American Billionaire Bryan Johnson Transfuses Plasma from His 17-Year-Old Son to Achieve His Dream of Reversing Biological Age.
According to Bloomberg, tech entrepreneur Bryan Johnson, aged 45, recently visited a health clinic in the Dallas area of Texas with his 17-year-old son Talmage and his 70-year-old father Richard to participate in a generational blood swap treatment, where older individuals receive plasma from their children.
In this procedure, one liter of blood from Talmage was drawn and placed into a machine to separate it into liquid plasma, red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. The plasma was then transfused back into Bryan Johnson’s vein. This process was subsequently repeated with Richard.
Billionaire Bryan Johnson and son Talmage. (Photo: Bryan Johnson).
This is not the first time billionaire Johnson has visited the clinic to receive blood from someone younger than himself. In previous visits, he received blood from an anonymous donor, carefully selected based on criteria such as body mass index, blood type, diet, and overall health profile.
This is also not Johnson’s first breakthrough attempt at rejuvenation. Earlier this year, Bloomberg reported that this tech founder is seeking ways to restore his “brain, heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, tendons, teeth, skin, hair, bladder, penis, and rectum” to their state when he was 18 years old. This endeavor costs Johnson around $2 million annually as he hires a team of 30 doctors and experts to advise him on regaining peak physical condition in his teenage years.
Bryan Johnson is not alone in the world of the wealthy seeking to reclaim their youth. Essentially, individuals like Johnson are extracting blood from younger persons to achieve the age-reversing properties it is believed to provide.
Since the time of Countess Elizabeth Báthory, who bathed in and drank the blood of virgins to maintain her beauty, this concept has frequently appeared in folklore. Now, some researchers are beginning to suggest that there may be scientific basis supporting these youth blood activities.
Some studies on mice have shown that when older rodents are surgically connected to share a circulatory system, they appear to experience some improvements in cognitive and circulatory functions. However, it remains unclear whether these findings translate similarly to humans.
In light of concerns about a scenario reminiscent of the “blood boy” phenomenon depicted in HBO’s Silicon Valley, the Food and Drug Administration issued a warning in 2019 regarding the practice of young blood transfusions, labeling this therapy as “unproven“.
“No clinically proven benefits have been demonstrated from transfusing plasma from younger donors to treat, mitigate, cure, or prevent diseases. Additionally, there are risks associated with using any plasma products,” the FDA warned.
Experts have expressed serious skepticism regarding the practice of blood injection or plasma transfusion, fearing it may pose health risks.
Charles Brenner, a biochemist at the City of Hope National Medical Center in Los Angeles, told Bloomberg: “To me, this method is disgusting, lacks evidence, and is relatively dangerous.”
Brenner has an intriguing theory about why people want to swap blood with their direct relatives. “Individuals who visit these clinics and desire anti-aging infusions are essentially dealing with anxiety issues. They are worried about their own mortality,” he said.
However, Johnson counters: “We start from evidence, not from emotions.“
