Bryan Johnson says he has no plans to become old or die. Inconceivable? Clearly, sure. However the 46-year-old Californian tech billionaire is giving it a great go.

He follows a strict regime of 100 nutritional vitamins a day, a day by day 23-hour quick (that is proper, he eats solely throughout a one-hour window) and, till just lately, blood transfusions from his son.

Johnson claims the method has ‘reversed’ his age. A group of docs scan his physique each week, and so they say he has the guts well being of a 37-year-old, the pores and skin high quality of a 28-year-old and the health degree of an 18-year-old.

And he’s removed from alone. There are a rising variety of self-appointed specialists utilizing social media to advertise their very own guides to residing – if not for ever, then for a number of wholesome a long time greater than the typical individual.

These longevity influencers argue that by following strict – and sometimes unconventional – way of life regimes, we are able to ‘hack’ – or beat – the ageing course of and dramatically cut back the chance of creating the illnesses of older age, reminiscent of most cancers, diabetes, coronary heart illness and dementia.

Bryan Johnson says he has no plans to become old or die. Inconceivable? Clearly, sure. However the 46-year-old Californian tech billionaire is giving it a great go

And they’re staggeringly well-liked. Some of the profitable, 50-year-old Canadian Dr Peter Attia – a former most cancers physician – has greater than 1.5 million followers on YouTube and Instagram, and is writer of a primary bestselling guide, Outlive: The Science And Artwork Of Longevity.

Is a sauna or ice bathtub higher on your physique?  

Many longevity gurus urge followers to take common ice baths and use saunas to assist them reside longer.

Based on Dr Tamsin Lewis, founding father of UK longevity well being agency Wellgevity, they’ll cut back the chance of cardiovascular and neurodegenerative illnesses.

Chilly temperatures, she says, cut back irritation by narrowing blood vessels, limiting blood circulation to injured areas.

Many longevity gurus urge followers to take common ice baths and use saunas to assist them reside longer. Above: Actor Chris Hemsworth and Dr Peter Attia in a sauna

‘No matter does not kill you makes you stronger,’ says Dr Lewis, a former GB triathlete with about 20,000 followers on Instagram. ‘Exposing your physique to cold and warm is much like train. It makes you extra resilient and also you age higher.’

A 2015 examine that adopted 2,300 Finnish males over 20 years discovered those that visited saunas round 4 to seven occasions every week have been much less prone to die of coronary heart assaults and strokes than those that didn’t. And analysis means that common saunas have few well being dangers, even for individuals with coronary heart situations.

However ice baths, well-liked with celebrities reminiscent of Harry Kinds, are backed with little scientific proof. A Swiss meta-analysis printed final 12 months in Scientific Experiences couldn’t discover any information to counsel it boosted long-term well being or lowered ache.

Deaths have additionally been linked to cold-water immersion. Final 12 months a coroner’s inquest discovered {that a} 39-year-old girl died as a result of a chilly water expertise within the River Goyt in Derbyshire, which brought on her coronary heart to cease.

‘Saunas are good for the physique, particularly your cardiovascular well being,’ says Professor Jose Gonzalez-Alonso, an train professional at Brunel College London. ‘However the identical proof does not exist for ice baths, which might be harmful.’

Dr Attia, who reportedly costs his personal sufferers £120,000 a 12 months, means that going barefoot as usually as doable in addition to carrying heavy weights in a backpack can assist prolong well being life by a long time.

In the meantime Ben Greenfield payments himself as a ‘biohacker, nutritionist, physiologist, health coach, athlete and bestselling writer of 13 books’. An advocate of ice baths and low enemas (see panel on proper), the 43-year-old claims assessments have proven he has the organic age of a nine-year-old.

These longevity gurus seem in documentaries side-by-side with A-list celebrities (who’re their purchasers, naturally), on the world’s high podcasts and their talking excursions promote out in seconds. Given their message – and enviable physiques – it is unsurprising individuals are transfixed.

‘These influencers declare they’ll maintain you wholesome for ever,’ says Professor Ilaria Bellantuono, an ageing professional on the Wholesome Lifespan Institute, College of Sheffield. ‘The scientific proof to assist their claims is commonly shaky, however individuals are getting caught up on this promise of long-lasting youth.’

So is their recommendation price following? We now have assembled a few of Britain’s high ageing specialists to dissect their most eye-catching claims, so learn on to seek out out…

CAN EATING VERY LITTLE DE-AGE YOUR CELLS?

Many longevity gurus promote fasting – from lacking meals to whole days with no meals. It feels like no enjoyable in any respect nevertheless it’s claimed that fasting is ready to cut back the variety of senescent cells within the physique.

Dubbed ‘zombie cells’, these are cells which are nonetheless alive however not useful. In the event that they construct up, they’ll weaken our tissues, organs and the immune system, resulting in the illnesses of ageing. However Bryan Johnson takes the idea to extremes.

The billionaire, who has greater than 540,000 followers on Instagram and was interviewed by the MoS final June, eats simply as soon as a day, at 8.30am. The meal often contains uncooked greens, a candy potato salad, nuts and fruit. He just lately printed the total menu, together with exact quantities of every ingredient.

Johnson says it gives him with 2,250 energy and he now ‘experiences beautiful pleasure tasting, smelling and consuming’. However Johnson could also be consuming fewer energy than he thinks, says Dr Duane Mellor, a dietician at Aston Medical College: ‘There cannot be greater than 1,600 energy on this eating regimen. I don’t advise anybody to comply with it.’

Setting this apart, specialists say there’s proof that some fasting might be useful and does take away zombie cells. In trials, rodents given a time-restricted eating regimen – fasting for 12 hours a day – displayed improved health, kidney operate and an extended lifespan than these allowed to eat common meals.

Ben Greenfield payments himself as a ‘biohacker, nutritionist, physiologist, health coach, athlete and bestselling writer of 13 books’

Dr Tamsin Lewis, who runs healthcare firm Wellgevity, says that breath work helped her restoration from a extreme case of lengthy Covid

Nonetheless, specialists say that the acute fasting carried out by Johnson is pointless.

‘Rising proof means that intermittent fasting for 12 hours helps filter out a number of the garbage within the physique,’ says Prof Bellantuono. ‘That is achievable as that simply means not consuming late at evening – the majority of the quick might be whereas we’re asleep.

Are espresso enemas a treatment for most cancers? 

It could sound unlikely – and uncomfortable – however influencer Ben Greenfield claims that common espresso enemas are a option to maintain the physique in high bodily situation.

‘Espresso enemas can clear and heal the colon, detoxify the liver, cut back many varieties of persistent ache and improve psychological readability and vitality ranges,’ he writes on his weblog.

An enema is a medical process through which fluid is pumped into the rectum – sometimes used to alleviate constipation. It’s often executed utilizing water, however this model includes lukewarm espresso.

It could sound unlikely – and uncomfortable – however influencer Ben Greenfield claims that common espresso enemas are a option to maintain the physique in high bodily situation

The follow has lengthy been a part of another remedy generally known as the Gerson technique, which includes a strict low-salt, natural fruit and vegetable eating regimen alongside as much as 5 espresso enemas a day to stop most cancers. In 2004, King Charles – then Prince – was criticised for backing the strategy as a treatment for most cancers.

In case you wanted any convincing, specialists say the follow must be averted.

A overview by The Nationwide Most cancers Institute within the US in 2010 discovered no proof that espresso enemas helped individuals with most cancers.

In the meantime, enemas administered incorrectly can have harmful issues.

Professor Edzard Ernst, a number one professional in different medicines, previously of Exeter College, says: ‘The primary threat of an enema is a perforation of the colon which might be deadly.’

‘Fasting for longer durations will not be sensible for lots of people as it may be disagreeable and will result in ultimately over-eating as a result of excessive starvation. It is way more vital to construct wholesome, sustainable consuming habits you may stick with.’

PUMP SOME IRON TO INCREASE RESILIENCE 

If you would like an extended, wholesome life and envisage your self ‘taking part in together with your great-grandkids sometime’, then weight lifting to construct up muscle mass ‘must be a precedence,’ in accordance with longevity professional Dr Attia. He recommends that folks of all ages commonly do resistance workouts, together with deadlifts and squats, and argues that increase the physique’s huge muscle tissue could make it extra resilient, lowering the chance of life-threatening accidents later in life. ‘Muscle energy is so vital as a result of, as you become old, frailty turns into a legal responsibility,’ he says. ‘A fall might be catastrophic on the age of 65.’

The specialists we spoke to agree that energy is a vital attribute for an extended and wholesome life. Research counsel individuals who carry out strength-based workouts are much less prone to die prematurely than those that do not, no matter whether or not they do cardio workouts reminiscent of operating.

That is largely as a result of the truth that muscle weak spot and frailty are robust indicators of an early dying. Analysis means that the weakest 15 per cent of the inhabitants are thrice as prone to die inside a 12 months than the highest 15 per cent. However there’s disagreement over how a lot energy coaching is useful.

Dr Attia stated just lately: ‘If I needed to be the fittest model of me in my 80s, I would work out for one-and-a-half to 2 hours a day.’

However in 2021, probably the most authoritative research into the advantages of energy coaching was printed within the British Journal of Sports activities Drugs, involving 416,000 People. It discovered that half-hour to a full hour of weekly energy coaching, reminiscent of lifting dumbbells, mixed with three hours of cardio train, was most useful for long-term well being. It concluded that greater than a hour did nothing to increase life, whereas considerably extra could even improve the chance of well being issues.

DITCH YOUR SHOES AND GO BAREFOOT

Supportive footwear could also be comfortable, however influencer Dr Attia says they’re ‘damaging’ as a result of they weaken the muscle tissue within the legs and toes.

‘Sneakers protect us from what our toes must be doing,’ he claims. ‘Most individuals must study to strengthen the intrinsic muscle tissue of the foot.’

Dr Attia tells his followers go shoeless as usually as doable or put on ‘barefoot’ footwear.

He argues that this improves stability and reduces the chance of long-lasting accidents which might affect wholesome residing.

‘For most individuals with some form of persistent damage, it may be traced again to an instability,’ he says. ‘Whether or not that is an instability of the decrease again which ends up in again ache or instability within the toes to knee ache.’

Supportive footwear could also be comfortable, however influencer Dr Attia says they’re ‘damaging’ as a result of they weaken the muscle tissue within the legs and toes

Barefoot footwear haven’t any supportive sole – often only a skinny, robust piece of grippy rubber – so wearers put equal weight on all components on their toes whereas shifting.

A major variety of scientific research have proven that they improve stability and muscle energy, together with a 2020 College of Liverpool examine which discovered that the minimal footwear boosted the joint well being of older individuals. Main manufacturers embody Vivobarefoot and Xero.

However specialists warn that the long-term results are nonetheless unknown.

‘Barefoot footwear are nonetheless comparatively new, so we do not know what affect they’re going to have on toes over an extended interval,’ says Dr Stewart Morrison, a physiotherapy professional at King’s School London.

‘In case you swap to a barefoot shoe, the sudden change in strolling model might result in an damage within the foot or leg.

‘Anybody contemplating this variation ought to put on them for brief durations to get used to the expertise.’

100 VITAMINS A DAY TO KEEP THE DOCTOR AWAY

Vitamin dietary supplements aren’t revolutionary, however some influencers promote the consumption of an enormous quantity. Bryan Johnson says he takes 104 nutritional vitamins a day in complement type to enhance his eating regimen.

These embody widespread dietary supplements Vitamin D, magnesium and zinc. However he additionally takes rarer drugs together with ashwagandha, genistein, taurine and zeaxanthin.

Dr Peter Attia – a former most cancers physician – has greater than 1.5 million followers on YouTube and Instagram, and is writer of a primary bestselling guide, Outlive: The Science And Artwork Of Longevity

The billionaire says the quantity is set by a group of docs who commonly run assessments to see which vitamins he’s missing.

It is definitely true that many individuals within the UK don’t get sufficient nutritional vitamins. One in 5 Britons have a Vitamin D deficiency, which will increase their threat of bone issues and will affect the physique’s capacity to struggle an infection.

Nonetheless, specialists say consuming the appropriate meals – and for Vitamin D, getting daylight – is preferable to taking dietary supplements. It is because there’s nonetheless debate over what share of the nutritional vitamins in dietary supplements are absorbed and excreted.

Canadian analysis from 2018 which analysed dozens of research discovered that commonly taking nutritional vitamins reminiscent of Vitamin D and calcium doesn’t cut back the chance of heart problems or untimely dying.

‘Meals is all the time preferable to drugs,’ says Dr Elaine Douglas, an ageing professional at College of Stirling. ‘It incorporates extra vitamins, reminiscent of fibre, which the physique wants.’

It also needs to be famous that Bryan Johnson sells a spread of nutritional vitamins, with a month’s provide costing £40.

HOW SLOW BREATHING CAN BEAT HEART DISEASE 

Managed respiration – often known as ‘breath work’ – has turn out to be a preferred follow, which longevity gurus say can cut back stress and decrease the chance of sickness.

Dr Tamsin Lewis, who runs healthcare firm Wellgevity, says that breath work helped her restoration from a extreme case of lengthy Covid. ‘Breath work improves nervousness ranges and boosts your well being,’ she says.

Telephone apps can assist information individuals by way of a variety of respiration workouts. One contains the ‘4-7-8’ approach, which includes inhaling for 4 seconds, holding it for seven seconds, and exhaling for eight seconds.

And there could be one thing in it. Stress triggers the physique to provide hormones reminiscent of adrenaline, which in flip raises blood stress. However a Malaysian evaluation of greater than 300 research final 12 months discovered that sufferers who commonly practised managed respiration noticed their blood stress lowered as their stress ranges lowered. Comparable outcomes have been discovered for meditation. That is important as a result of hypertension is linked with a variety of life-threatening situations, reminiscent of coronary heart illness.

‘Decreasing stress ranges might be executed by way of actions together with meditation but additionally by addressing aggravating life components like work,’ says Dr Douglas.

HORMONE THERAPIES FOR BOTH MEN AND WOMEN 

Anybody involved about ageing ought to think about hormone substitute remedy (HRT) in accordance with Dr Attia – and that features males. He says each sexes can enhance their high quality of life by taking these medicine on the applicable time.

For ladies, this implies taking oestrogen, progesterone and probably testosterone inside ten years of the menopause. Males ought to think about testosterone substitute remedy (TRT) if they’ve been recognized with low ranges.

‘The information for accountable use of TRT may be very optimistic,’ Dr Attia stated on the The Diary Of A CEO podcast. He added that he believed it was a comparatively low-risk drug to take with ‘many advantages’ reminiscent of lowering fats and rising muscle.

Anybody involved about ageing ought to think about hormone substitute remedy (HRT) in accordance with Dr Attia – and that features males. He says each sexes can enhance their high quality of life by taking these medicine on the applicable time

In the meantime he stated that HRT was a ‘web optimistic’, lowering menopause signs whereas defending bone well being.

Consultants say there are a lot of advantages to HRT, however it isn’t a panacea.

A number of research present that it reduces signs of menopause however NHS steering doesn’t suggest it for these simply wanting to spice up their well being.

That is because of the threat of unwanted effects, which embody a slight improve in breast most cancers.

Males recognized with considerably low testosterone are additionally supplied TRT in the event that they expertise signs reminiscent of despair, lack of intercourse drive and erectile dysfunction.

‘HRT will not be an elixir of life, it is not going to reverse ageing,’ says Professor Joyce Harper, a reproductive professional at College School London. ‘This concept that all of us must medicate always is a worrying phenomenon.’

IS VEGETABLE OIL TO BLAME FOR CHRONIC DISEASE?  

Anybody who needs to keep away from persistent illness should ‘ruthlessly eradicate’ vegetable oils from their eating regimen, in accordance with longevity influencer Ben Greenfield.

‘Vegetable oils are main drivers of persistent illness, negatively impacting your metabolism, ranges of irritation, weight and most cancers threat’, he argues on his weblog.

He believes that, prior to now century, the elevated use of vegetable oil on the expense of different fat reminiscent of butter has led to a rise in coronary heart illness and weight problems.

There are specific considerations over omega-6, a fatty acid discovered in lots of vegetable oils, which some scientists have argued can improve irritation within the physique.

Nonetheless, specialists say this principle has been broadly debunked. Based on the American Coronary heart Affiliation, dozens of research present that omega-6 doesn’t improve the chance of heart problems. ‘Vegetable oils are sometimes used to prepare dinner unhealthy merchandise, however that does not imply the oil itself is inflicting hurt,’ says Dr Mellor.

USING RED LIGHT TO GROW HAIR AND HEAL INJURIES  

Particular varieties of gentle can de-age the pores and skin and regrow hair, in accordance with some influencers.

Bryan Johnson, who started dropping his hair in his 30s, wears a cap which emits pink gentle – near infrared – for six minutes a day to fight hair loss. He additionally makes use of a conveyable pink light-emitting gadget to fight aches and pains.

‘There’s good proof that pink gentle can speed up therapeutic,’ he says. ‘If I am ever feeling some slight damage from taking part in sport or train, I put it on that space.’

Johnson additionally stands in entrance of a UV gentle for 5 minutes within the morning, which he says improves his ‘temper, sleep and vitality’.

However there’s little proof to assist the claims. Whereas some laboratory research present that pink gentle can enhance blood circulation, there are not any high-quality human trials which show it may well reverse hair loss or fight pores and skin issues.

‘It sounds cool however there’s little proof to assist it,’ says Dr Hiva Fassihi, a dermatologist at King’s School London.

She additionally doubts there’s a lot profit to a UV gentle. ‘I would suggest they only go outdoors and get it from the solar,’ she provides.