Spermidine
Spermidine is a natural compound found in many foods like wheat germ, aged cheese, mushrooms, soy, legumes, and some fruits and meats. It helps keep your cells healthy by supporting processes like cell repair, growth, and recycling old cell parts through a process called autophagy. Spermidine also helps protect cells from damage and inflammation, but levels naturally drop as we get older. Getting spermidine from food or supplements may help support healthy aging.
Is this used to correct a deficiency or achieve supramaximal levels?
-
Is it taken for life span or health span?
Both
Is it targeting a specific disease? Or general health?
General Health, cancer and CVD
Any genetic involvement?
-
Is there a biomarker to track its effects?
Blood plasma, urine and saliva
MOA of supplement
Spermidine works mainly by triggering autophagy, the body’s way of cleaning out damaged parts of cells, which helps slow aging and support healthy lifespan. It also reduces inflammation, helps control how genes are switched on or off, improves how the body uses fats for energy, and supports normal cell growth. In immune cells, it boosts energy use, making them better at fighting infections and cancer. It may also make some cancer treatments, like immunotherapy, work better, especially in older people.
Risk vs reward
+ May help to promote healthy aging and heart health
+ Can reduce oxidative stress
- Low dose is ineffective at improving memory and cognitive outcomes
Evidence for it?
This study examined the effects of spermidine, a natural compound found in foods like wheat germ, cheese, and mushrooms, on aging and health. Using yeast, fruit flies, mice, and human volunteers, researchers found that fasting and caloric restriction increased spermidine levels. Blocking spermidine production reduced the benefits of fasting, including lifespan extension, improved heart health, and reduced age-related damage. Spermidine appears to work by boosting autophagy and regulating protein synthesis through a process called eIF5A hypusination, which modifies the eIF5A protein to help cells make other proteins more efficiently. These findings suggest spermidine may help promote healthy aging, but more research is needed to confirm its benefits and potential applications in humans.
This RCT double blind study tested whether a daily supplement combining AM3 (150 mg), spermidine (0.6 mg), and hesperidin (50 mg) could reduce biological age and improve immune health in adults. Forty-one participants aged 30–63 were randomly assigned to either the supplement or a placebo group for two months. In the supplement group, immune functions improved, including chemotaxis (the ability of immune cells to move toward infection), phagocytosis(how cells eat and remove harmful particles), and lymphocyte proliferation (growth of key immune cells). At the same time, levels of oxidative stress (cell damage from harmful molecules called free radicals) and inflammatory markers(signals of inflammation in the body) decreased. These results suggest the supplement may help make the body function more like a younger person’s, strengthen the immune system, and promote healthier aging.
Evidence against it?
RCT of 100 older adults (aged 60–90) with subjective cognitive decline tested 12 months of spermidine supplementation vs placebo. No significant improvements were seen in memory or other cognitive and physiological outcomes. Exploratory analyses suggested possible benefits for verbal memory and inflammation, but results were not conclusive. Spermidine was safe and well tolerated. Findings indicate that current low-dose supplementation is ineffective, but higher doses should be studied to clarify potential cognitive and neuroprotective effects.
Best bioavailable form?
Capsule
Advice on taking it?
With a meal