In recent years, a worrying trend has been growing within the medical world: treatments that promise much but have little evidence. A recent article describes this phenomenon as "medical grifting" [1], the selling of unproven or ineffective therapies, often with a commercial motive.

This problem is especially prevalent in the United States but is increasingly making its way to Europe. People are susceptible to certain cognitive biases. For example:

• Confirmation bias: you primarily believe what you already hope is true
• Authority bias: well-known experts or influencers automatically receive more trust
• Anecdotal evidence: success stories feel convincing, even if they say little
• Placebo and coincidence: improvement is quickly attributed to the treatment

Together, these factors make people vulnerable to expensive promises without solid evidence [1].

What exactly is plasmapheresis?

One of the treatments currently receiving a lot of attention is Therapeutic Plasma Exchange, also known as plasmapheresis or plasma exchange.

During this treatment, the liquid part of your blood, the plasma, is removed and replaced with another fluid, usually albumin.

This process takes approximately 1.5 to 3 hours. The removed plasma contains waste products, inflammatory proteins, autoantibodies, and cholesterol, among other things.

That sounds like your body gets a kind of reset, and precisely that idea makes the treatment so appealing.

Where does the idea come from?

The idea that plasma exchange can help against aging comes from animal studies, such as parabiosis experiments from the 2010s.

It wasn't until 2025 that the first larger human study truly investigated this [2]. It examined whether plasmapheresis influences biological age, measured via biomarkers, substances in your blood that indicate aging [2].

This aligns with broader scientific developments. Researchers have now identified thousands of proteins associated with aging, with one study even finding over 5400 [3].

For those interested in longevity and biohacking, this makes sense. If you change the internal environment of the body, you may also influence processes related to aging [3].

What is it currently used for?

In theory, plasmapheresis could help with chronic inflammation and metabolic syndrome, neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, and a broader concept of body detoxification.

On social media, this is heavily hyped. Well-known names such as Joe Rogan, Orlando Bloom, and Brian Johnson talk about it.

Some clinics even claim that the treatment is “FDA approved”. That is partly true, but only regarding safety, not effectiveness in healthy individuals. The FDA says nothing about anti-aging or detox claims.

The important detail that is often missing

Plasmapheresis has been used in hospitals for years, but only for critically ill patients. Think of life-threatening neurological or blood diseases [1].

And that's where the nuance lies.

The treatment works because you remove everything from the plasma, not just bad substances, but also antibodies, clotting factors, and other essential proteins.

In other words, you are not selectively cleansing [1].

If you do this several times a year, as some clinics advise, it could mean that you temporarily affect your immune system each time.

What about microplastics?

A popular claim is that plasmapheresis removes microplastics from your body.

But there's a problem. The equipment itself, tubes and filters, is made of plastic.

So, nobody knows if you'll get fewer microplastics or more.

There is simply insufficient research on this yet.

What does the research really say?

The 2025 study [2] looked at only 42 people. Researchers found a possible rejuvenation of about 2.6 years, measured via biomarkers [2].

Interesting, but it says nothing about actually living longer, and the study was conducted by a biotech startup with commercial interests.

In addition, there is also research that shows the opposite.

Another study [4] found that similar treatments could actually accelerate aging markers [4]. This study was also small and short-term.

In short, the science is still anything but clear.

What actually works?

What is more often seen is a decrease in cholesterol and possibly certain inflammatory factors [4].

This could theoretically contribute to reducing the risks of chronic conditions or minimizing certain interventions.

But the question remains whether that is worth 10,000 euros per treatment.

Conclusion

Research into aging is extremely important and fascinating. Plasmapheresis is an interesting technique that may play a role in the future.

However, at present, the evidence is limited, the claims are often greater than the data, and the commercial incentive is clearly present [1].

Or, to put it simply. There's a chance that the most important thing removed from that yellow bag is your wallet.

At Newtra, we believe that progress begins with honest information. No shortcuts, but consistent choices that make a difference in the long run.

Plasmapheresis is interesting to follow, but not yet a proven solution.

References

1. ADKINS, Brian D., et al. Confronting medical grifting: Fraudulent and unproven products and interventions in apheresis, transfusion and biotherapies. British Journal of Haematology, 2025, 207.6: 2286-2295.
2. FUENTEALBA, Matias, et al. Multi‐omics analysis reveals biomarkers that contribute to biological age rejuvenation in response to single‐blinded randomized placebo‐controlled therapeutic plasma exchange. Aging Cell, 2025, 24.8: e70103.
3. TAVENIER, Juliette, et al. Plasma Proteomic Profiling of Young and Older Adults Identifies Candidate Biomarkers of Biological Aging at the Intersection of Age and Disease. Aging Cell, 2026, 25.4: e70469.
4. BORSKY, Pavel, et al. Human clinical trial of plasmapheresis effects on biomarkers of aging (efficacy and safety trial). Scientific reports, 2025, 15.1: 21059.