Spermidine: a physiological autophagy inducer acting as an anti-aging vitamin inhumans?
My wife and I eat natto (fermented soybeans) daily which contains a relatively large amount of spermidine.
================================================================
Spermidine: a physiological autophagy inducer acting as an anti-aging vitamin inhumans?
Autophagy. 2019; 15(1): 165–168.
Published online 2018 Oct 11. doi: 10.1080/15548627.2018.1530929
ABSTRACT
Spermidine is a natural polyamine that stimulates cytoprotective macroautophagy/autophagy. External supplementation of spermidine extends lifespan and health span across species, including in yeast, nematodes, flies and mice. In humans, spermidine levels decline with aging, and a possible connection between reduced endogenous spermidine concentrations and age-related deterioration has been suggested. Recent epidemiological data support this notion, showing that an increased uptake of this polyamine with spermidine-rich food diminishes overall mortality associated with cardiovascular diseases and cancer. Here, we discuss nutritional and other possible routes to counteract the age-mediated decline of spermidine levels.
===========================================================
Another article:
Cardioprotection and lifespan extension by the natural polyamine spermidine
Nat Med. 2016 December ; 22(12): 1428–1438. doi:10.1038/nm.4222.
AbstractAging is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and death. Here we show that oral supplementation of the natural polyamine spermidine extends the lifespan of mice and exerts cardioprotective effects, reducing cardiac hypertrophy and preserving diastolic function in old mice. Spermidine feeding enhanced cardiac autophagy, mitophagy and mitochondrial respiration, and it also improved the mechano-elastical properties of cardiomyocytes in vivo, coinciding with increased titin phosphorylation and suppressed subclinical inflammation. Spermidine feeding failed to provide cardioprotection in mice that lack the autophagy-related protein Atg5 in cardiomyocytes. In Dahl salt-sensitive rats that were fed a high-salt diet, a model for hypertension-induced congestive heart failure, spermidine feeding reduced systemic blood pressure, increased titin phosphorylation and prevented cardiac hypertrophy and a decline in diastolic function, thus delaying the progression to heart failure. In humans, high levels of dietary spermidine, as assessed from food questionnaires, correlated with reduced blood pressure and a lower incidence of cardiovascular disease. Our results suggest a new and feasible strategy for the protection from cardiovascular disease
-
I've been looking into obtaining a Spermidine supplement on the Internet. (I had previously bought a rather expensive one that doesn't actually state how much Spermidine is in it.) I have tabulated my search results on the following spreadsheet, where "Conc" means Spermidine content of one capsule:
Brand Product # mg Conc (mg) Price SuperSmart Spermidine 60 150 1.50 $89.00 Lekithos Spermidine 120 525 0.18 $59.99 Primeadine Spermidine 90 300 0.33 $95.00 Swanson Wheat Germ Oil 60 1130 3.28 $4.83 Swanson does not promote the Spermidine concentration of their Wheat Germ Oil supplement, but after consulting with their Customer Support group, I concluded that it should be about 3.3 mg per cap. I just ordered 5 bottles.
-
I've been taking in wheat germ for about a year. I haven't felt any side effects or seen any beneficial effects. However, something happened over the weekend. I went on a 10 mile hike with 2500ft of elevation change. The hike was about 7 hours and it was hot for half of it (about 80-85F degrees in the sun.) I was wearing a hat that covered my entire face in shade and also had 30 SPF sunscreen on. So the next day I look at my face in the mirror, and it seemed that my annoying acne scars on my forehead lightened significantly enough for me to notice! I was expecting my forehead to look even more scarred because the potential sun penetrating the hat, the thin layer of sunscreen, and my skin, which would produce melanin and darken the scars. Instead, the opposite happened. Did the spermidine in combination with a grueling hike contribute to enhanced autophagy in the face? I'm just wondering if anyone had a similar experience. By the way, in the morning I ate a keto bar with 0g of sugar and 15g of carbs and 2 soft boiled eggs. At the top of the mountain, I had about 26g of carbs (from a mixture of hashbrown, eggs, and sausage), turkey meat, and some 0 carb cheese crisps. So it was somewhat low carb and my body was probably burning a lot of fat.
-
In case you missed it, this spermidine video was aired this morning by Michael Lustgarten. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7lqncPch8c.
He summarizes the studies that support the conclusion that it is primarily spermidine which is the polyamine responsible for the beneficial cognitive and longevity benefits that have been demonstrated, and that spermidine is sufficient. Amounts of 1 mg/d are associated with cognitive benefits. The amount associated with life extension is about 12 mg per day. This amount could be obtained from 30 grams of wheat germ. I havent tried it, but that might be a little much to mix into a smoothie.
Since spermidine is significantly reduced by cooking at higher temperatures, I'm still looking for a simple way to get 12 mg/d from natural sources.
-
I've been taking this Spermidine product for a couple of years now. https://lzrlabs.net/home-page
-
This is what I have on file from vendor:
"One serving yields 1mg spermidine (some customers take up to 3 per day). Our matrix also contains several extracts from natural sources that act to support the autophagy or cell turnover promoted by spermidine and other senolytics. This greatly increases the positive effects of spermidine. Our goal with 1mg per capsule is to help people increase their daily Spermidine intake by ~15% without consuming excess calories to reach that level because maintaining a long term caloric surplus can accelerate aging drastically (exactly the opposite of what we're trying to do)."
-
JFYI today I ordered some 3mg caps from these guys; spermidinepro.com . Reason being the prior vendor I was using only had about 0.3 per cap for 2/3 the price! Will see what they're like when delivered.