He Spends S$2.6 Million on Anti-Ageing, Yet His Stomach Starts “Eating Itself”: What Does Real Longevity Mean?

I saw a news story yesterday. It was interesting, and a little darkly ironic.

One of the people in the world working hardest not to get sick has fallen ill.

His name is Bryan Johnson.

He is 48, a US technology millionaire, and a well-known “anti-ageing experimenter”.

He spends about US$2 million (around S$2.6 million) a year managing his body.

He is strict about diet, exercise and sleep, and monitors a large number of health indicators every day.

Most people wear a smartwatch to see how many steps they took today.

He essentially treats himself like an F1 racing car, with every component needing to be checked.

His slogan is simple:

“DON’T DIE”.

But recently, he disclosed:

“My stomach is eating itself.”

He was diagnosed with:

Autoimmune Gastritis.

Someone fighting ageing with all his might has instead been “caught in friendly fire” from his own immune system.

I actually respect this guy quite a bit, at least for facing the problem he encountered head-on.

Why Does the Stomach “Eat Itself”?

Of course, this does not mean that the stomach has literally started biting itself.

Put simply:

The immune system in the body has mistaken its target.

The “security guards” that should attack viruses and bacteria instead treat cells in the stomach as enemies.

Over time, this can affect stomach acid and vitamin B12 absorption.

It may lead to:

Iron deficiency.

Anaemia.

Neurological problems.

It may even increase the risk of some stomach conditions.

The Most Noteworthy Part: This Problem Was Hidden for 11 Years

What caught my attention most about this news was not:

“Rich people get sick too.”

It was this:

Why could a problem remain hidden for so long in someone spending millions every year to monitor his body?

Johnson revealed that his ferritin had been low for 11 years.

Simply put, ferritin is:

The body’s “iron store”.

Many people think:

“I’m not anaemic, so it should be fine, right?”

But the body is actually very good at holding on.

It is like having less and less money in the bank while your credit card still works.

Appearing normal on the surface does not mean there is no risk.

In clinic, we often hear:

“Doctor, does it matter if this reading is a little low?”

Very often, it really does not matter.

But if an abnormality persists for a long time, we should ask one more question:

Why?

Medicine is often not just about looking at one number.

It is about connecting many small clues.

Real Longevity Is Not About Frantically Upgrading the Body

After seeing this news, some people joked:

“He spends S$2.6 million on anti-ageing and still gets sick?”

But I do not think that is the point.

Health management is not buying insurance against ever getting sick.

When many people think of anti-ageing, they think of:

The latest devices.

The latest medicines.

All kinds of supplements.

They may even hope for a pill of immortality.

If one really existed, I imagine doctors would queue up to buy it too.

But the human body is not that simple at present.

The body is more like a car that stays with you for decades.

What really matters may not be replacing it with a super engine.

It is:

Regular maintenance.

Reducing wear and tear.

Finding problems early.

Keeping the original engine running reliably for longer.

I Support Medical Exploration, But Not Blind Copying

In the future, AI, genetic medicine and regenerative medicine may truly change how we understand ageing.

Medicine is, after all, a process of continual exploration.

So I do not oppose new anti-ageing attempts.

The key question is:

Is it suitable for you?

A treatment may work for someone else.

That does not mean it will necessarily suit you.

More expensive, newer and more complex do not necessarily mean better.

Real longevity management should not be:

“Everyone eats the same thing.”

“Everyone gets an injection.”

“Everyone does the same programme.”

Instead, it should consider:

Age.

Family history.

Physical condition.

Disease risk.

And judge what is worth doing and what requires caution.

Especially for high-net-worth individuals, sometimes the problem is not having too few choices.

It is having too many.

When everything can be tried, it becomes even more important to know:

What is health management?

What is merely buying anxiety?

Finally

Bryan Johnson’s story does not tell us:

That anti-ageing is meaningless.

Quite the opposite.

It reminds us:

Real longevity begins with understanding your own body.

Control blood pressure.

Manage blood sugar.

Prevent disease.

Detect risks early.

These may not sound as cool as “reversing age”.

But they may be what determines quality of life in the decades ahead.

After all, what we seek is not a beautiful “young” report.

It is, many years from now:

Still being able to walk.

Still being able to travel.

Still being able to share a meal with family.

That may not be as startling as “living to 160”.

But for most ordinary people,

this is the longevity truly worth pursuing.