CLAIM: Completing 60 sessions of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) reverses biological age.

FACT: Insufficient scientific evidence. Some of Johnson’s claims, such as increased telomere length, are supported by preliminary research on HBOT, but the extent of his reported outcomes may be anecdotal. The claims lack independent, peer-reviewed evidence.

In a recent YouTube video, tech entrepreneur and biohacker Bryan Johnson claimed that a 90-day regimen of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) reversed his biological age, giving him the “biology of a 10-year-old.” 

HBOT is a medical treatment in which a patient breathes pure oxygen in a pressurized chamber. This increases oxygen levels in the blood, helping to heal wounds, fight infections, and treat conditions like carbon monoxide poisoning and decompression sickness.

“My protocol is to complete 60 sessions in ninety days… sessions of ninety minutes,”  says Johnson, who reportedly invests $2 million annually in anti-aging pursuits.

He explains that the increased pressure allows the body to be “saturated with pure oxygen,” which he claims leads to “faster healing, better mitochondrial function, and possibly slower aging.” 

“After completing 60 HBOT sessions, my biomarkers improved across my entire body… I had no detectable levels of systemic inflammation… a 300% increase in VEGF, which is signaling the increase of this blood vessel growth… My Akkermansia… increased by 1000%… The [Alzheimer’s] marker p-tau 127… declined by 28.6%… My UV skin damage… improved by over 10%… My telomeres… measured at 11.7 kilobytes… the age equivalent of a 10-year-old,” he says. 

What does science say?

We spoke to Dr Tarun Sahni, a senior internal medicine specialist and head of India’s first private HBOT center at Apollo Hospital in Delhi, to understand if this approach to anti-aging holds up under scientific scrutiny.

“The HBOT process allows oxygen to dissolve directly into the blood plasma, in addition to the oxygen carried by hemoglobin in red blood cells, thereby increasing oxygen delivery to tissues,” said Dr Sahni, who is also the president of the Hyperbaric Society of India. “The additional oxygen is supposed to be beneficial for various illnesses. There are about 13 or 14 conditions that are globally accepted and are evidence-based and are reimbursed through insurances in most parts of the world.”

These conditions, according to him, include radiation-induced tissue damage (for example, radiation cystitis or osteoradionecrosis), diabetic non-healing wounds, acute hearing loss, and central retinal artery obstruction. The therapy enhances healing by increasing oxygen availability to tissues, reducing inflammation, and promoting tissue repair, as supported by established medical evidence.

What if healthy people take HBOT?

Dr Sahni said that HBOT is being explored for wellness and longevity purposes. “However, the scientific evidence for its benefits in healthy individuals remains limited and largely anecdotal,” he pointed out.

A 2020 study from Tel Aviv University, published in the journal Aging, found that 60 HBOT sessions increased telomere length by 20-38% in immune cells and reduced senescent cells, indicating potential anti-aging effects at the cellular level. However, Dr Sahni emphasized the lack of “concrete proof” for broad anti-aging claims, and long-term studies are needed to confirm whether HBOT can extend lifespan or healthspan in healthy populations.

Is Bryan Johnson right about age reversal through HBOT?

Dr Sahni cast doubt on Bryan Johnson’s claims about the anti-aging benefits of HBOT, describing them as unverified. He explained that an anecdotal report, such as Johnson’s, allows “anybody [to] experiment and make his own interpretation and make his own protocol” but stressed that such claims require rigorous validation.

Apollo doctor acknowledged the existence of Tel Aviv University study but said more research was needed. 

He emphasized that Johnson’s specific claims, tied to his advocacy for longevity medicine, remain unproven, asserting that “these are what we call anecdotal” and “would need to be tested on a scientifically robust platform before the claims can be agreed to be true.”

Also read: Does Biological Age Increase Dementia Risk? Study Finds Out