Could humans become young again if older people were given young blood? 

While sounding every bit as scary as the Curious case of Benjamin Button, scientists might have come up with the solution to becoming young again. They were not yet revelaed, but the scientists identified some factors in young blood that might give us answers about what exactly the liquid contains that is capable of rejuvenating mice and eventually, people.

A work team from Alkahest used blood plasma extracted from the blood of young people and injected it into old mice, which started to display increased physical activity, improved memory and cognition. In other words, the old mice felt young again. Alkahest explains: "While age-related cognitive dysfunction and dementia in humans are distinct entities, the aging brain shows the telltale molecular and cellular changes that characterize most neurodegenerative diseases, including synaptic loss, dysfunctional autophagy, increased inflammation, and protein aggregation. Remarkably, the aging brain remains plastic and exercise or dietary changes, may be beneficial to increase cognition in humans and animals. By identifying the effective underlying peripheral mechanisms that can be modulated, we intend to harness their potential and provide significant impact on life quality."

As reported by the New Scientist, blood samples were taken from 18-year-olds, and injected into 12-month-old mice (equivalent of people in their fifties). After three weeks of treatment, the mice underwent a series of tests to compare them with young mice and mice that were never given the plasma. Scientists reported that the treated mice began to move faster and were able to remember more. 

If they're really on to something here, brace yourselves - anti-ageing creams will soon have a much greater effect than ever before. However, scientists working for Alkahest say they have a different goal in mind -  they already started a trial of young blood in people with Alzheimer's disease in order to be able to fight dementia and memory loss in the future.

Nov. 17, 2016 Living photo: Profimedia

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