Living with autoimmune gastritis: One woman's journey mirrors Bryan Johnson's diagnosis

When Bryan Johnson announced his autoimmune gastritis diagnosis, Lori Taylor's phone lit up with messages from friends and colleagues who immediately recognized the connection. Taylor, a registered dietitian and adjunct professor at Saybrook University on Whidbey Island, Washington, had been living with the same condition since 2018. She knew what Johnson was facing—the slow unraveling of the body's ability to do something most people never think about: absorb the nutrients from food.

Autoimmune gastritis is a chronic inflammatory disease in which the immune system attacks parietal cells, the ones responsible for producing stomach acid. Without sufficient acid, the body struggles to absorb vitamins and minerals, particularly B12 and iron. A 2024 study linked the condition to deficiencies in vitamin C and calcium as well. The symptoms are diffuse and deceptive, which is precisely why so many people spend years searching for answers before anyone names the disease.

Taylor's own journey began decades before her diagnosis. She remembers low-grade stomach problems and an unexplained iron deficiency stretching back to her twenties. But the disease accelerated in her late forties. Around 2016, while working as a clinical dietitian in an oncology unit at a hospital, her hair began breaking and falling out in alarming quantities. "I felt like I was one of my chemo patients," she said. The fatigue was equally brutal. One afternoon, standing at the base of a single flight of stairs leading to her office, she found herself unable to imagine climbing it. She was talking herself out of any activity that demanded energy.

The cognitive symptoms were the most frightening. Brain fog rolled in like weather she couldn't control. Complex thoughts would slip away before she could hold them. Simple words vanished. She developed dysgraphia—her own handwriting became illegible after the first sentence. One day at a boba tea shop, when they told her they'd run out of her usual flavor, something in her mind simply went blank. She stood at the counter unable to speak, then broke down in tears. "I thought I was literally losing my mind," she said.

When Taylor finally received her diagnosis, everything clicked into place. Blood tests revealed elevated parietal cell antibodies. An endoscopy showed inflammation consistent with early autoimmune gastritis. Her care team had been running tests in all directions, chasing shadows, until a colleague suggested they look specifically for this disease. Like Johnson, she had initially been dismissed—her low iron attributed to heavy menstrual bleeding and perimenopause, her B12 levels technically in the normal range, just barely.

Finding the right treatment took time and experimentation. She tried elimination diets, FODMAP protocols, carbohydrate restriction—interventions that offered temporary relief at best. Then she began supplementing every meal with betaine hydrochloride, a compound that temporarily increases stomach acid. Within three days, a decade of IBS symptoms vanished. She has continued this regimen since 2018. Iron infusions, which her body could absorb far better than oral supplements, came next. She has received four sets of infusions over eight years. "They've been life-changing," she said. B12 shots followed, and once she found the right dosing, her cognitive function returned. The neuropathy that had felt like stepping on hot Legos disappeared.

Now Taylor is channeling her experience into research. She co-authored a 2024 review paper proposing that replacing lost stomach acid should be investigated as a treatment approach. In the fall, she plans to begin her doctorate in clinical nutrition at Rutgers University, with autoimmune gastritis as her focus. The condition affects approximately 3.85 percent of people worldwide, yet clinical trials investigating its treatment remain scarce. "I'm really hoping that Johnson uses his platform to increase awareness," Taylor said. She was particularly interested in his mention of stem cells as a potential solution, since parietal cells typically do not regenerate once destroyed. She also hopes his visibility will accelerate the development of more accessible treatment options. "Not everyone can afford to engage in vitamin infusions," she said. Taylor believes the revolution in autoimmune gastritis treatment will be driven by patients like herself—and by those with platforms large enough to amplify their voices.