A new report from the New York Times claims that the so-called “Longevity Mix” sold by Bryan Johnson, the anti-aging tech guru, has caused some users to report unwanted side-effects. Johnson, who runs Blueprint, a dietary supplement company, has been pushing its mixes as a way to stay healthy and live longer. According to the new report, however, many users reported that the supplements made them feel like they were going to hurl.
The newspaper article’s main focus is Johnson’s use of confidentiality agreements which, the Times writes, have been leveraged against employees and social contacts alike:
For nearly a decade, Mr. Johnson has wielded confidentiality agreements to control his image and the companies he built atop that image. His employees, sexual partners, vendors and contract workers have all had to sign the documents, sometimes in exchange for settlements, severance or continued employment at his firms, according to people close to him and his start-ups, internal documents and court records.
The newspaper writes that three former employees have recently filed National Labor Relations Board complaints about Johnson’s confidentiality agreements, accusing the entrepreneur of forcing them to sign agreements that were “overbroad” and, in so doing, breaking federal laws that allow workers to publicly discuss workplace conditions.
While probing Johnson’s company, however, the Times was also able to get its hands on information concerning an internal study conducted by Blueprint. The study looked at the impact that its dietary mixes had on users. Apparently, that impact wasn’t very good, in some cases:
Of the roughly 1,700 participants in the study, about 60 percent experienced at least one side effect, according to internal emails, spreadsheets and other documents. Blood tests revealed that participants saw their testosterone levels drop and became prediabetic after following Mr. Johnson’s diet plan. It’s unclear how severe the side effects were.
“Longevity mix: A lot of comments about hating this as it is making them sick, vomit, have heartburn, etc.,” one Blueprint employee wrote to a colleague in February 2024.
Allulose, an ingredient in the longevity mix and a sugar alternative that Mr. Johnson has pitched to his social media followers, also caused issues. “TONS of people saying it’s causing nausea, bloating,” wrote an employee.
“The New York Times tried to come for me and missed,” Johnson wrote on X on Friday. “What was meant to be a takedown ended up reading like a profile piece,” he went on, claiming that the paper “came up empty” and that it was only by “contorting and twisting facts to fit a narrative that they barely had enough to publish.”
Gizmodo reached out to Blueprint for comment, though the company says its typical response time is 1-2 business days. We also reached out to the NLRB. In an email to the Times, Johnson reportedly said that the results of the study showed “common side effects with any food, beverage or supplement.”
