Is Bryan Johnson's Longevity Protocol Worth the Hype?

We crashed Bryan Johnson's Don't Die Summit in the previous episode. Fascinating! But so much hype.

VIDEOS:

We Crashed Bryan Johnson's Don't Die Summit & Here's What We Learned, by Plant Chompers

Robert Waldinger: What makes a good life? Lessons from the longest study on happiness | TED

Health Matters 2023: How 21st Century Science Is Improving How We Age, by Stanford Medicine

Terry Butler - Adventist Health Study 2 Report

REFERENCES:

Various Leisure-Time Physical Activities Associated With Widely Divergent Life Expectancies: The Copenhagen City Heart Study

Are vitamin and mineral deficiencies a major cancer risk? by Bruce Ames and Patricia Wakimoto

Gut Microbiome: Profound Implications for Diet and Disease

Her master’s degree was on hold during WWII. She just received it at age 105.

Good genes are nice, but joy is better, The Harvard Gazette

Don't Die Summit San Franciso:

Blueprint: Science-driven to improve and extend your life

Vegetarian Dietary Patterns and Mortality in Adventist Health Study 2

TEDx Boston Unlocking Longevity:

0:00 Lets get skeptical
0:54 Ultra processed food
2:11 100 supplements!
3:45 Is olive oil all that?
4:12 Microbiome and fiber
5:40 Type of exercise for longevity
6:07 Bryan's doctors

[Physionic]

On the topic of supplements, a few things:

1. It does bother me that over 50% of my content is focused on supplements, because I just don’t think they’ll ever make even half the difference other interventions (exercise, diet) will make to a life. Unfortunately, it’s what many people want to learn about.

2. I think there’s a bit of shifting of the goal posts in Dr. Kado’s talk. The discussion of brain improvement or joint improvements aren’t the same as longevity. It’s true that all the studies on longevity are animal based, but there are many, many high quality studies on heart, brain, etc. measurements in humans and supplement use. Now, the magnitude of the effect is small, typically, but not always meaningless. I can understand the admonishment against taking supplements for longevity considering the dearth of human evidence, but other metrics have excellent evidence behind them (ie. Creatine, as one example).

That said, nothing will compare to proper lifestyle changes (beyond exercise and nutrition, social interaction, mental stimulation, etc.).

Anyway, overall, I agree. I do think the discussion shouldn’t be blanketed completely with “don’t take them”. I’d argue to advance that to “don’t take them unless you’ve already taken care of the foundational health interventions”.

Great video, as always, Chris :)

(I recognize a thumbnail 😊 - that was an odd one; basing the “no fiber” argument on a single terrible study was wild to me)

[SuperAngelic]

One of the things I like about Bryan is that he promotes sleep. For the longest time, we have had business executives, celebrities, and other "successful" people discounting sleep. In fact, they brag about how little sleep they get and how working more and sleeping less is the secret to getting ahead.

[JoyJJ]

I think Michelle did a fabulous job. She asks the right questions & has a very positive upbeat personality....which is enjoyable to watch/listen to.

[jamessullenriot]

My favorite supplements are blueberries, walnuts, flaxseed, broccoli, and a few others.

[ToniMacAskill]

Hahaha, my husband is so fierce, doncha know, screaming at our grandkids. 😅

[SALVATlN]

Thank you for this follow-up. This is what I expect from this channel. I also follow Brian Johnson's channel, but he's like my kooky neighbor that I enjoy visiting with. I come here for balance and skepticism.

[derekw]

I just wanted to say thank you for what you do. Not just this video but for all of the wonderful content you put out. Your Intellect, Wit, and Humor are a breath of fresh air in today’s environment. I hope to see this channel grow and reach a broader audience.

[anaosuna]

This is by far the BEST channel on YouTube!
Thank you
Plant Chompers🙏❤️

[Jetta]

Some things to consider: Bryan is probably, at some level, creating all these products because people have asked him for them. When they look at all the ingredients in something like Nutty pudding, there is a large part of the population that probably says "That looks haaaard - can I just have a supplement?" Also, he is measuring himself extensively. The supplements he is using are, by definition, producing the result he wants. Its not like he is just randomly taking things. Finally, I don't thing it is fair to compare what Brian is doing to what longevity researchers do. They look at large populations and general trends. Bryan started this looking at himself, an n of one.

I don't follow Blueprint but I do admire what Brian and others (Dave Pascoe, Julie Gibson-Clark, etc) are doing and I think there are good lessons to be learned (if not followed exactly) from all of them.

[TheCookiecupcakes]

1:10 The "Natural Flavors" issue is a big one. I wish they would just disclose exactly what they put in there.

[alansnyder]

I thought Michelle's video was great. I considered attending the Bryan Johnson conference but didn’t because I had other priorities that weekend, and the cost was about twice what I was willing to pay. Her video was nearly perfect, providing an excellent account of what it would have been like to attend.

I don’t need someone injecting their biases into a video. I can listen to how people answer fair questions and draw my own conclusions.

The people who objected I feel, were vegan activists upset that she wasn’t pushing their agenda in her questions. I prefer objectivity, and she only slightly deviated from that at the very end.

[breft]

Michelle's segment didn’t seem to promote Bryan, to me, at least. It did demonstrate that Bryan has stuff he promotes.

[pdsnpsnldlqnop]

I think your conclusion is the correct one. It is tech bro science, and the supplements!
He is getting a lot of attention and yet he lists social media as down there with smoking and drinking. This does not add up to me, the guy is spending his whole life in front of the camera as an influencer.
Plus it is the only thing he does, it is an obsession. There is nothing wrong with some obsessions, but I prefer the old uns that are known for something else. Jane Goodall is a spritely 90 something woman, vegetarian until going vegan a few years ago. She inspires because of her wonderful work with chimpanzees. I can't do chimpanzee things but I can eat like her. Hence she is a role model. She also has purpose. Maybe that is the main takeaway, to have purpose and then everything else follows.
I am looking forward to the TED videos.

[dewidiot]

Thanks for this video, I really appreciate seeing all sides of this. I think Michelle did an amazing job introducing us to the people behind the Don’t Die project but I wanted a deep dive on it and you guys delivered. I was suckered into the koolaid drinking nonsense of the carnivore and keto diets and it legitimately hurt my health so I’m being extra cautious now as a plant based person! Thanks both of you !

[JaxObsessed]

Thanks, Chris!!! I didn't think Michelle was too easy on Johnson. She did a great job of introducing me to him. Armed with what Dr. Gregor thinks about supplements I went to visit the blueprint website and found a very positive and compelling place for ideas and experimentation. I went away feeling positive about his "movement" but I wasn't compelled enough to buy anything. Even though Johnson says his protocols and products are an at cost venture, which I believe, he breaks my golden rule for not falling for influencers selling stuff. I do take various supplements senolytics, nmn and what not but I do not go in for combined, multi ingredient products which nearly all o Johnson's products are. I prefer to get my nutrition from what I eat.
Love you long time, and

[zXrabidrabbitXz]

I’ve recommended this channel quite highly to a number of people, as a lone beacon in a field of deranged, bad-faith slop. The last video made me feel quite awkward in those recommendations. Thank you for this follow up.

[raulgarcia]

Michelle seems like an awesome nice kind and caring person, so it's to be expected that when people are being nice to each other and having a great time she ain't about to just ruin the party with an uncomfortable question (which is what Bryan's event, and his whole public persona is relying on)

So all things considered, I think she did a fine job, and this follow up video complements the blind spots well enough.



Also, in a different note. Come on, how does anyone believe Bryan hasn't had esthetic treatments? 🤨

[LateForDinner-mnhn]

Decades ago I was on the taking supplements band wagon but seeing the waste created by all those plastic bottles and the expense got me thinking that it was really not the answer. Now I understand the impetus to treat health problems with supplements is also a symptom of the for-profit healthcare system in the USA. But selling snake oil has a long history and not just in the USA. I agree with the point that it’s not necessary to use a lot of supplements or add in special processed food products to get healthy. It’s real food, a balance of fresh and cooked, mostly plants, and enough social interaction to keep one active mentally and physically that really matters most. It’s not going to stop people from getting some illnesses but it helps to have good underlying health if one develops a condition.

[ElderMoreMind]

One thing I have always appreciated about Bryan Johnson is that he gives his program and content away for free. The retail products are fairly new and I’m wondering how he got talked into doing these since they seem inconsistent with his overall health philosophy.

Thanks for talking about fiber (again)- this is an incredibly important topic. Would add that it’s important to be getting fiber from whole fruits and vegetables, not just legumes. Legumes are great but it’s important not to skip the salad/veggies.

[LaurieAnnCurry]

This hit all of my qualms and let me know I wasn’t the only one with questions!! Thank you Chris & PC team❤😘