Recently, the American startup Ambrosia Medical announced the possibility of slowing aging through blood transfusions from young donors. However, according to New York University professor Mark Siegel, such a procedure is not only ineffective, but also dangerous.
A blood transfusion from a young donor will not help you live longer; on the contrary, it may bring you closer to death. This is the conclusion reached by New York University professor Marc Siegel in his article. The doctor warns that people who receive "young blood" transfusions as so-called anti-aging therapy need to be aware of the many associated health risks, including the possibility that the body may simply not accept blood.
In January, American startup Ambrosia Medical, founded by Stanford University School of Medicine alumnus Jesse Karmazin, offered an anti-aging service by transfusing someone else's plasma. The company has opened five clinics in the United States where blood transfusions from donors aged 16 to 25 can be transfused. The cost of the service will be eight thousand dollars per liter of blood and 12 thousand - for two. While there is no scientific research yet to support the idea that "young blood" has a rejuvenating effect on the body, the company has built a business around what Siegel said is "an unsubstantiated promise to slow the aging process." In fact, research has shown no benefit in terms of outcome or survival.when more recent red blood cells enter the body.
Ambrosia Medical announced many years of clinical trials of its system, in which more than 150 people aged 35 to 92 received one and a half liters of plasma from donors aged 16 to 25. Before and after the transfusion, doctors measured hemoglobin, leptin and other biomarkers in the trial participants, according to Dr. David Wright. The results of the study have not yet been published, but Karmazin claims that "they can be called truly positive." More than a hundred people are currently on the waiting list for blood transfusions.
According to the scientist, Ambrosia not only actually deceives people, making money on them, but can also harm health by its actions. Treatment is mostly aimed at the older generation, and Segal notes that blood transfusions are risky and can lead to iron overload, infections, allergic reactions, and even breathing difficulties. In addition, it can cause immunity problems if the recipient's body rejects the donated blood.
Ultimately, Segal argues, people need to think carefully before agreeing to a "young blood" transfusion. As attractive as this process may seem, you are letting in specific blood bodies of another person, and this, according to the professor, is not the same as filling the gas tank of a car.
According to the American Red Cross, a person who is at least 17 years old can become a donor (in some states, with parental consent, at least 16 years old). In fact, most of the transfused blood comes from older donors, just over 12 percent from people in their 30s, and only 10 percent from people between the ages of 23 and 29. According to the American Association of Blood Banks (AABB), most blood is donated by people over 40. In Russia, a donor can be a person over 18 years old who has no contraindications to donation and weighs more than 50 kilograms.
Dmitry Mazalevsky
Promotional video: