A Biohacker’s Experience: The Impact of a Trip to Australia
Bryan Johnson, a 48-year-old American biohacker and multimillionaire, recently shared his experience of how a trip to Australia affected his anti-ageing efforts. He claimed that the journey aged him by 13 years due to breaking some of his strictest anti-ageing rules.
Johnson, who spends millions of dollars each year on treatments and lifestyle interventions aimed at slowing the ageing process, traveled from Los Angeles to Brisbane last month to meet the family of his partner, Kate Tolo, 30. The couple has an 18-year age gap and have been together for more than three years after meeting when Ms Tolo joined Mr Johnson’s Blueprint anti-ageing venture as chief marketing officer.
The California tech entrepreneur is known for his controversial quest to extend his lifespan. He has reportedly spent about $2 million a year on various experiments, including a three-generation longevity trial where he received blood plasma from his teenage son before donating his own plasma to his elderly father.
However, Johnson said his trip to Australia undid some of his anti-ageing work. The return journey across seven time zones, combined with abandoning his strict vegan diet and daily routine, amounted to a ‘biological insult’ that took weeks for his body to recover from.
During the trip, Johnson was forced to abandon many of the habits he relies on to maintain his health and longevity. He described living in his girlfriend’s world, eating everything she prepared, including meat, bread, and pasta, and embracing the discomfort of being an introvert in a week-long marathon social interaction with the entire extended family.
He also mentioned spending time in her garden and being fed stevia leaves, peppers, celery, chives, peanut berry, grapefruit, and starfruit. Johnson described the experience as a ‘nail biter,’ admitting he wasn’t sure whether Ms Tolo’s parents would approve of his lifestyle and strict routine.
The seven time zone shift shocked his circadian rhythm, which then altered his hunger hormones. Leptin stopped signaling that he had enough stored energy, while ghrelin ran elevated all day instead of only before meals. Blood glucose spikes from bread and carbs, which he ate to be in family ritual, triggered emergency hunger signals in his brain. Sleep deprivation weakened his prefrontal cortex’s ability to override the urge, making him feel helpless and controlled by impulse.
Ahead of the trip, Johnson predicted the travel would take a toll on his body. After returning home, he said it took two weeks to restore his sleep quality, nine days to normalize his cortisol levels, and five days to recover his grip strength.
It takes your body over two weeks to fully recover, according to Johnson. He suggested that one international trip per quarter is a reasonable balance, as the body understands time zone changes as trauma. Evidence shows you need one day per time zone to re-entrain, and east is worse than west.
A photo from the trip shows Johnson cowering under an umbrella from the Australian sun. Johnson is now testing new protocols to accelerate recovery from jet lag, including taking slow-release caffeine in the morning to ‘anchor the body’ and melatonin before bed to bring the ‘sleep phase earlier.’
Johnson’s rigorous biohacking regimen has radically transformed his appearance. The trip came weeks after Johnson posted a photo of Ms Tolo undergoing an internal ultrasound while he stood at the foot of the hospital bed watching the examination. The photo showed Ms Tolo being examined for suspected endometriosis – an incurable chronic condition Johnson has vowed to conduct more research into.
Johnson has previously revealed that Ms Tolo has one of the ‘top one per cent of vaginas’ after sharing details of her vaginal microbiome report online. He stated that the lab found nothing bad to report, linking it to lower risk of various conditions.
The couple publicly confirmed their relationship in December through a lengthy social media post and YouTube video. Johnson said they had known each other for five years but chose to keep their romance private while determining whether the relationship would last. They needed time to stabilize, mature, and assess whether this was short or long term. It took time to bridge their worlds.
Johnson is worth an estimated $300 million to $400 million. He amassed most of his fortune after founding the mobile and digital payments company Braintree, which was sold to PayPal for $800 million in 2013.
