Did a study really show people became 2.6 years younger after plasma exchange?
Answer:
Not literally. A small 2025 randomized, placebo-controlled trial involving 42 adults found improvements in several epigenetic clocks, with changes of up to 2.6 years on certain biological-age estimates. These clocks are experimental biomarkers, not measurements showing that participants gained 2.6 years of life or became physically 2.6 years younger. Some of the strongest results also occurred when TPE was combined with intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG), making it difficult to attribute all the effects to plasma exchange alone.