Bryan Johnson - I Made Myself Older By Mistake
The speaker, part of a team aiming to develop the best health protocol, experimented with rapamycin, a drug initially discovered for its antifungal and immunosuppressant properties. Despite its potential to increase lifespan in mice, the speaker experienced adverse effects such as increased resting heart rate, cholesterol disruptions, and impaired wound healing. These side effects were confirmed to be from rapamycin after discontinuation led to their resolution. A recent study suggested rapamycin might accelerate biological aging in humans, contradicting its intended use for longevity. The speaker emphasizes the importance of cautious experimentation and sharing results, whether successful or not, to advance scientific understanding.
Key Points:
- Rapamycin was initially discovered for antifungal and immunosuppressant properties.
- Studies showed rapamycin increased lifespan in mice but had significant side effects in humans.
- The speaker experienced negative side effects, including increased heart rate and cholesterol issues.
- Discontinuing rapamycin resolved these side effects, suggesting it accelerated aging.
- A recent study indicated rapamycin might accelerate biological aging in humans.
Details:
1. 🌟 The Journey Begins: Experimenting with Rapamycin
1.1. Building a Health Protocol
1.2. Understanding and Experimenting with Rapamycin
2. 🔍 Unveiling Rapamycin: Discovery and Dual Nature
2.1. Discovery of Rapamycin
2.2. Dual Nature of Rapamycin
3. 🐭 Animal Studies: Rapamycin's Promising Longevity Effects
- The FDA approved rapamycin in 1999 for organ transplant patients due to its immunosuppressant properties, which help prevent the body's immune system from rejecting transplanted organs.
- Despite its usage in transplants, over a third of organ transplants are still rejected by the body.
- The connection between rapamycin and longevity was not made until 2009, when studies began to explore its potential to extend lifespan, indicating a promising new direction for research beyond its initial immunosuppressant use.
- In 2009, studies showed that rapamycin could increase the lifespan of mice by 9 to 14%, sparking significant interest in its application for human longevity.
4. 💊 Human Trials: Weighing Benefits Against Side Effects
- A 2009 study showed that rapamycin increased lifespan in older mice by 14% for females and 9% for males. In younger mice, the longevity benefits increased.
- Combining rapamycin with acarbose resulted in even greater longevity: 28% for females and 34% for males.
- The effects were replicated in other animals, indicating potential for human trials.
- Concerns about significant side effects in human organ transplant patients, such as metabolic disruptions and impaired wound healing, have slowed human trials.
- Recent research suggests intermittent dosing or lower doses can reduce these side effects.
- If side effects are managed, the potential benefits of rapamycin for humans are substantial.
5. ⚖️ Mechanism and Challenges in Rapamycin Dosing
5.1. Mechanism of Rapamycin
5.2. Challenges in Rapamycin Dosing
6. 🧪 Trials and Tribulations: Realizing the Side Effects
- Various dosing protocols were tested, including five pills per week, six pills one week and 13 the next, and 13 pills consistently, to assess rapamycin levels in the blood.
- Blood tests were conducted 90 minutes post-ingestion and at 24, 48, 72, and 96 hours to monitor rapamycin blood levels and decay rate.
- Despite efforts, no benefits were observed from rapamycin administration, but several side effects occurred, including canker sores, slow wound healing, cholesterol disruptions, increased blood glucose, and elevated resting heart rate.
- The resting heart rate increase was particularly concerning due to its impact on sleep quality.
- Discontinuing rapamycin resulted in a drop in blood glucose, cholesterol correction, and resolution of soft tissue infections, confirming rapamycin as the cause of side effects.
7. 🔄 The Irony of Aging: Lessons from the Rapamycin Experiment
- In a study, rapamycin was found to accelerate biological aging across 16 epigenetic clocks, contrary to its intended use for promoting longevity.
- These epigenetic clocks are tools used to measure biological aging, indicating an unexpected increase in aging speed due to rapamycin.
- Potential flaws in the study suggest the need for cautious interpretation and further research to validate these findings.
- The study underscores the importance of the scientific process, emphasizing the need to test and validate findings, even those that are surprising or contrary to expectations.
- This experience highlights the value of sharing both successful and unsuccessful experiments for the advancement of scientific knowledge.