Tech mogul Bryan Johnson connects America’s obesity epidemic to India’s air pollution crisis. Does he have a point?
Bryan Johnson, best known for his anti-aging project Blueprint, has sparked a global conversation after abruptly walking out of a podcast recording in India, citing unbearable air pollution. But it wasn’t just India’s smog that grabbed his attention—upon returning to the U.S., Johnson had a revelation of a different kind. He drew a startling comparison between India’s deeply normalized air pollution crisis and America’s obesity epidemic, questioning why neither country has declared these major health threats a national emergency.
Pollution in India vs. Obesity in the U.S.
Johnson’s visit to India took an unexpected turn when he cut short his interview with Zerodha co-founder Nikhil Kamath for the WTF podcast, citing severe air pollution inside a five-star hotel—despite the presence of an air purifier. Even with an N95 mask on, he claimed the pollution caused his skin to break out, his throat to burn, and his eyes to sting.
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«Air pollution has been so normalized in India that no one even notices anymore,» Johnson later wrote on X (formerly Twitter). «People were outside running. Babies and small children exposed from birth. No one wore a mask, which can significantly decrease exposure. It was so confusing.»
Upon his return to the U.S., however, Johnson experienced another jarring realization. «When I returned to the U.S., my eyes were fresh to see what is normalized to me. I saw obesity everywhere. 42.4% of Americans are obese, and because I was around it all the time, I had been mostly oblivious to it.»
