Young blood

You may have seen news reports about people paying big bucks to get transfused with young blood. The idea was hatched in 2013 when a couple of Harvard scientists stitched two mice together, one older than the other. They found that stem cells in the older mouse began acting like those of the younger one, in which case injuries healed better.  Later studies found that older mice, who received blood from younger mice, developed stronger hearts, better cells, and shinier fur.

Unsurprisingly, some entrepreneurs jumped on the idea of profiting from these findings. A company called Ambrosia, for example, would transfuse you with two liters of young blood for $12,000, promising to make you feel younger and rid you of various diseases. The company completed a clinical trial last May in which 81 participants, who paid $8,00 to be included in the trial, were transfused with 1.5 liters of young people’s plasma. The participants’ blood was tested for various biomarkers—indicators of overall health. According to the CEO, they “saw some interesting things,” but the results have not yet been published, and on February 19^th, this year, the FDA shut them down. You’ve missed your chance.

At this point, there’s no scientific evidence that transfusing young blood into older people has any benefits. In fact, according to one specialist in the field, what Ambrosia was attempting is dangerous and “quite likely could inflict bodily harm.” Apparently, about half of people who receive blood transfusions for medical reasons have “very bad side effects.”

It’s true that younger blood is better than old blood. But that’s not what you’ll get if you need a transfusion. You’ll get a mixture of different ages. So don’t get your hopes up.

For an introduction to this blog, see I Just Say No; for a list of blog topics, click the Topics tab.