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A multimillionaire biohacker on a mission to become 18 again has replaced the “liquid gold” plasma in his blood as part of his latest bid to turn back his biological clock.
Bryan Johnson, 47, who claims to spend an estimated $2m a year on anti-ageing, has now undergone a procedure known as a “total plasma exchange” (TPE) to remove “unnatural pollutants” from his body.
The American had his plasma removed and replaced with albumin, a natural protein-based substance that helps in the growth and repair of tissue, a procedure experts have likened to a human oil change.
Plasma is the substance that allows platelets, red blood cells, and white blood cells to be transported around the body, and it contains antibodies that help fight infections, keeping a person healthier for longer.
Mr Johnson, who made his fortune as a tech entrepreneur, wrote on social media: “TPE removes all of my body’s plasma and replaces it with albumin.
“The therapy objectives are to remove toxins from my body. The evidence is emergent.”
In his quest for longevity, Mr Johnson also follows a strict vegan diet, takes extensive supplements, and engages in several daily therapies such as exposing himself to blue light, which is believed to help tone and rejuvenate the skin.
This seemingly had an effect on his doctor’s reaction to his plasma, which was described as “the cleanest he’s ever seen”.
Explaining how he prepared for his exchange, he wrote: “As we normally do, we completed a bunch of baseline measurements before this therapy including toxins but other things too such as speed of ageing, organ ages, microplastics and many other biomarkers. I’ll do six total treatments.
“The operator, who’s been doing TPE for nine years, said my plasma is the cleanest he’s ever seen. By far. He couldn’t get over it.”
According to Mr Johnson, the doctor was so impressed by his plasma that he “couldn’t bring himself” to throw it away and kept the “liquid gold” so could “do good in the world”.
The potential of Mr Johnson’s plasma was already tapped into by his father, who he claims had his biological age drop by 25 years after receiving a litre donation from his son.
“We don’t know if it was from my super plasma or if it was from removing his plasma, but the results are interesting nonetheless,” he wrote.
As part of the “world’s first multigenerational plasma exchange”, Mr Johnson also had a litre of his teenage son’s blood plasma injected into his own body, but he claims that it had no known benefits.
The biohacker joked to the BBC: “I playfully say I’m trying to become like, an 18-year-old.”
While some of Mr Johnson’s attempts to slow the effects of ageing have been more successful than others, he said his efforts are working overall and that he is ageing at a “personal best” rate of 0.64.
“I now celebrate my birthday every 19 months,” he revealed, having previously told The Independent that the most effective parts of his regime are the simplest – sleeping and eating well and ensuring that he exercises regularly.
The Independent has reached out to Mr Johnson for comment.
