Bryan Johnson of Don’t Die launched Immortals, a $1,000,000 per year health program. He describes it as “the exact protocol I’ve followed for the last 5 years.” The program is waitlist-only. Low-cost and free versions are reportedly coming soon.

But what’s actually in Bryan Johnson’s protocol? And how much of it can you replicate on your own?

We broke down Bryan Johnson’s publicly documented protocol to find out. The short answer: the blood work, diet, exercise, and sleep habits that make up the core of the program can be replicated for less than $2,000 per year. The $1M price tag is largely paying for a 30-person medical team, experimental therapies, and the brand itself.

Pictured: Bryan Johnson of Don’t Die fame. We agree with a lot of the longevity movement, but think it can be done in a way that’s cost-effective for as many people as possible

What’s in Bryan Johnson’s Immortals protocol?

Bryan Johnson has been remarkably transparent about his protocol. The full details are published at protocol.bryanjohnson.com and cover six major areas: blood work and biomarker testing, prescription medications, supplements, advanced therapies, lifestyle (diet, exercise, sleep), and continuous monitoring.

Here’s a summary of each:

1. Blood work and biomarker testing

Johnson gets comprehensive blood draws every 3-6 months and epigenetic (DNA methylation) testing twice per year. His tracked biomarkers include:

Category	Biomarkers
Cardiovascular	ApoB, ApoA1, Lp(a), hs-CRP, total cholesterol, HDL, LDL, triglycerides, VEGF
Metabolic	Glucose, HbA1c, insulin
Kidney & liver	eGFR, creatinine, BUN, ALT, AST, bilirubin, alkaline phosphatase
Blood counts	CBC with differential (WBC, RBC, hemoglobin, hematocrit, platelets)
Nutrients	Vitamin D, B12, ferritin, folate, iron
Hormones	Testosterone (free and total), SHBG, cortisol, thyroid
Advanced	pTAU217 (Alzheimer’s risk), telomere length, environmental toxins
Epigenetic	DNA methylation / speed of aging (twice yearly)

Biomarker testing is the highest-ROI part of the protocol. Knowing your biomarkers lets you catch cardiovascular, metabolic, and kidney problems decades before symptoms appear.

2. Prescription medications

Johnson takes seven daily medications and one biweekly injection, all prescribed by his medical team (per his published protocol):

Medication	Purpose	Frequency
Acarbose 200mg	Blood sugar management	Daily
Jardiance 10mg	Longevity / metabolic health	Daily
Candesartan 8mg	Blood pressure / heart protection	Daily
Tadalafil 2.5mg	Endothelial (blood vessel) function	Daily
Repatha 140mg	Cholesterol reduction (PCSK9 inhibitor)	Every 2 weeks
Armour Thyroid 60mg	Hypothyroidism	Daily
Levothyroxine 100mcg	Hypothyroidism	Daily
Minoxidil 3.75mg	Hair growth	Daily

Several of these — like Repatha for cholesterol and Candesartan for blood pressure — are standard, evidence-backed cardiovascular medications. Others, like Acarbose and Jardiance for longevity in non-diabetics, are more experimental. All require a prescription and medical oversight.

3. Supplements (~40 per day)

Johnson’s supplement stack includes Blueprint-branded products and individual compounds. Key items from his published protocol include:

• Creatine (7.5g/day)
• Collagen peptides (20g+/day)
• Extra virgin olive oil (2 Tbsp/day)
• Omega-3 EPA/DHA (800mg)
• Ashwagandha & Rhodiola (120mg)
• Prebiotic fiber (galactooligosaccharides, inulin, arabinogalactan)
• CoQ10 (ubiquinol)
• Fisetin, luteolin, lithium orotate
• Vitamin D, Vitamin C, and many more

4. Advanced therapies

This is where the cost escalates dramatically:

Therapy	Protocol	Estimated Cost
Hyperbaric oxygen (HBOT)	60 sessions, 90 min each, 5x/week	$6,000-15,000
Dry sauna	175°F, 20 min daily	$3,000-6,000 (home unit)
Red/NIR light therapy	6 min, 2x daily	$500-2,000 (home device)
Shockwave therapy	4,500 shocks, 3x/week	$200-500/session
Laser skin treatments	1927nm + 1550nm + Sofwave, every 6 months	$1,500-4,000/session
Follistatin gene therapy	Single treatment (done in Honduras)	~$25,000
Mesenchymal stem cell injections	300M cells into joints	$5,000-25,000

Gene therapy and stem cell injections are not FDA-approved for anti-aging purposes. Johnson received his Follistatin gene therapy in Honduras in 2023 because the treatment is not available in the U.S.

5. Diet, exercise, and sleep

The lifestyle protocol is published in detail for free and is arguably the most impactful part of the program:

Diet: 2,250 calories/day (10% caloric restriction), 130g protein, plant-heavy. Three meals consumed before noon. Staples include black lentils, broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms, berries, sweet potatoes, and extra virgin olive oil. No alcohol, no processed food, limited caffeine.

Exercise: 6 hours per week — 150 minutes of zone 2 cardio, 75 minutes of HIIT, plus strength training 3x/week and daily flexibility work.

Sleep: In bed by 8:30pm, awake by 4:30am. Bedroom at 65-70°F. No screens 60 minutes before bed. No food within 4+ hours of bedtime.

6. Imaging and continuous monitoring

Test	Frequency	Estimated Cost
Full-body MRI	Annual	$1,000-2,500
Continuous glucose monitor (CGM)	Continuous	$150-300/month
Wearables (Apple Watch, Oura, Whoop)	Continuous	$300-500 one-time
Body composition	Daily	Included in wearables
Skin imaging (Canfield Visia)	Annual	$200-500
Dental	2x/year	Covered by most insurance
Eye exam	Annual	Covered by most insurance

How to replicate 90% of the Immortals protocol for under $2,000/year

The key insight: most of the protocol’s value comes from knowing your numbers and building the right habits. The exotic therapies are the most expensive part — and the least evidence-backed.

The blood work: $190-399/year

Bryan Johnson’s core blood biomarkers — ApoB, Lp(a), hs-CRP, HbA1c, full lipid panel, CBC, metabolic panel, liver enzymes, kidney function, vitamin D, B12, ferritin, and iron — are all available in a single lab visit.

Bryan Johnson Tests	Available in Empirical Health Comprehensive Panel?
ApoB, ApoA1	Yes
Lp(a)	Yes
hs-CRP	Yes
Total cholesterol, HDL, LDL, triglycerides	Yes
Glucose, HbA1c	Yes
CBC with differential	Yes
eGFR, creatinine, BUN	Yes
ALT, AST, bilirubin, alkaline phosphatase	Yes
Vitamin D, B12, ferritin, folate, iron	Yes
TSH with reflex to T4	Yes
Urinalysis	Yes

Empirical Health’s comprehensive health panel covers 100+ biomarkers including all of the above for $190. You can also test 3x per year for $399, and this latter program includes a video review with a real doctor.

The main biomarkers not included in a standard panel are epigenetic age testing (available separately for $250-500 through services like TruAge), pTAU217 (an emerging Alzheimer’s biomarker), telomere length, and environmental toxin panels.

The lifestyle protocol: free

Johnson’s diet, exercise, and sleep protocols are published in full at protocol.bryanjohnson.com. You don’t need to follow the protocol exactly. The core principles are well-established in the medical literature, and as with many things, the 80/20 rule applies:

• Exercise 150+ minutes/week of moderate cardio plus strength training (AHA guidelines)
• Eat more fiber and less saturated fat to lower ApoB (Brown et al., 1999)
• Sleep 7-8 hours consistently (Kaneita et al., 2008)
• Don’t smoke, limit alcohol

The supplements: ~$100-200/month

You don’t need 40 supplements. The ones with the strongest evidence base include:

Supplement	Approx. Cost/Month	Evidence
Creatine (5g/day)	$10-15	Well-studied for muscle and brain health
Omega-3 / fish oil	$15-25	Cardiovascular benefit in multiple meta-analyses
Vitamin D (if deficient)	$5-10	Common deficiency, easy to test for
Fiber supplement (psyllium husk)	$10-15	Lowers ApoB/LDL by ~8 mg/dL per 10g soluble fiber
Collagen peptides	$15-25	Some evidence for skin and joint health

Total: $55-90/month, or $660-1,080/year for the highest-evidence supplements.

Monitoring: $300-800/year

A wearable like an Apple Watch or Oura Ring ($300-500 one-time) gives you continuous heart rate, sleep tracking, and activity monitoring. These are the same data streams Johnson uses daily. A CGM is optional (most useful if you have metabolic concerns, but most people can learn from CGM data).

The advanced therapies: this is where $999,000 goes

The therapies below are genuinely expensive and represent the bulk of the Immortals price tag:

Therapy	Annual Cost	Evidence Level
30-person medical team	The majority of $1M	Concierge medicine, not a therapy
Hyperbaric oxygen	$6,000-15,000	Mixed evidence for anti-aging; evidence for wound healing
Gene therapy	~$25,000 (one-time)	Experimental, not FDA-approved for longevity
Stem cell injections	$5,000-25,000	Limited long-term evidence for joints
Laser skin treatments	$6,000-16,000/year	Cosmetic, well-established for skin appearance
Daily sauna + light therapy	$3,500-8,000 (equipment)	Sauna associated with lower cardiovascular mortality

Some of these — like regular sauna use — have promising epidemiological data. Others, like gene therapy for longevity, are genuinely experimental. None of them are necessary to achieve the cardiovascular, metabolic, and longevity benefits that come from knowing your biomarkers and acting on them.

The bottom line: component-by-component cost

Here’s what it costs to shop for each piece of the Immortals protocol yourself, broken down by how strong the evidence is.

Highest-ROI parts of Immortal’s program (<$2,000)

These are the components with the best clinical evidence and the highest return per dollar.

Component	DIY Cost	Notes
Diet, exercise, and sleep protocol	Free	Published at protocol.bryanjohnson.com. Exercise alone reduces cardiovascular mortality by 30-40%
Blood work (100+ biomarkers, 2x/year)	$380/year	Empirical comprehensive panel at $190/test, physician-reviewed. Covers ApoB, Lp(a), hs-CRP, HbA1c, CBC, metabolic, liver, kidney, and nutrients
Prescription medications (statins, PCSK9i, blood pressure meds)	$500-3,000/year	Requires a doctor. Generic statins are ~$10/month and reduce heart attack risk by 25-35%. Repatha is ~$200/month with copay assistance
Core supplements (creatine, omega-3, vitamin D, fiber)	$660-1,080/year	Off-the-shelf. Omega-3 and fiber both have strong cardiovascular evidence in multiple meta-analyses
Wearable (Apple Watch, Oura, or Whoop)	$300-500 one-time	Sleep, heart rate, and activity tracking — the same data streams Johnson uses daily

Subtotal: ~$1,500-2,000/year for the highest-evidence components.

Medium value: reasonable evidence, moderate cost

These add meaningful data but are less critical than the basics above. Worth considering once you have the fundamentals covered.

Component	DIY Cost	Notes
Full-body MRI (annual)	$1,000-2,500/year	Prenuvo, SimonMed, or similar. Can catch cancers and aneurysms early, but high false-positive rate can lead to unnecessary follow-ups
Epigenetic age test (2x/year)	$500-1,000/year	TruAge or similar DNA methylation test. Interesting for tracking biological age over time, but limited actionability today
Sauna (daily)	$2,000-5,000 one-time	Home infrared sauna. Regular sauna use associated with lower cardiovascular mortality in Finnish cohort studies
CGM (continuous glucose monitor)	$600-1,800/year	Stelo, Levels, or Dexcom. Most useful if you have metabolic concerns or pre-diabetes; limited value for metabolically healthy people
Red light therapy (daily)	$500-2,000 one-time	Home red/NIR panel. Some evidence for skin health and wound healing; longevity evidence is early-stage

Subtotal: ~$3,000-6,000/year on top of the high-value tier.

Maybe has value: experimental, expensive, or limited evidence

These are the most expensive parts of the protocol and the ones with the weakest or most preliminary evidence for longevity. Johnson is essentially running these experiments on himself.

Component	DIY Cost	Notes
Hyperbaric oxygen (60 sessions/year)	$6,000-15,000/year	Strong evidence for wound healing; mixed evidence for anti-aging
Laser skin treatments (every 6 months)	$6,000-16,000/year	Cosmetic, well-established for skin appearance — but doesn’t affect underlying health
Stem cell injections	$5,000-25,000	Limited long-term evidence for joint health; not FDA-approved for anti-aging
Gene therapy (Follistatin)	~$25,000 one-time	Experimental, not FDA-approved for longevity, done overseas (Johnson received his in Honduras)
30-person medical team	$10,000-50,000+/year	Concierge medicine — this is where most of the $1M goes. A single good doctor can cover 95% of the decision-making

Subtotal: ~$50,000-100,000+/year for the experimental tier.

What a DIY Immortals protocol adds up to

Tier	What’s Included	Annual Cost
Lifestyle only	Diet, exercise, sleep protocol	Free
Lifestyle + blood work	Add 100+ biomarker panel, 2x/year	~$400/year
The “sweet spot”	Add core supplements, wearable, and a doctor visit to discuss medications	~$1,500-2,500/year
The full DIY	Add MRI, CGM, epigenetic testing, sauna	~$5,000-10,000/year
The experimental tier	Add gene therapy, stem cells, hyperbaric oxygen, laser treatments	~$50,000-100,000/year
Immortals	All of the above, plus a 30-person medical team running everything for you	$1,000,000/year

The most impactful part of Bryan Johnson’s protocol isn’t the gene therapy or the $25,000 stem cell injections — it’s the regular biomarker testing that catches problems early, paired with evidence-based lifestyle changes. That part costs less than $400 per year.

You can get started with a comprehensive health panel that covers the same core cardiovascular, metabolic, and nutritional biomarkers Johnson tracks, for $190.