Brad Younggren, MD: The Blood-Cleaning Therapy Tackling Microplastics and Aging

Imagine flushing your engine oil and coolant to make an old car run like new; now imagine doing that for your bloodstream. That's the idea behind therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE), a treatment for autoimmune and blood disorders that's now being explored as a tool to slow biological aging and clear the body of inflammatory buildup. In this episode of Healthy Longevity, Brad Younggren, MD, CEO and co-founder of Circulate Health, joins the show to unpack groundbreaking new research co-conducted with the Comite Center showing that TPE can measurably reduce microplastic levels in human blood. Younggren, a former U.S. Army combat physician who served in Iraq and was awarded a Bronze Star, walks through how his path from the battlefield to health tech led him to Circulate, what actually happens during a plasma exchange session, and why he believes rigorous data (not hype) should drive the longevity field forward.

You'll learn…

• Circulate's newly published trial found that patients with high microplastic burden saw a significant reduction in circulating plastics after therapeutic plasma exchange.
• Microplastics don't just enter the body through plastic bottles and food containers. Inhalation and even certain stretchy clothing fabrics may be significant sources.
• Regional water sources may meaningfully affect a person's baseline plastic exposure.
• The federal government recently issued a $144 million grant (STOMP) to accelerate research into the health effects of micro and nanoplastics.
• Why Younggren believes blood-based PFAS testing may better reflect the body's true "forever chemical" burden than standard urine tests.
• How Younggren's early career, including pioneering one of the first FDA-cleared mobile ultrasound devices and championing telemedicine before it was mainstream, shaped his approach to bringing new medical technology to patients responsibly.