Infusions of young blood not proven 'safe or effective', US government warns

FDA warning is blow to anti-age treatment fad that claims it could improve strength and memory and even combat Alzheimer's

The US government has warned that older people should not be paying to have their veins filled with the blood of young people, in a blow for what was becoming a fad anti-aging treatment.

In a statement on Tuesday the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said infusions of plasma from young donors into older clients "should not be assumed to be safe or effective", and said it was "concerned that some patients are being preyed upon by unscrupulous actors" charging thousands of dollars for transfusions.