Bryan Johnson's Blood Test Panel & Targets

Q: What blood tests does Bryan Johnson recommend?

Independent breakdowns of Johnson's Blueprint protocol consistently report targets for HbA1c, fasting insulin, ApoB, hs-CRP, vitamin D, and ferritin, among the 100+ biomarkers his panel tests. Blueprint's own public site lists the categories tested but doesn't publish an official target table, so the specific numbers here come from third-party analysis of his reported results, cross-checked across sources.

Q: How does Bryan Johnson's ferritin target differ from other longevity protocols?

It's lower — Rhonda Patrick targets 50–100 ng/mL, treating that as the range where iron-deficiency symptoms resolve without tipping into oxidative-stress risk, while Johnson's reported range of 30–60 µg/L sits below that. The reasoning offered at the time was the same Fenton-reaction, oxidative-stress mechanism Patrick cites for her own upper caution threshold, applied more aggressively at the low end. That explanation needs an asterisk now: see the next question.

Q: Was Bryan Johnson's low ferritin actually a deliberate target, or a medical problem?

Both, in sequence. Johnson ran low ferritin (averaging around 38 ng/mL) for more than a decade despite dietary iron and supplementation, and framed it publicly as an intentional oxidative-stress precaution. In July 2026, after his levels never responded to correction, he was diagnosed with autoimmune gastritis — a condition in which the immune system attacks stomach cells needed to absorb iron and B12, confirmed by elevated anti-parietal cell antibodies and a biopsy. His hemoglobin stayed normal throughout because the body depletes ferritin reserves long before hemoglobin drops, which is why the low reading wasn't flagged as anemia for years. The practical takeaway is the opposite of a target to aim for: ferritin that stays low despite supplementation, in anyone, warrants investigation for a cause (autoimmune gastritis, H. pylori infection, or gastrointestinal blood loss) rather than being treated as an optimization choice.

Q: Is targeting a 5.0% HbA1c safe?

The main documented risk of near-normal HbA1c — severe hypoglycemia — comes from research on diabetics whose levels are pushed down pharmacologically with insulin or sulfonylureas, where the drop is forced and the failure mode is a low-blood-sugar event. That's a different situation from a non-diabetic reaching 5.0% through diet and exercise, where the body's own regulation stays intact. There's no long-term outcomes data specifically on healthy adults sustaining a diet-driven HbA1c that low for years, so the honest answer is that it isn't shown to be dangerous the way pharmacologically-forced tight control is, but it also isn't proven safe or beneficial beyond the ADA's <5.7% non-diabetic range by controlled trial.

Q: Is Bryan Johnson's ApoB target lower than Peter Attia's?

Reported figures put it there, yes — the mid-to-high 50s mg/dL (his cardiologist has confirmed 52) versus Attia's stated <65 mg/dL target, and both clear even the strictest <55 mg/dL tier the 2026 ACC/AHA dyslipidemia guideline sets for its highest-risk category. Neither Blueprint nor Attia publishes these as directly comparable clinical guidance; both are individual targets cited by each person for their own protocol, not a guideline either recommends universally, and Johnson reaches his partly through Repatha, a prescription PCSK9 inhibitor.

Q: Can my regular doctor order these tests?

HbA1c, fasting glucose, and vitamin D are commonly included on a standard panel. ApoB, hs-CRP, and fasting insulin usually need to be requested specifically, since they aren't part of a default lipid or metabolic panel. Insurance coverage for the less-common markers varies by provider.

Bryan Johnson's Blood Test Panel: The Markers Blueprint Targets and Why

Bryan Johnson's Blueprint protocol runs over 100 biomarkers, but Blueprint's own site doesn't publish a public table of exact target numbers. Below are six core markers with targets reported consistently across independent breakdowns of his results, each attributed to its source rather than presented as official Blueprint guidance.

AI-curated · Expert-attributed

Compiled by AI from the named experts’ own public statements, with every figure attributed to its source. These are individual expert protocols, not clinical guidelines or FixFirst medical advice. Evidence & methodology

6 markers, cross-checked across independent sources Every target attributed and sourced, not invented Free 45-second read on your own results

Why there's no official target table — and where each number actually checks out

Blueprint's public biomarkers page (blueprint.bryanjohnson.com/pages/biomarkers) lists the categories of markers tested — over 100 across blood and urine — but does not publish Johnson's personal target numbers. The figures below come from independent breakdowns of his publicly reported results, cross-checked against at least two sources per marker, and each one is checked against current guideline literature rather than repeated at face value.

✓

ApoB <60 mg/dL — guideline-adjacent

The 2026 ACC/AHA dyslipidemia guideline formally recommends ApoB testing for the first time, with tiered goals of <55/<70/<90 mg/dL by risk category. Johnson's sub-60 number clears every tier and matches what preventive cardiologists already use for aggressive, high-risk prevention — but he reaches it partly with Repatha, a prescription PCSK9 inhibitor, not diet alone.

✓

hs-CRP <0.5 mg/L — well inside low-risk range

Standard cardiology practice treats anything under 1.0 mg/L as low cardiovascular risk. Johnson's reported reading is comfortably inside that band, not a fringe outlier.

⚠

HbA1c ~5.0% — evidence gap, not evidence against

The hypoglycemia risk tied to near-normal HbA1c in clinical research applies to diabetics on insulin or sulfonylureas being pushed down pharmacologically — a different situation from a non-diabetic reaching 5.0% through diet. There's no long-term outcomes data either way for that specific case.

✗

Ferritin 30–60 µg/L — reclassified in 2026

Johnson's low ferritin held for over a decade despite diet and supplementation. In July 2026 it was diagnosed as autoimmune gastritis, not a deliberate optimization target. His own case is now the argument for investigating persistently low ferritin rather than treating it as a number to hit. In a post on 30 July 2026 he said he wondered whether he had taken the longevity project too far.

This page is part of FixFirst's Longevity blood markers series, which attributes every target to the person who cited it rather than presenting it as clinical guidance. Where independent sources reported different exact figures for the same marker (common with Johnson's numbers, since they come from third-party analysis rather than an official published table), the range below reflects that spread instead of picking one number arbitrarily.

The protocol itself keeps changing, which is worth noting before treating any single number as fixed. Johnson stopped rapamycin in 2024 after it coincided with recurring infections and a worse lipid profile, and dropped it from the public protocol for good in March 2026. Plasma exchange and growth-hormone use were also abandoned. The six markers below are the ones with a stable, cross-sourced track record — not the parts of the protocol that got quietly walked back.

Some markers below (HbA1c, fasting glucose, vitamin D, ferritin) are commonly included on a standard panel. Others (ApoB, hs-CRP, fasting insulin) usually need to be requested specifically, the same gap covered generally in the optimal vs. normal ranges guide.

The 6 core markers

Grouped by system: metabolic health, cardiovascular/inflammation, and nutrient status.

Cluster 1 of 3

Metabolic health

Johnson treats HbA1c and fasting insulin as a pair rather than reading either alone — the same logic Attia and other longevity clinicians apply, since fasting insulin can flag resistance while HbA1c and glucose are still in range.

Core Usually in a standard panel Ask Request specifically

Core

HbA1c

Reported target around 5.0–5.2%, tighter than the ADA prediabetes threshold of 5.7% and tighter than Peter Attia's own <5.5% target. Independently reported here; Blueprint does not publish this figure on its own biomarkers page.

Ask

Fasting Insulin

Reported target under 5–6 µIU/mL, well under the standard lab ceiling of 25 µIU/mL, treated as part of the same metabolic cluster as HbA1c rather than in isolation. Source (anivahealth.com breakdown).

Cluster 2 of 3

Cardiovascular & inflammation

Johnson weights ApoB and hs-CRP heavily in his risk model, targeting both below the ranges cited by other longevity-focused protocols on this site.

Core Usually in a standard panel Ask Request specifically

Ask

ApoB

Reported target in the mid-to-high 50s mg/dL (his cardiologist has confirmed a reading of 52 — reported here), below Peter Attia's own <65 mg/dL target and under all three tiers of the 2026 ACC/AHA dyslipidemia guideline's ApoB goals (<55/<70/<90 mg/dL by risk category). Reached partly with Repatha, a prescription PCSK9 inhibitor, not diet alone.

Ask

hs-CRP

Reported target well under 0.5 mg/L, tighter than Attia's and Tim Ferriss's own <1.0 mg/L targets and far under the standard clinical flag of 3.0 mg/L. Source.

Cluster 3 of 3

Nutrient status

Johnson's ferritin story changed in July 2026: after more than a decade of low readings that diet and supplementation never fixed, he was diagnosed with autoimmune gastritis, a condition that blocks iron absorption. What looked like a deliberate low target was, at least in part, an undiagnosed cause going unaddressed — the reported range below is what he ran at, not a target worth deliberately aiming for.

Core Usually in a standard panel Ask Request specifically

Core

Vitamin D

Reported target of 40–60 ng/mL, the same range cited by Rhonda Patrick and well above the standard lab deficiency floor of 20–30 ng/mL. Reported here.

Ask

Ferritin

Reported range of 30–60 µg/L, lower than the 50–100 ng/mL range other longevity protocols on this site target — originally explained as deliberate, via the oxidative-stress Fenton-reaction mechanism, but now known to be at least partly the result of autoimmune gastritis diagnosed in July 2026, not a level he was optimizing for.

Frequently asked questions

What blood tests does Bryan Johnson recommend?

Independent breakdowns of Johnson's Blueprint protocol consistently report targets for HbA1c, fasting insulin, ApoB, hs-CRP, vitamin D, and ferritin, among the 100+ biomarkers his panel tests. Blueprint's own public site lists the categories tested but doesn't publish an official target table, so the specific numbers here come from third-party analysis of his reported results, cross-checked across sources.

How does Bryan Johnson's ferritin target differ from other longevity protocols?

It's lower — Rhonda Patrick targets 50–100 ng/mL, treating that as the range where iron-deficiency symptoms resolve without tipping into oxidative-stress risk, while Johnson's reported range of 30–60 µg/L sits below that. The reasoning offered at the time was the same Fenton-reaction, oxidative-stress mechanism Patrick cites for her own upper caution threshold, applied more aggressively at the low end. That explanation needs an asterisk now: see the next question.

Was Bryan Johnson's low ferritin actually a deliberate target, or a medical problem?

Both, in sequence. Johnson ran low ferritin (averaging around 38 ng/mL) for more than a decade despite dietary iron and supplementation, and framed it publicly as an intentional oxidative-stress precaution. In July 2026, after his levels never responded to correction, he was diagnosed with autoimmune gastritis — a condition in which the immune system attacks stomach cells needed to absorb iron and B12, confirmed by elevated anti-parietal cell antibodies and a biopsy. His hemoglobin stayed normal throughout because the body depletes ferritin reserves long before hemoglobin drops, which is why the low reading wasn't flagged as anemia for years. The practical takeaway is the opposite of a target to aim for: ferritin that stays low despite supplementation, in anyone, warrants investigation for a cause (autoimmune gastritis, H. pylori infection, or gastrointestinal blood loss) rather than being treated as an optimization choice.

Is targeting a 5.0% HbA1c safe?

The main documented risk of near-normal HbA1c — severe hypoglycemia — comes from research on diabetics whose levels are pushed down pharmacologically with insulin or sulfonylureas, where the drop is forced and the failure mode is a low-blood-sugar event. That's a different situation from a non-diabetic reaching 5.0% through diet and exercise, where the body's own regulation stays intact. There's no long-term outcomes data specifically on healthy adults sustaining a diet-driven HbA1c that low for years, so the honest answer is that it isn't shown to be dangerous the way pharmacologically-forced tight control is, but it also isn't proven safe or beneficial beyond the ADA's <5.7% non-diabetic range by controlled trial.

Is Bryan Johnson's ApoB target lower than Peter Attia's?

Reported figures put it there, yes — the mid-to-high 50s mg/dL (his cardiologist has confirmed 52) versus Attia's stated <65 mg/dL target, and both clear even the strictest <55 mg/dL tier the 2026 ACC/AHA dyslipidemia guideline sets for its highest-risk category. Neither Blueprint nor Attia publishes these as directly comparable clinical guidance; both are individual targets cited by each person for their own protocol, not a guideline either recommends universally, and Johnson reaches his partly through Repatha, a prescription PCSK9 inhibitor.

Can my regular doctor order these tests?

HbA1c, fasting glucose, and vitamin D are commonly included on a standard panel. ApoB, hs-CRP, and fasting insulin usually need to be requested specifically, since they aren't part of a default lipid or metabolic panel. Insurance coverage for the less-common markers varies by provider.

Once you have your results

These are reported targets from one individual's protocol, not a clinical guideline. Seeing where your own results sit against the standard clinical range is the first comparison point.

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More longevity marker pages

See the full Longevity section

Peter Attia's panel, Andrew Huberman's markers, and optimal IGF-1, each attributed to its source.

Browse the Longevity section

Bryan Johnson's Blood Test Panel: The Markers Blueprint Targets and Why

Why there's no official target table — and where each number actually checks out

The 6 core markers

Frequently asked questions

Once you have your results

See where your results land against the standard clinical ranges.