Thread by @bryan_johnson

HBOT ranks as one of the highest value health therapies I’ve done. Results from 60 sessions:

+ wiped out all systematic inflammation in my body. Below detectable levels. This is wild.
+ 300% increase in VEGF (formation of new blood vessels)
+ telomerase activity of a 12 year old, associated with biological age
+ 250% and 290% increase in Short-Chain Fatty Acids and n-Butyrate, respectively, important microbiome markers
+ complete elimination of metabolic imbalance in my gut
+ 28.6% reduction in a dementia marker
+ improved muscle oxygenation
+ dramatic improvements to whole body skin health

The outcomes match what we observed in the scientific literature and what we predicted in deciding to do this therapy.

What's notable is that after achieving elite level biomarkers over the past four years, my team and I have struggled to find new therapies that meaningfully improve my biomarkers. HBOT achieved that.
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0/ Inflammation

Post HBOT, there’s no detectable systemic inflammation in my body (hsCRP). Inflammation is the foundation of disease and all things bad health.  Before HBOT, my inflammation markers were in the top 5% of 18-29 year olds (you get more inflamed as you age).

HBOT eliminated systematic inflammation in my body to a point it was below levels of detection. This is wild.

A second test to confirm the inflammation measurement, my CRPm, an epigenetic biomarker proxy for inflammation, is in the lowest 1%.

1/ Vascularization

300% increase in VEGF drives the formation of new blood vessels which improves tissue perfusion and oxidation, essential for improving fitness, physical and cognitive performance . Also has further pro-longevity effects on gene expression.

Improved muscle oxygenation, reached the same level of exercise power (wattage) at more than double the muscle oxygenation.

2/ Telomeres

Telomerase activity of a 12 year-old (7.7%). Telomers keep chromosomes from falling apart. They are essential for healthy cell division, including stem cell renewal. As we age, cells lose their telomerase activity and telomeres get shorter, when telomeres are too short, cells become senescent and contribute to accelerated aging.

While telomerase activity is positive in healthy cells, the mechanism is also hijacked by cancers to enable endless cell divisions, hence an aberrantly high telomerase activity (higher than 20% is indicative of potential cancer). I did not have a baseline measurement for this biomarker.

Telomere length: the lab messed up the sample to measure telomere length so I’m getting retested. Will share results when available.

3/ Microbiome

Dramatic improvements in my microbiome:

+ Akkermansia muciniphila increased by 1,000%.
Pre-HBOT: Not detectable → Post-HBOT: 4.2E4 CFU/g

Akkermansia is linked to gut barrier integrity and metabolic health.

Note, I started Akkermansia on August 9th and two months later it was barely detectable. When we measured after HBOT, it had increased by 1,000%. It is unclear how much HBOT contributed to this increase, however given the barely detectable levels two months into taking it, it’s possible HBOT played a role.

Methane Dysbiosis improved (decreased): indicative of improved immune function in the gut.

Digestive & Metabolic Function

250% increase in Short-Chain Fatty Acids (SCFA)
Pre-HBOT: 22.5 micromol/g (low) → Post-HBOT: 55.8 micromol/g (optimal)

290% increase in n-Butyrate Concentration, from 3.8 → 11.1 micromol/g (290%)

Complete elimination of metabolic imbalance in the gut

Pre-HBOT: imbalance score 7 (high) → Post-HBOT: imbalance score 0 (ideal) this is a general score based on the beneficial metabolic products of the healthy gut bacteria, including the aforementioned SCFAs and n-Butyrate as well as the enzymatic activity of gut bacteria which support the gut in disposing of drugs and other harmful chemicals (beta-glucoronidase)

A high metabolic imbalance score might be indicative of lack of pre-biotics in the diet (including fiber), interestingly in my case HBOT was enough to reverse the metabolic imbalance despite no significant change in my diet.

4/ Brain health

28.6% reduction (from 0.14 to 0.1 pg/mL) in the brain damage and dementia marker pTAU127.

The phosphoprotein p-TAU217 is a specific marker for Alzheimer disease, with levels higher than 0.18pg/mL potentially indicative of plaque accumulation in the brain, hence keeping this marker at the lowest end is a great relief and a sign of improved brain health.

Lower pTAU127 means less tau accumulation and lower brain inflammation, which is associated with better memory, processing speed, executive function and neuronal stability.

5/ Skin

+ my facial skin got 1 year younger (Pre-HBOT: 39 years→ Post-HBOT: 38 years)
+ major improvement in UV spots score  (55th→ 68th percentile)

Indicative of significant removal of Advanced Glycation End-products AGEs from the skin, ostensibly due to improved vascularization

Likely other skin benefits:
+ 12.8% increase in collagen fiber density
+ 144% increase in elastic fiber length + reduced fragmentation 90% to 10%.
+ 40.9% increase in skin blood vessel count
+ 84.3% increase in CD31 blood vessel specific marker
+ 21% reduction in senescent cells

Note, the above four measurements are from a 2021 prospective clinical trial exploring how HBOT affects skin aging in healthy older adults (age 68). While I did not complete these specific measurements, it’s possible that my skin improvements were similar. Subjectively, I’ve never seen a more dramatic improvement to my skin quality than from these 60 HBOT sessions.

6/ My HBOT protocol in a glance

+ Hard shell chamber from @hpotech_medical
+ 2 ATA
+ 90 minute sessions
+ 20 min breathing 100% oxygen. 5 min break. Repeat.
+ 60 sessions within 90 days.

The protocol is consistent with the most credible clinical studies up to date.

I started my protocol Nov 1st 2024, with a break during my India and China tour, and resumed on Dec 16th 2024 till Jan 20th 2025, having finished a total of 60 sessions.

This chamber from @hpotech_medical was really helpful in allowing me to work during my daily HBOT sessions. Otherwise, it would have been impossible to make the time to complete 60, 90 minutes sessions during 90 days.

Inside my chamber the oxygen level is 21% which is the same as earth's atmosphere. Other chamber maintain 100% oxygen inside creating increased fire risk.

7/ Limitations

While doing HBOT I also underwent three total plasma exchanges (TPE).

8/ Don't Die Certified Clinics - coming soon

Wanting to do HBOT and but don't know where?

Soon, you will be able to find a clinics and health practitioners that are Don't Die Certified, meaning they follow the same scientific rigor and measurement as my protocol.

We have our first few clinics ready to go and will be launching soon. Stay tuned.

I used a @hpotech_medical chamber