Brainless bodies and pig organs: does science back up Putin and Xi's longevity claims?

"For particular patients, the case for transplantation is clear. When you've got end-stage kidney, liver or heart disease, transplantation adds years of life on the whole, says Reza Motallebzadeh, a professor of renal transplantation at UCL. It is absolutely life-saving. A long list of organs and tissues can now be transplanted, including heart, lungs, kidneys, pancreas, liver, small bowel, skin, bone, heart valves and corneas. And more organs are being added."

"It was more banter than serious discussion, but with both aged 72, the Chinese president and his Russian counterpart may feel the cold hand on the shoulder more than Kim Jong-un, the 41-year-old North Korean leader who strolled beside them. Speaking through a interpreter, Xi told Putin that 70 is considered young today, prompting Putin to claim that human organs can now be repeatedly transplanted, potentially allowing people to stave off old age indefinitely."

"Around the world, demand for organ transplants outstrips supply. In Britain, the waiting list for life-saving organ transplants has never been higher. With a limited supply, what organs exist go to those who stand to benefit the most typically young and terminally ill people. But what if we had a plentiful supply of organs? Would it make sense to offer them to older people to keep them well? Motallebzadeh is sceptical."

Advances in organ transplantation save lives for patients with end-stage organ failure and have expanded to many organs and tissues, including newer procedures like womb transplants enabling birth. Global demand far exceeds supply, leaving waiting lists high and prioritization favoring those most likely to benefit, typically younger and terminally ill patients. Hypothetical plentiful organ supply raises questions about using transplants to extend healthy lifespan, but major surgery risks, physiological resilience in older people, and current medical limits make routine lifespan extension via transplantation unlikely. Medical experts remain skeptical about transplantation as a method for healthy longevity.

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