47-year-old mother transfuse her son's blood for the sake of youth (5 photos)

Marcela Iglesias, 47, has already spent more than $99,000 on various cosmetic procedures and is planning to shell out even more for a blood transfusion from her 23-year-old son Rodrigo to "stop aging."





"Blood transfusions are a new era of keeping your body young, especially when it comes from your own son or daughter," says the self-proclaimed "human Barbie" who lives in Los Angeles.

When she approached Rodrigo with the idea, he said he was willing to share his blood with Marcela and his 75-year-old grandmother, Graciela.



"Cells from a young donor can be very beneficial, especially if the donor is my own son," said Marcela, who has already "tried stem cell therapy" and is inspired by her experience to explore other treatments.

"Rodrigo is very knowledgeable about the procedure and all the benefits," she added. "He's also excited about helping his grandmother."





While preliminary studies have shown the transfusion to be effective in rodents — and some companies are studying its therapeutic effects — "it remains unclear whether transfusing young blood into older people has clinical benefits," one report said.

In 2019, the Food and Drug Administration warned against infusions of plasma from "young donors," which were promoted as a cure-all for certain conditions.

"These conditions range from normal aging and memory loss to serious illnesses such as dementia, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer's disease, heart disease, or post-traumatic stress disorder," the FDA wrote, adding that the agency has "significant public health concerns." "There is no proven clinical benefit of infusing plasma from young donors to treat, mitigate, cure, or prevent these conditions, and there are risks associated with the use of any plasma product."



Marcela, who is originally from Argentina, said she is looking for a doctor in Los Angeles to oversee the transfusion.

"I was told that your body welcomes the boost like a traveler who takes a sip of water after a long journey," she said. "As a result, I should feel stronger and more resilient."

Marcela already follows a strict health regimen that requires eight hours of sleep and an hour of exercise daily, as well as avoiding sugary drinks, alcohol and soy products. She also follows a pescatarian diet, meaning she only eats fish and no meat, and spends about $1,000 on wellness treatments like injections, IVs, vitamins, etc.

"Everything you put into your body reflects outward, so it's important to take care of yourself from the inside out," she says.



She added that people ask about her anti-aging secrets, saying she's "too young to be a mom."

"I have to tell them the truth — even if they can go through all the procedures I've gone through, sometimes plastic surgery is the only solution," she said. "It's nice that people recognize the work I've done."