ago
> There are some obvious signs that Johnson is at least healthier than most 45-year-olds. The dude is way beyond ripped. His body fat hovers between 5% and 6%, which leaves his muscles and veins on full display. But it’s what has happened inside his body that most excites his doctors. They say his tests show that he’s reduced his overall biological age by at least five years. Their results suggest he has the heart of a 37-year-old, the skin of a 28-year-old and the lung capacity and fitness of an 18-year-old. “All of the markers we are tracking have been improving remarkably,” says Toll.
- tablespoon 4y ago
  > ...he’s reduced his overall biological age by... Without even looking, I'm almost certain the way they technically define "biological age" is misleading, and it resembles what most people think of when they hear "age" like an apple resembles an orange.
  - generalizations 4y ago
    > I'm almost certain the way they technically define "biological age" is misleading I'd be curious how you came to that conclusion - considering that there's currently no known way to objectively measure biological age. Best thing that any researcher can do right now is just measure everything, and that's what they're doing.
    - tablespoon 4y ago
      >> I'm almost certain the way they technically define "biological age" is misleading > I'd be curious how you came to that conclusion - considering that there's currently no known way to objectively measure biological age. Best thing that any researcher can do right now is just measure everything, and that's what they're doing. I came to that conclusion because, if they have a definition, they're almost certainly measuring things they can easily measure and perhaps influence, which aren't really the things people speak about when they talk about age. I don't care how fit this guy is, he's not living to 140 by doing the stuff he's doing.
belltaco 4y ago
> Novak Djokovic, age 35 .. gives pep talks to glasses of water, hoping to purify them with positive thinking before he drinks them. Is this real? Then again he's anti-vaccine so that makes sense.
- IncRnd 4y ago
  > Is this real? Then again he's anti-vaccine so that makes sense. He isn't anti-vaccine. He doesn't want to personally get a covid-19 vaccine. In his conversation with BBC media editor Amol Rajan, Djokovic insisted he "completely disagree[d] with" anti-vaxxers and said he decided not to get vaccinated because he had "always supported the freedom to choose what you put into your body". [1] [1] https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-02-15/novak-djokovic-vaccination-stance-affects-legacy/100831504 https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-02-15/novak-djokovic-vaccin...
  - generalizations 4y ago
    It's weird how all the people who have been consistently taking all the usual prescribed vaccines, but decided the weird experimental mRNA treatment was sketchy, have been automatically labeled antivax. It's kinda too bad that some people have lost the ability to have a nuanced opinion.
    - kube-system 4y ago
      They were experimental for decades. They’re some of the most widely used and studied vaccines in existence now.
      - generalizations 4y ago
        They're only "widespread" as a result of the last couple years, when their effect on human populations was studied at large and in the wild. They weren't widespread before 2020, when they'd barely entered human trials. "Some of the most widely used and studied vaccines in existence" is gonna need something to back it up, because we've been studying classical vaccines for decades and using them on cumulatively far more people. It's perfectly reasonable for someone to decide that they don't want to use a novel therapy. What's weird is when other people claim that that decision means they're anti-vaccine.
gadders 4y ago
"The dude is way beyond ripped. His body fat hovers between 5% and 6%," Not in the photo in the article, he isn't. Pro bodybuilders get to that for a hours/days during a competition and feel like absolute shit the whole time. He looks about 10%-ish in the photo.
- katsura 4y ago
  He has a video on YouTube where he is measuring himself with what appears to be a normal scale, and he says 6% there as well, with 22.2 BMI: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_3p81GmHEg&t=22s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_3p81GmHEg&t=22s
  - aliqot 4y ago
    Those scales are fairly inaccurate. What is best is a float test and caliper test.
    - nradov 4y ago
      Actually a DXA scan is now considered to be more accurate than a float test or caliper test.
  - malfist 4y ago
    Scales use bioelectrical impedance to measure body fat percentage. They have an accuracy of +/- 5 points of the actual reading. Meaning the value is 1-5 points higher or lower than the real value, so a reading of 6% on the scale could mean a real value of 1%-11% (not 5.7%-6.3%).
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
havblue 4y ago
There was an episode of Tales From the Crypt with this plot. To seduce a young attractive woman, an old rich man gives more and more money to trade his old features with those of a good looking bodybuilder. Of course, it ends with him being good looking and poor and her marrying the guy he swapped places with while everyone laughs at him.
- ido 4y ago
  Interesting tidbit about that episode ("The Switch"): it was directed by Arnold Schwarzenegger (who also appears at the beginning)!
pictur 4y ago
People's obsession with diet is very strange. There are other things that are important for health. like sleep and work-life balance. And I think these are more important than eating vegetables.
- snapcaster 4y ago
  You would be wrong though
  - pictur 4y ago
    I know diet is important. I also try to watch what I eat. but if there are problems with things other than diet, I think they should be focused on. because if you can't solve them, diet doesn't make any sense to me.
  - nradov 4y ago
    People can be healthy eating little or no vegetables indefinitely (I am not recommending this). But zero sleep will kill you within weeks. Everything matters, but on the scale of relative importance we should absolutely rank sleep above diet.
deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
IncRnd 4y ago
No JS/subscription needed link: https://archive.is/20230125113549/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2023-01-25/anti-aging-techniques-taken-to-extreme-by-bryan-johnson https://archive.is/20230125113549/https://www.bloomberg.com/...
cmurf 4y ago
One day you wake up, put on your glasses, and they don't work. Most people will get used to the idea it'll sometimes take their eyes a few minutes to boot. Even with glasses. Even with eye drops. They won't like it, because it's completely absurd, but they'll learn to live with it. I'm not sure sure about this guy. But maybe his absurd ideas will counteract just enough of the absurdity of reality, at least in his own mind. Nevertheless, I think his income taxes are too low.
- Turing_Machine 4y ago
  > Most people will get used to the idea it'll sometimes take their eyes a few minutes to boot. Even with glasses. I'd be concerned that cyber-eyes would suddenly start showing you "offers from trusted partners".
sremani 4y ago
Lindyman on twitter has covered this topic - the Payoff space (people whose income is decoupled from time) want to live forever and the 4HL (salaried people) want to go into retirement and sunset. Any man with $10 million in the bank is looking for ways to extend their life and if possible experience youth while at it. This is where the money is folks.. the tech era has formally ended it will walk a decade but slowly.. the life extension era is in full swing. Welcome to Elysium!
cptaj 4y ago
So he's dieting, exercising regularly and getting a full night's sleep. This, they measure, is beneficial. Not exactly shocking here. The only big change in "biological age" is the lung capacity, but obviously anyone who exercises daily and does high intensity workouts is going to have drastically better lung capacity than the average joe on which "biological age" is based. They seem to have no real results beyond the obvious healthy living techniques humans have known for millennia.
- thisisnico 4y ago
  There is data that shows that exercise can reverse-aging, I forget the mechanism. Calorie-restriction can do the same, through a different mechanism. It's reversed up to a limit of course, the sands of time continue on.
  - nradov 4y ago
    Calorie restriction beyond the point of having a normal BMI has never been shown to reverse aging in humans. It's more likely to have the opposite effect due to increased risks from sarcopenia and immune system dysfunction.
Hellmitioksldf 4y ago
Im thinking about my health and lifestyle and how i really really want to live too. For me its more like a mix of my sourrundings and a sustainable life style with more work (physical) and also complementary sport to simulate more like a japanese lifestyle of working for a long time but 'work' will be formed by myself. Basically having enough money to actually spend my life on myself and not for someone else and this life then should be sustainable. Extending my skillset through playing (games, lego etc.), art (drawing, sculptering etc.), learning (math, refining english etc.), music & playing an instrument. And the work part will be a peace of land which allows me to always have a project which has a physical representation. Like it makes a mental difference if i create a 3d character or a game or a program vs. i'm planting a plant and enjoying the fruit. I'm pretty sure for him and his money is easy to do it like he does and i'm pretty sure the project is unique enough to keep him busy, i'm just not sure though how he is earthing himself and if he doesn't just throw money at something which might not give him the mental enlightment he might search. Fortunate for me, as soon as i have enough money together to buy a broken down castle/chateue/farm and starting my journey, i will already be at a very natural and hopefully mental positive environment.
boomboomsubban 4y ago
Zolman's website really makes the whole thing feel like the beginning of a multilevel marketing scam. With the "get certified" training school pop-up, the random leaderboards, and the sketchy random supplement. Oh, and that supplement is dried French red wine. I love that they specify it's French.
ajaimk 4y ago
Live to be a 100 but don't actually live a single day
- maksimur 4y ago
  Some people might not feel bad but actually enjoy doing that. I myself enjoy things that most people would find depressing. It's a matter of perspective.
  - iancmceachern 4y ago
    Do you have any examples?
bloaf 4y ago
One thing I've wondered about if someone were to actually succeed at making themselves look and feel 18 is how our legal system would react. Imagine trying to buy a house when your face says 18 and your ID says 78. Getting a drink at a bar? Showing ID to vote? Withdraw money from that 78 year old's account? Collect social security? You're going to get denied at best, and likely accused of identity theft/fraud.
- keiferski 4y ago
  You might enjoy the sci-fi film In Time. It’s about a society that has turned time into money, literally, allowing those wealthy enough to live forever while still looking like twenty-five year olds.
- faeyanpiraat 4y ago
  There was this youtube video on the channel titled something like "* in the hay" where they did an interview with a guy in russia who actually looks like a 16 y.o. or something, but he is like 30. Some interesting stories in there. May look up the link if you want.
  - reducesuffering 4y ago
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIhwDtJKSPU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIhwDtJKSPU
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
- sebzim4500 4y ago
  If it's only available to a few people then those people will be rich enough to not care about any of these things. If it's available to the masses then people will get used to a portion of the population looking young. Either way, I don't think this will cause serious inconvenience.
Avlin67 4y ago
to live longer dont work that’s the hard truth
throwaway589275 4y ago
He doesn't look 18 in the photo. Also there's nothing remarkable in the article, just the usual cosmetic procedures and diet/exercise crap. It's funny, these people must think they're the first person to do whatever their preferred diet/exercise combo is, since they never seem to stop to think, if this actually worked, and someone else tried it, why didn't they live to 120 (or longer)?
bad_good_guy 4y ago
> His body fat hovers between 5% and 6% Either the journalist hasn't a clue, or they were given false information by the person the story is about Body fat at 5-6% for an extended period of time is decidedly _not_ healthy.
- _fat_santa 4y ago
  Looking at his pictures I would estimate him at around 12-14% BF. Go on google and search "5% body fat", the difference between what he looks like and what 5%-6% BF would look like is stark. People often get BF % very wrong so I wouldn't be surprised if that was the case.
- thegjp210 4y ago
  Moreover, while achieving a sub-10% body fat is achievable (see bodybuilding weigh-ins), it KILLS libido, energy, and general vitality / well-being.
  - the_only_law 4y ago
    Is there a way I can test for this at home?
pyrophane 4y ago
Some things never change. People will go to extraordinary lengths to avoid confronting their own mortality.
darod 4y ago
Is it just me or does he look like Christian Bale from American Psycho?
- swyx 4y ago
  > I live in the American Gardens Building on West 81st Street on the 11th floor. My name is Patrick Bateman. I’m 27 years old. I believe in taking care of myself, and a balanced diet and a rigorous exercise routine. In the morning, if my face is a little puffy, I’ll put on an ice pack while doing my stomach crunches. I can do a thousand now. After I remove the ice pack I use a deep pore cleanser lotion. In the shower I use a water activated gel cleanser, then a honey almond body scrub, and on the face an exfoliating gel scrub. Then I apply an herb-mint facial masque which I leave on for 10 minutes while I prepare the rest of my routine. I always use an after shave lotion with little or no alcohol, because alcohol dries your face out and makes you look older. Then moisturizer, then an anti-aging eye balm followed by a final moisturizing protective lotion. > There is an idea of a Patrick Bateman. Some kind of abstraction. But there is no real me. Only an entity. Something illusory. And though I can hide my cold gaze, and you can shake my hand and feel flesh gripping yours, and maybe you can even sense our lifestyles are probably comparable, I simply am not there.
runjake 4y ago
The particularly interesting take-away for this audience is probably Bryan's Blueprint website at https://blueprint.bryanjohnson.co/ https://blueprint.bryanjohnson.co/
runjake 4y ago
There are a lot of HN comments crapping all over Bryan. As stated in the article and on his site, this is a personal hobby of his. If it's not your thing, don't crap on him, just move onto the next story. It may be hard for you to believe, but other people enjoy doing things you might not enjoy. They are having fun. This is their idea of having fun. Whenever it comes up that I run really long races, I always hear "Oooh, I could never do that." All I am thinking is "Yeah. That's probably why you're not doing that. You don't enjoy it. duh."
nunez 4y ago
this article is sad. imagine spending your best years trying to return back to your teen years. how unfortunate.
IanDrake 4y ago
[dead]
Avlin67 4y ago
nandrolone decanoate for joint when I will be older maybe but steroids is the old way to hide senecence… testosterone make your body burn to death faster, also grow hormone… imho the only proper way to stay young is genetic engineering
labrador 4y ago
Let's see, I could have a tremendous amount of fun spending 2 million dollars a year with my friends because YOLO or I could spend all my waking hours obsessing about my body so I can live a few more years obsessing about my body. I know what I would choose.

106 points by deeel 4y ago

kashunstva 4y ago

https://archive.is/ipiF3 https://archive.is/ipiF3

btbuildem 4y ago
Thank you. People keep posting paywalled articles, thanks for linking the alternative.
- runjake 4y ago
  1. Create a bookmark in your browser -- preferably on the toolbar for easy access. Name it anything you want. 2. For the URL field, copy/paste this: javascript:location.href = '//archive.ph/newest/' + location.href.split('?')[0]; 3. Save it. 4. Visit a paywalled site. Click the bookmark button you created above. 5. Enjoy reading the full article.
  - btbuildem 4y ago
    Neat! Thanks
  - D-Coder 4y ago
    Oh wow. Excellent. Thank you.

Graziano_M 4y ago

> Johnson, Zolman and the team are more than a year into their experiments, which they collectively call Project Blueprint. This includes strict guidelines for Johnson’s diet (1,977 vegan calories a day), exercise (an hour a day, high-intensity three times a week) and sleep (at the same time every night, after two hours wearing glasses that block blue light) So you are like an 18 year old except you can't have any fun. Why would you want to live like this? You can't ever go to a party, have a drink, or go to a restaurant? Thank you, but I'll stick to eating healthy, exercising, and living my life.

Double_a_92 4y ago
Besides that, it just sounds like esoteric nonsense. What's next? Essential oils?
- hanifc 4y ago
  At the risk of missing some intended sarcasm, which part of the vegan diet, regular exercise, and sleep hygiene sounds like esoteric nonsense? I don't see how any of those are comparable to essential oils.
  - radlad 4y ago
    On the contrary, they were so obvious I wondered if the parent's final comment was a tongue-in-cheek joke: > Thank you, but I'll stick to eating healthy, exercising, and living my life.
  - hoseja 4y ago
    None of those actually make you 18 in any appreciable form?
    - tsukikage 4y ago
      ...I do get a fair bit of rhetoric about going vegan from 18-year-olds ;)
  - jamesredd 4y ago
    The vegan part is nonsense.
    - afunctionof 4y ago
      Communities with little to no consumption of meat, like Seventh-Day Adventists, have significantly lower rates of prion disease and Alzheimers. While it may be nonsense if your goal is solely prolonging life, avoiding meat seems like a relatively easy way to reduce your risk of becoming worthless to society and yourself; virtually everyone can agree that dementia is something to avoid.

finnh 4y ago

Not that he wrote the headline, but: he certainly doesn't have the face of an 18 year old. I'd actually peg it > 40. One of the distinct pleasures I remember from the ages of 18 - 25 is _hanging out with other people that age_. They're not going to fall for it, you'll just be a creepy old guy with a ripped body.

ravenstine 4y ago
How do you do, fellow kids! Of course I think the point isn't to look 18, although I'm sure they'd pay an extra million of that was an option. I myself feel I understand the desire to want to stay youthful longer, but I'd only want to do so if I could enjoy it. I question how many of these ultra-wealthy are actually enjoying life as much as a nobody who gets to spend most of their time fishing in their boat and not be bothered by anyone. If I was a billionaire, I'd be more interesting in having some aspect of my brain rebooted. Some aspects of ageing can be staved off through diet and exercise, so I feel like spending millions to not even look younger is of limited value. What I would like is to experience that "spark" of being a young inexperienced brain that's capable of learning new things fast and finding novelty in the world. If I was a billionaire and I could pay to trigger a new "critical period" in my brain, I'd probably do it.
- smolder 4y ago
  I'm not sure, but it could be impossible to separate that "spark" you're looking for from nativity and inexperience generally. The affinity for new info in young brains and the absence of prior knowledge may be inextricably linked.
  - soylentcola 4y ago
    Not advocating one way or the other, but this is often the reason people give for enjoying the rare/occasional use of things like LSD or psilocybin. By temporarily attenuating the "default model" established in early adulthood - which allows our brains to operate more efficiently by setting much of sensory input and perception on autopilot - one might approach and consider the mundane with the proverbial "fresh set of eyes". I don't mean to argue that this is an ideal way to achieve this effect, but it's definitely a major part of the appeal.

arcturus17 4y ago

> “What I do may sound extreme, but I’m trying to prove that self-harm and decay are not inevitable” Taken literally, it seems that he is starting from the conclusion and working backwards, and may be thoroughly disappointed. The question posed in scientific terms would be more akin to "Are self-harm and decay inevitable?" It's also a little bit pathetic how some of the ultrawealthy seem to have the hardest time confronting their own mortality.

rom-antics 4y ago
I think a certain proportion of the rich and poor alike fear death. But only the rich have the means to (try in vain to) do anything about it. And of course only the rich pay news outlets to write puff pieces about themselves.
- ClapperHeid 4y ago
  >And of course only the rich pay news outlets to write puff pieces about themselves... Which comes across as tempting fate, to me. "Hey, international press, I'm spending millions every year, so I can live forever!" [Cut to hooded figure, sharpening scythe] <small caps>REALLY?</small caps>
owlglass 4y ago
While I do agree that this much fear of mortality likely warrants mental rather than anti-aging therapy, commercial applications like these are likely to motivate more research that generates actionable insights for your average person.
Nevermark 4y ago
> It's also a little bit pathetic how some of the ultrawealthy seem to have the hardest time confronting their own mortality. Putting one's resources to best use isn't "pathetic". If you do anything to maintain your health and longevity, proportional to your resources, then you are doing the same as a rich person with a private doctor. I expect natural biological death won't be so inevitable long before the end of the century. Sometimes rich people are like everyone else, but living just a little further into the future.

blippitybleep 4y ago

It all made me feel a little sad. This person’s fear of death stops them living. It’s like buying a Porsche and never driving it for fear of damaging it.

rizky05 4y ago
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swyx 4y ago
i mean, your definition of living doesnt have to equal his. he's a retired centimillionaire, he's spending say 10-15 hours a week doing this stuff (ok the penis-measurement-during-sleep thing is weird af) and the rest of it is still his own time to do whatever he wants. thats still more "living" than the rest of us working class. and perhaps no stranger a hobby than some of us have.
- blippitybleep 4y ago
  No need to get defensive. Can I help viewing things through the lens that I do? Is it really such a problem for me to express my views?
  - snapcaster 4y ago
    The comment you're responding to didn't read to me as defensive, more just refuting your point. I think the idea that somehow he isn't really living is just a cope
    - twixfel 4y ago
      The idea that every single very, very rich person is necessarily "living" is cope as well, albeit in the other direction.
      - snapcaster 4y ago
        Stop coping. Nobody claimed every single very rich person is necessarily living. Someone who is healthy, fit, rich and is doing whatever he is into at the time and your first thought is "maybe he's not happy" lol cope

suby 4y ago

Whenever I hear stories like this, I can't help but think that there must be a risk of suffering liver damage from taking excessive supplements. Even obsessively getting colonoscopies as he does carries a small risk that something will go wrong such as a perforated intestine.

Beaver117 4y ago
Yes but if your liver can't handle some supplements you probably weren't going to live to 100 anyway

rom-antics 4y ago

> Each month, he also endures dozens of medical procedures, some quite extreme and painful, then measures their results with additional blood tests, MRIs, ultrasounds and colonoscopies. Ah yes, nothing keeps the body young like performing frequent invasive experimental medical procedures.

sanjayio 4y ago

It’s wonderful that someone is pushing their diet to the limit and sharing that with the world. Contrary to the other comments, life isn’t just about eating for every individual on the planet. He can derive pleasure from other sources. It doesn’t necessarily mean he fears death either, he could be maximizing time spent with loved ones. He could be passionate about experimentation.

iancmceachern 4y ago
I think the thing to critique is the goal. The stated goal isn't to be as healthy and happy as possible at 45, it's to look 18. That's a fools errand and puts focus on the wrong things.

ramesh31 4y ago

Yikes.

CyberDildonics 4y ago

Why do people put up with titles like this? This is a rich tech person doing typical diet, exercise and sleep routines combined with experimental unproven therapies like pressure chambers and supplements that tom brady endorses. No one is getting their body "rebooted", no one is 'becoming 18 again', it's just nonsense.

iancmceachern 4y ago
Exactly. I think the thing to critique is the goal. The stated goal isn't to be as healthy and happy as possible at 45, it's to look 18. That's a fools errand and puts focus on the wrong things.

generalizations 4y ago

> There are some obvious signs that Johnson is at least healthier than most 45-year-olds. The dude is way beyond ripped. His body fat hovers between 5% and 6%, which leaves his muscles and veins on full display. But it’s what has happened inside his body that most excites his doctors. They say his tests show that he’s reduced his overall biological age by at least five years. Their results suggest he has the heart of a 37-year-old, the skin of a 28-year-old and the lung capacity and fitness of an 18-year-old. “All of the markers we are tracking have been improving remarkably,” says Toll.

tablespoon 4y ago
> ...he’s reduced his overall biological age by... Without even looking, I'm almost certain the way they technically define "biological age" is misleading, and it resembles what most people think of when they hear "age" like an apple resembles an orange.
- generalizations 4y ago
  > I'm almost certain the way they technically define "biological age" is misleading I'd be curious how you came to that conclusion - considering that there's currently no known way to objectively measure biological age. Best thing that any researcher can do right now is just measure everything, and that's what they're doing.
  - tablespoon 4y ago
    >> I'm almost certain the way they technically define "biological age" is misleading > I'd be curious how you came to that conclusion - considering that there's currently no known way to objectively measure biological age. Best thing that any researcher can do right now is just measure everything, and that's what they're doing. I came to that conclusion because, if they have a definition, they're almost certainly measuring things they can easily measure and perhaps influence, which aren't really the things people speak about when they talk about age. I don't care how fit this guy is, he's not living to 140 by doing the stuff he's doing.

belltaco 4y ago

> Novak Djokovic, age 35 .. gives pep talks to glasses of water, hoping to purify them with positive thinking before he drinks them. Is this real? Then again he's anti-vaccine so that makes sense.

IncRnd 4y ago
> Is this real? Then again he's anti-vaccine so that makes sense. He isn't anti-vaccine. He doesn't want to personally get a covid-19 vaccine. In his conversation with BBC media editor Amol Rajan, Djokovic insisted he "completely disagree[d] with" anti-vaxxers and said he decided not to get vaccinated because he had "always supported the freedom to choose what you put into your body". [1] [1] https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-02-15/novak-djokovic-vaccination-stance-affects-legacy/100831504 https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-02-15/novak-djokovic-vaccin...
- generalizations 4y ago
  It's weird how all the people who have been consistently taking all the usual prescribed vaccines, but decided the weird experimental mRNA treatment was sketchy, have been automatically labeled antivax. It's kinda too bad that some people have lost the ability to have a nuanced opinion.
  - kube-system 4y ago
    They were experimental for decades. They’re some of the most widely used and studied vaccines in existence now.
    - generalizations 4y ago
      They're only "widespread" as a result of the last couple years, when their effect on human populations was studied at large and in the wild. They weren't widespread before 2020, when they'd barely entered human trials. "Some of the most widely used and studied vaccines in existence" is gonna need something to back it up, because we've been studying classical vaccines for decades and using them on cumulatively far more people. It's perfectly reasonable for someone to decide that they don't want to use a novel therapy. What's weird is when other people claim that that decision means they're anti-vaccine.

gadders 4y ago

"The dude is way beyond ripped. His body fat hovers between 5% and 6%," Not in the photo in the article, he isn't. Pro bodybuilders get to that for a hours/days during a competition and feel like absolute shit the whole time. He looks about 10%-ish in the photo.

katsura 4y ago
He has a video on YouTube where he is measuring himself with what appears to be a normal scale, and he says 6% there as well, with 22.2 BMI: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_3p81GmHEg&t=22s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_3p81GmHEg&t=22s
- aliqot 4y ago
  Those scales are fairly inaccurate. What is best is a float test and caliper test.
  - nradov 4y ago
    Actually a DXA scan is now considered to be more accurate than a float test or caliper test.
- malfist 4y ago
  Scales use bioelectrical impedance to measure body fat percentage. They have an accuracy of +/- 5 points of the actual reading. Meaning the value is 1-5 points higher or lower than the real value, so a reading of 6% on the scale could mean a real value of 1%-11% (not 5.7%-6.3%).
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havblue 4y ago

There was an episode of Tales From the Crypt with this plot. To seduce a young attractive woman, an old rich man gives more and more money to trade his old features with those of a good looking bodybuilder. Of course, it ends with him being good looking and poor and her marrying the guy he swapped places with while everyone laughs at him.

ido 4y ago
Interesting tidbit about that episode ("The Switch"): it was directed by Arnold Schwarzenegger (who also appears at the beginning)!

pictur 4y ago

People's obsession with diet is very strange. There are other things that are important for health. like sleep and work-life balance. And I think these are more important than eating vegetables.

snapcaster 4y ago
You would be wrong though
- pictur 4y ago
  I know diet is important. I also try to watch what I eat. but if there are problems with things other than diet, I think they should be focused on. because if you can't solve them, diet doesn't make any sense to me.
- nradov 4y ago
  People can be healthy eating little or no vegetables indefinitely (I am not recommending this). But zero sleep will kill you within weeks. Everything matters, but on the scale of relative importance we should absolutely rank sleep above diet.

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IncRnd 4y ago

No JS/subscription needed link: https://archive.is/20230125113549/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2023-01-25/anti-aging-techniques-taken-to-extreme-by-bryan-johnson https://archive.is/20230125113549/https://www.bloomberg.com/...

cmurf 4y ago

One day you wake up, put on your glasses, and they don't work. Most people will get used to the idea it'll sometimes take their eyes a few minutes to boot. Even with glasses. Even with eye drops. They won't like it, because it's completely absurd, but they'll learn to live with it. I'm not sure sure about this guy. But maybe his absurd ideas will counteract just enough of the absurdity of reality, at least in his own mind. Nevertheless, I think his income taxes are too low.

Turing_Machine 4y ago
> Most people will get used to the idea it'll sometimes take their eyes a few minutes to boot. Even with glasses. I'd be concerned that cyber-eyes would suddenly start showing you "offers from trusted partners".

sremani 4y ago

Lindyman on twitter has covered this topic - the Payoff space (people whose income is decoupled from time) want to live forever and the 4HL (salaried people) want to go into retirement and sunset. Any man with $10 million in the bank is looking for ways to extend their life and if possible experience youth while at it. This is where the money is folks.. the tech era has formally ended it will walk a decade but slowly.. the life extension era is in full swing. Welcome to Elysium!

cptaj 4y ago

So he's dieting, exercising regularly and getting a full night's sleep. This, they measure, is beneficial. Not exactly shocking here. The only big change in "biological age" is the lung capacity, but obviously anyone who exercises daily and does high intensity workouts is going to have drastically better lung capacity than the average joe on which "biological age" is based. They seem to have no real results beyond the obvious healthy living techniques humans have known for millennia.

thisisnico 4y ago
There is data that shows that exercise can reverse-aging, I forget the mechanism. Calorie-restriction can do the same, through a different mechanism. It's reversed up to a limit of course, the sands of time continue on.
- nradov 4y ago
  Calorie restriction beyond the point of having a normal BMI has never been shown to reverse aging in humans. It's more likely to have the opposite effect due to increased risks from sarcopenia and immune system dysfunction.

Hellmitioksldf 4y ago

Im thinking about my health and lifestyle and how i really really want to live too. For me its more like a mix of my sourrundings and a sustainable life style with more work (physical) and also complementary sport to simulate more like a japanese lifestyle of working for a long time but 'work' will be formed by myself. Basically having enough money to actually spend my life on myself and not for someone else and this life then should be sustainable. Extending my skillset through playing (games, lego etc.), art (drawing, sculptering etc.), learning (math, refining english etc.), music & playing an instrument. And the work part will be a peace of land which allows me to always have a project which has a physical representation. Like it makes a mental difference if i create a 3d character or a game or a program vs. i'm planting a plant and enjoying the fruit. I'm pretty sure for him and his money is easy to do it like he does and i'm pretty sure the project is unique enough to keep him busy, i'm just not sure though how he is earthing himself and if he doesn't just throw money at something which might not give him the mental enlightment he might search. Fortunate for me, as soon as i have enough money together to buy a broken down castle/chateue/farm and starting my journey, i will already be at a very natural and hopefully mental positive environment.

boomboomsubban 4y ago

Zolman's website really makes the whole thing feel like the beginning of a multilevel marketing scam. With the "get certified" training school pop-up, the random leaderboards, and the sketchy random supplement. Oh, and that supplement is dried French red wine. I love that they specify it's French.

ajaimk 4y ago

Live to be a 100 but don't actually live a single day

maksimur 4y ago
Some people might not feel bad but actually enjoy doing that. I myself enjoy things that most people would find depressing. It's a matter of perspective.
- iancmceachern 4y ago
  Do you have any examples?

bloaf 4y ago

One thing I've wondered about if someone were to actually succeed at making themselves look and feel 18 is how our legal system would react. Imagine trying to buy a house when your face says 18 and your ID says 78. Getting a drink at a bar? Showing ID to vote? Withdraw money from that 78 year old's account? Collect social security? You're going to get denied at best, and likely accused of identity theft/fraud.

keiferski 4y ago
You might enjoy the sci-fi film In Time. It’s about a society that has turned time into money, literally, allowing those wealthy enough to live forever while still looking like twenty-five year olds.
faeyanpiraat 4y ago
There was this youtube video on the channel titled something like "* in the hay" where they did an interview with a guy in russia who actually looks like a 16 y.o. or something, but he is like 30. Some interesting stories in there. May look up the link if you want.
- reducesuffering 4y ago
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIhwDtJKSPU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIhwDtJKSPU
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sebzim4500 4y ago
If it's only available to a few people then those people will be rich enough to not care about any of these things. If it's available to the masses then people will get used to a portion of the population looking young. Either way, I don't think this will cause serious inconvenience.

Avlin67 4y ago

to live longer dont work that’s the hard truth

throwaway589275 4y ago

He doesn't look 18 in the photo. Also there's nothing remarkable in the article, just the usual cosmetic procedures and diet/exercise crap. It's funny, these people must think they're the first person to do whatever their preferred diet/exercise combo is, since they never seem to stop to think, if this actually worked, and someone else tried it, why didn't they live to 120 (or longer)?

bad_good_guy 4y ago

> His body fat hovers between 5% and 6% Either the journalist hasn't a clue, or they were given false information by the person the story is about Body fat at 5-6% for an extended period of time is decidedly _not_ healthy.

_fat_santa 4y ago
Looking at his pictures I would estimate him at around 12-14% BF. Go on google and search "5% body fat", the difference between what he looks like and what 5%-6% BF would look like is stark. People often get BF % very wrong so I wouldn't be surprised if that was the case.
thegjp210 4y ago
Moreover, while achieving a sub-10% body fat is achievable (see bodybuilding weigh-ins), it KILLS libido, energy, and general vitality / well-being.
- the_only_law 4y ago
  Is there a way I can test for this at home?

pyrophane 4y ago

Some things never change. People will go to extraordinary lengths to avoid confronting their own mortality.

darod 4y ago

Is it just me or does he look like Christian Bale from American Psycho?

swyx 4y ago
> I live in the American Gardens Building on West 81st Street on the 11th floor. My name is Patrick Bateman. I’m 27 years old. I believe in taking care of myself, and a balanced diet and a rigorous exercise routine. In the morning, if my face is a little puffy, I’ll put on an ice pack while doing my stomach crunches. I can do a thousand now. After I remove the ice pack I use a deep pore cleanser lotion. In the shower I use a water activated gel cleanser, then a honey almond body scrub, and on the face an exfoliating gel scrub. Then I apply an herb-mint facial masque which I leave on for 10 minutes while I prepare the rest of my routine. I always use an after shave lotion with little or no alcohol, because alcohol dries your face out and makes you look older. Then moisturizer, then an anti-aging eye balm followed by a final moisturizing protective lotion. > There is an idea of a Patrick Bateman. Some kind of abstraction. But there is no real me. Only an entity. Something illusory. And though I can hide my cold gaze, and you can shake my hand and feel flesh gripping yours, and maybe you can even sense our lifestyles are probably comparable, I simply am not there.

runjake 4y ago

The particularly interesting take-away for this audience is probably Bryan's Blueprint website at https://blueprint.bryanjohnson.co/ https://blueprint.bryanjohnson.co/

runjake 4y ago

There are a lot of HN comments crapping all over Bryan. As stated in the article and on his site, this is a personal hobby of his. If it's not your thing, don't crap on him, just move onto the next story. It may be hard for you to believe, but other people enjoy doing things you might not enjoy. They are having fun. This is their idea of having fun. Whenever it comes up that I run really long races, I always hear "Oooh, I could never do that." All I am thinking is "Yeah. That's probably why you're not doing that. You don't enjoy it. duh."

nunez 4y ago

this article is sad. imagine spending your best years trying to return back to your teen years. how unfortunate.

IanDrake 4y ago

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Avlin67 4y ago

nandrolone decanoate for joint when I will be older maybe but steroids is the old way to hide senecence… testosterone make your body burn to death faster, also grow hormone… imho the only proper way to stay young is genetic engineering

labrador 4y ago

Let's see, I could have a tremendous amount of fun spending 2 million dollars a year with my friends because YOLO or I could spend all my waking hours obsessing about my body so I can live a few more years obsessing about my body. I know what I would choose.