How Bryan Johnson Flushed Out Microplastics

In the video, Bryan Johnson shares that he reduced microplastics in his sperm by 85% after implementing a consistent high-heat dry sauna protocol. He explains that the sauna sessions triggered intense sweating, which he believes played a major role in clearing microplastics from his body. Johnson also highlights the broader benefits he experienced from sauna use, including improved biomarkers and recovery. His takeaway is simple: high-heat sauna may be a powerful tool for reducing environmental toxins and improving overall health — at least based on his personal experiment.

Posted: December 6th, 2025

Sauna is one of the most effective health protocols I've done. Here is everything I've learned; it's the most robust characterization ever produced.

Results:

1) Fifteen sessions of sauna dramatically reduced environmental toxins in my body:

+ 65% drop in 2,4-D

+ 100% drop in MEP

+ 15% drop in MBP

+ 100% drop in MEHP (undetectable post sauna)

+ 56% drop in NAPR

+ 56% drop in HEMA

+ 100% drop in Perchlorate (undetectable post sauna)

2. Sauna eliminated 85% of microplastics from my ejaculate.

Nov 2024:

165 particles/mL

July 2025:

20 particles/mL

Nearly identical drop in my blood same time period:

Oct 2024: 70 particles/mL

May 2025: 10 particles/mL

3. Sauna, without ice on the boys, devastated my fertility markers.

Total Motile Count: –56% Concentration: –30% Motility: –50% Morphology: –48% Count: –9%

4. Sauna coincided with my fertility markers being at an all-time high. I have more total and motile sperm than 99.6% of men of any age, including men under 25.

+ total count: 600 M

+ concentration: 162 M

+ motility: 55%

+ total motile count: 330M

+ morphology (normal): 10%

We do not know what to make of these improvements. Was it the sauna? Sauna + ice? Ice only? We don't know but we did not identify any other protocols or lifestyle changes during this interval that would plausibly account for the change.

5. My vascular function improved by a ten year reduction in age. Now I have the vascular age of an elite 18-early 20s. + Central Systolic Blood Pressure: 96 mmHg + Central Pulse Pressure: 20 mmHg + Pulse Pressure Amplification: 160% + SEVR: 227% + Augmentation Pressure: 1 mmHg + Augmentation Index Wave: 3% + Traditional blood pressure: 107/75 mmHg

6. What type of sauna? Use a dry sauna with high temperatures between 80-100°C (176 to 212°F) and 5-20% relative air humidity. Aim for the lower end of this spectrum, especially as a beginner. Higher temperatures closer to the boiling point can cause side effects like headaches and severely dried nose and eyes.

Note: Steam baths, hot tubs, and infrared saunas fail to replicate the same effects because they do not allow you to safely reach the required high temperatures and do not induce the same level of sweating, the necessary inverted (skin-to-core) temperature gradient, and the massive re-direction of blood to the skin with resulting vasodilation.

Dry sauna is unique, and very likely superior to wet (steam bath) and infrared saunas. By heating up your skin way faster than your core, dry hot sauna flips your core skin temperature gradient, eliciting the following hormetic benefits:

+ enhanced blood flow: the heart pumps up to 70% more blood, similar to intense aerobic exercise (zone 2-+ increased sweating for detoxification: to maintain a stable core temperature, the skin produces 0.6-1 liter of sweat per hour, facilitating significant detoxification.

+ improved heat tolerance: the body becomes better at handling heat, leading to a lower core body temperature (offering metabolic advantages)

+ safe activation of heat shock proteins: the skin experiences substantial heat shock protein activation, while a modest 1°C increase in core temperature is sufficient to activate these proteins without the risk of hyperthermia. 

+ extended Exposure at higher temperatures: dry saunas are more tolerable for longer durations and at higher temperatures, maximizing the benefits.

7. Sauna protocol and frequency Type: hot dry sauna Temperature: 176–212°F ( I do 200°F) Relative air humidity: very low, 5-20% Duration: 20 min Frequency: 4–7x a week

8. Heat Protection

If you'd like, you can protect your head from the heat by wearing a sauna hat or wrapping it with a towel (use only cotton or other 100% natural material). You can breathe through a towel or cloth if needed to protect your nose. I am personally fine not doing this.

Most importantly, ice the balls.

Icing the testicles is absolutely required to prevent heat from damaging fertility markers. + Ice the testes during the sauna session.

+ Use a non-toxic, reusable ice pack material.

+ Wear cotton boxers and shorts.

+ Place ice packs in between the boxers and shorts.

+ Keep them in place for the entire session.

Men should care about preserving fertility markers even when they are not trying to conceive. Sperm quality is tightly coupled to testicular function, which governs testosterone production, metabolic health, and long term endocrine stability. When fertility parameters decline, the same upstream dysfunction often drives lower testosterone, higher inflammation, and increased cardiometabolic risk.

9. Hydration

Dry sauna induces sweating as part of its beneficial mechanism. Be sure to hydrate properly. In general, you might need to rehydrate with up to 16–32 oz (0.5–1 L) of fluid after a sauna session. Be sure to add electrolytes.

If you want to be precise, measure your sweat amount and electrolytes (saltiness) using a patch (e.g., from Gatorade) to quantify your liquid and electrolyte loss, and rehydrate accordingly. Some people have saltier sweat than others and must ensure they replenish electrolytes as well as water.

My results: my body sweats 18 oz during a 20 min sauna at 200 °F, with a sodium concentration of 25-39 mg/oz. A single sauna session flushes 450–700 mg of sodium out of my body.

I wish you all the best in life my friend. A new era or being human is here. One where existence is the highest virtue. Prioritize sleep, daily exercise and eat well and you'll be in a strong position. Try to avoid the bad stuff. Anything that takes away your agency. Be a warrior and caretaker of existence. Don't Die.

One more thing I forgot to include: HBOT and sauna boosted VEGF 19x in 9 months. + this hormone builds blood vessels + allowing more oxygen and nutrients to organs + keeps arteries flexible and youthful + slowing multiple aging processes.

Posted: June 23, 2025

I’ve reduced the microplastics in my blood by 93%. In October, my blood contained 15 particles. My latest sample contained only 1 particle. This is my best result to date. Only 1.6% of tests contain fewer microplastics. This comes from the largest dataset in the world on microplastics in people. Totaling 2,663 results. New protocols started since October that may have contributed to this reduction: + Sauna (200 F, 20 min daily) + Total Plasma Exchange (TPE) + Tried to remove as much plastic from my life as possible

Microplastics enter our bodies in 3 primary ways: Ingestion: through bottled or tap water, hot beverages from single use cups or plastic-containing tea bags, food packaged in plastic, or meals microwaved in plastic containers. Inhalation: they enter through the nose, pass through the olfactory bulb, and reach the brain. Autopsies have confirmed. Absorption through the skin: possibly via skincare and clothing, but there is no conclusive proof of this for microplastics. However, a recent study showed that chemical additives (flame retardants) derived from microplastics can cross the skin barrier in an experimental in-vitro (3D cell-culture) setting.

Action points to reduce microplastics exposure and buildup in your body

1. Avoid bottled water in general, have good water filtering solutions at home. A new study found that water and beverages from glass bottles had 5-50 times more microplastics contamination compared to water and beverages from plastic bottles.

2. Water filtration: Install a reverse osmosis water filter in your home with remineralization to remove microplastics and improve water quality. Pressed carbon blocks also remove microplastics larger than 0.5-1µ, conventional flowthrough activated carbon/ion-exchange “Brita FIltration Jugs, or on faucet filters” are not effective for removing microplastics.

3. Storage: Use non-plastic food storage containers like glass, stainless steel, or ceramic.

4. Takeaway: Bring your own reusable stainless steel mug for takeaway beverages.

5. Canned soup: Avoid canned soups. A randomized cross-over controlled trial found that BPA concentration in urine went up by 20 folds to 20.8ug/L after a week of consuming canned soup as opposed to 1.1ug/mL for fresh soup.

6. Cutting boards: Use wooden cutting boards to avoid microplastic shedding.

7. Safety: Avoid heating food in plastic containers to prevent microplastics and chemical leaching. Never heat plastics_Thread

8. Cookware: Use cast iron or stainless steel cookware instead of non-stick pans.

9. Utensils: Use wooden, metal, or silicone cooking tools instead of plastic.

10. Clothing: Choose natural fiber clothing and home textiles like cotton, bamboo, linen, hemp, wool, or silk to avoid microfibers.

11. Detergents: Use plastic-free laundry and dishwashing detergents to prevent microplastic contamination.

12. Cleaning and air filtration: Vacuum with a HEPA filter to trap microplastics in dust; sealed windows whole-hose ventilation systems, and in-room air purifiers can help in polluted areas.

13. Receipts: Avoid handling thermal paper receipts; opt for digital receipts when possible.

Posted: June 18, 2025

15 sessions of sauna dramatically reduced toxins in my body. + 65% drop in 2,4-D + 100% drop in MEP + 15% drop in MBP + 100% drop in MEHP (undetectable post sauna) + 56% drop in NAPR + 56% drop in HEMA + 100% drop in Perchlorate (undetectable post sauna) After completing fifteen sauna sessions, each lasting 20 minutes at 200°F, led to a significant reduction in my environmental toxins, three went from being abnormally high to undetectable post sauna.

0/ Baseline: toxin levels showed one high exposure and six moderate exposures. Approximately one month prior to starting the sauna regimen, urine tests indicated one high exposure (levels exceeding the 95th percentile), and six moderate exposures ( levels between the 75th and 95th percentiles). Post-sauna: high exposures completely eliminated, only one medium exposure remained, and three previous moderate exposures became undetectable.

Here are toxins that sauna helped me eliminate from my body, and why it matters 1/ 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic Acid (2,4-D) High exposure → lower medium exposure 2,4-D is a herbicide, so it is probably leaking into my food via some fresh produce, which is very hard to monitor due to batch variation. I have been testing periodically and will continue to do so.

2/ Phthalates MEB and MEHB: medium exposure → undetectable MHB: medium → detectable within “normal” range MEB MHB and MEHB are three phthalate metabolites, phthalates are among the most common plastic-leachables and endocrine disruptors and also associated with various neurological, respiratory, reproductive issues in addition to some cancers. Eliminating phthalates from my body will spare me all these risks and disruptions.

3/ Volatile Organic Compounds VOCs NAPR (1-Bromopropane metabolite): medium exposure → detectable within normal range HEMA ( Ethylene Oxide, Vinyl Chloride metabolite): medium exposure → detectable within normal range NAPR, a metabolite of 1-bromopropane, an industrial solvents and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), was previously detected at moderate levels. HEMA is a metabolite of ethylene oxide and vinyl chloride, both widely used in the plastic industry, HEMA detection signifies exposure to either or both of these toxins, it was previously detected to moderate levels in my urine. These VOCs, common industrial pollutants linked to wild and urban fires, likely stemmed from my exposure to the LA fires in January, where I registered high VOC levels on January 28th. Though levels had partially normalized by late March (the baseline), consistent sauna sessions have now partially eliminated these VOCs, with both NAPR and HEMA being in the “normal” exposure levels. Significantly reducing the risks of liver damage, multisystem disruptions and carcinogenic risks associated with benzene and 1-bromopropane, and the carcinogenic risks associated with long term exposure to ethylene oxide (lymph nodes cancer risk) and vinyl chloride (liver cancer risk).

4/ Perchlorate Perchlorate: medium exposure → undetectable A pervasive environmental toxin, perchlorate is found in fireworks, road flares and rocket fuel and can enter the food chain through contaminated irrigation water and even milk. It's a known thyroid disruptor, with pregnant women, infants, and children being particularly vulnerable to its effects. For me, with a history of hypothyroidism and lifelong thyroid medication, the complete elimination of this toxin through sauna sessions is incredibly positive news.

5/ Evidence so far, the significance of this new data While sauna is commonly referred to as a detox intervention, research on the subject has been limited, especially as it pertains to eliminating toxins from everyday life exposures. Research so far focused on sauna's potential to help detoxing heavy metals, and some abuse drugs in the contexts of long term occupational exposures. Moreover, most research on detox did not use the Finnish sauna protocol, most well studied for chronic disease prevention, especially cardiovascular disease. To our awareness this data is unique in showing saunas potential of detoxifying a broad range of organic toxins from every day environmental exposure using the most standardized and well studied sauna protocol. While sauna use is often touted for detoxification, research has been limited, particularly regarding the elimination of everyday environmental toxins. Existing studies have primarily focused on sauna's potential to detoxify heavy metals and certain drugs in cases of prolonged occupational exposure. Furthermore, many detoxification studies have not employed the Finnish sauna protocol, the most extensively researched method for chronic disease prevention, especially cardiovascular health. This data (despite being a short study in an N=1) demonstrates sauna's effectiveness in detoxifying a wide array of organic toxins resulting from daily environmental exposures, using the most standardized and well-studied sauna protocol.