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- Plasma exchange therapy is gaining popularity as a wellness trend among longevity-seekers.
- The procedure involves replacing plasma to remove toxins, typically from specific health conditions.
- There's limited evidence it can boost longevity or benefit otherwise healthy people.
A medical treatment used for health emergencies and autoimmune disorders is becoming the hot new wellness trend for CEOs, athletes, and other longevity-seekers.
Bryan Johnson, a CEO and entrepreneur known for his strict longevity regimen and exploration of experimental antiaging treatments, recently posted on X about his experience with plasmapheresis, or plasma exchange.
The procedure involves gradually removing small amounts of blood and spinning it in a centrifuge. That separates the plasma from the red blood cell in order to remove it and replace it with another fluid, such as albumin, a protein in plasma.
At a wellness clinic, it can cost from $5,000 to more than $10,000.
XPrize founder Peter Diamandis has tried it. So has former NFL star Troy Aikman, calling it "essentially a human oil change."
Dr. Jonathann Kuo, a regenerative medicine specialist and founder of Extension Health, performed Aikman's plasma exchange. He told Business Insider it helps remove toxins, some related to aging, that accumulate over time.
"We call it an oil change because it is kind of refreshing and revitalizing your circulation and getting rid of all of the dirty stuff that's circulating, basically," he said.
Kuo said it's part of a suite of cutting-edge antiaging therapies offered at his clinic.
Plasma exchange can improve certain measures of aging, at least in the short term, according to some animal studies from the Conboy Laboratory at the University of California, Berkeley. The same researchers found similar potential antiaging benefits in a very small exploratory study on humans.
There's no major risk of serious side effects, though infection can occur, but it's not clear that plasma exchange is beneficial for most healthy people, according to Dr. Brian Adkins, a professor of pathology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.
Adkins performs plasma exchanges regularly to help patients with chronic conditions such as autoimmune disorders. He said the treatment is also used in serious circumstances such as organ failure or sepsis.
Should you get a plasma exchange for longevity?
Plasma exchange therapy is typically used for specific conditions like Guillain-Barre Syndrome, and is reserved for more extreme cases, Dr. Ryan Marino, a toxicologist and professor of emergency medicine at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, told Business Insider.
Johnson faced some backlash from medical experts on X for seemingly commodifying a treatment that can be crucial for people with chronic illnesses, or life-saving in emergencies.
"It's not supposed to be boutique medicine; it's supposed to be evidence-based medicine," Adkins said.
Undergoing plasma treatment at a longevity clinic may not make sense for several reasons.
For one, people who aren't experiencing organ failure or other life-threatening medical conditions naturally remove toxins are naturally via the liver and kidneys.
Plasma exchange is also unlikely to help remove environmental contaminants such as microplastics, a growing concern for long-term health since the procedure involves plastic bags and tubing, and the components are exposed to plastics during processing.
It's also a misconception that plasma exchange completely replaces the plasma since some amount needs to continue circulating in your body while you're alive, like changing your oil while the car is running.
Much of what we know about the safety and potential benefits of plasma exchange comes from data on people who donate plasma — which not only doesn't cost anything, you can even get paid for it.
Removing plasma can lower a person's lipid levels, including "bad" cholesterol. However, this is temporary because plasma regenerates quickly, which is why it can be safely removed or donated.
Marino and Adkins said the interest in plasma exchanges for longevity is part of an enduring fascination with cleansing our bodies from toxins, dating back to ancient times and antique procedures like bloodletting.
"It sounds plausible that cleaning your blood or plasma would provide benefits, especially if you believe that there are such toxins circulating that could be removed," Marino said.
If you're interested in living a longer, healthier life, there are plenty of other science-based longevity strategies, including eating a nutritious diet, getting regular exercise, and sleeping enough.
"There are a lot of really meaningful things you can do to improve your health. Maybe people's efforts might be better served exploring some of those inventions," Adkins said.