Spermidine is a polyamine found in the body that induces the antiaging process of autophagy. Levels naturally decrease as we age and can be topped up by including spermidine-rich foods in your diet or by taking supplements. Relatively new on the supplement scene, spermidine is fast becoming renowned for its benefits to health and longevity. Regularly taking spermidine supplements has a plethora of antiaging benefits, including counteracting the outward appearance of aging.

What is spermidine?

Spermidine naturally occurs in the human body and is the most common polyamine present in its tissues. It is also found in whole foods like wheat germ, green pepper, and mushrooms – ingredients typical to the Mediterranean diet, going someway to explaining its longevity-boosting benefits.

It is even higher in soybean products like shiitake mushroom and amaranth grain. Eating a spermidine-rich diet can increase your spermidine intake, however the best way to do this is by regularly taking spermidine supplements. The key to longevity is relatively simple and lies with a healthy diet and regular exercise, however the benefits of a generally healthy lifestyle can be boosted by longevity supplements such as spermidine.

Designed to improve health and lifespan rather than simply supply nutrients to prevent vitamin deficiencies, longevity supplements act on different pathways in the body to slow the process of aging. Spermidine supplements are available in pill and powder form and contain differing amounts of active spermidine along with other autophagy-inducing ingredients like wheatgerm. Popular brands of spermidine on the supplement market include:

• Hydra Longevity’s Healthy Ageing Essentials
• Longevity Labs’ spermidineLIFE
• Oxford Healthspan’s Primeadine

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Benefits of spermidine to health and longevity

Spermidine works as a caloric restriction mimetic (CRM), tricking the body into thinking it is in a fasting state and inducing autophagy, the process of cellular renewal thought to have numerous antiaging benefits. During autophagy, cells reuse their damaged and potentially toxic organelles to rejuvenate.

Autophagy normally occurs within cells as it regulates cellular metabolism but it can also be accelerated with stress through exercise or caloric restriction as it works to balance available nutrients for survival [1].

The health and longevity benefits of caloric restriction through fasting are well known, however since few people are committed enough to stick to sustained fasting its full health benefits can be lost. Alternatively, CRMs like spermidine supplements can be used to simulate the fasting state and achieve the same health benefits without uncomfortable side effects such as prolonged hunger. By accelerating autophagy, spermidine supplements can unlock numerous health benefits.

Our top spermidine picks

• Nutriissa Organic Wheat Germ Extract Spermidine Gummies with Thiamine and Zinc

For example, autophagy is thought to protect against inflammation and oxidative stress, working to reduce the risk of developing and dying from age-related diseases including cancer, metabolic disease, heart disease and neurodegeneration [2]. Spermidine supplements have the therapeutic potential to prevent age-related illness and extend lifespan in older adults, an issue of increasing importance considering the global aging population.

Aesthetics of anti-aging

In addition to protecting against age-related disease, spermidine can also improve the more physical aspects of aging. One of the most obvious signs of aging can, unfortunately, be traced in the wrinkles and fine lines on our faces.

The body’s largest organ, the skin is composed of different cell types including lipids, keratin and sebum, and acts a defensive barrier against harsh external environments [3]. As we age, so does our skin, causing the unwelcome appearance of wrinkles, sagging and dryness. Both internal and external factors are to blame for this; notably changes in hormone and cellular metabolism, as well as exposure to pollutants and UV rays.

Claiming to be one of the first spermidine supplements on the global market, Oxford Healthspan’s Primeadine supplement contains an efficacious combination of active spermidine and Japanese wheat germ that both have holistic antiaging benefits. It can enhance the physical signs of youth by reducing deep wrinkles, as well as promoting thicker hair growth, longer eyelashes and stronger nails by increasing the production of keratin. Based on wisdom from traditional Japanese medical scrolls that purported the benefits of semen, Primeadine seeks to transport this ancient knowledge into contemporary applications.

Indeed, modern medicine has identified the antiaging compound contained in semen as the polyamine spermidine, the production of which slows in our tissues with age. Taking the spermidine loaded Primeadine supplements can reverse this and promote the outward appearance of youth. These claims have been substantiated by modern day biomedical research. For example, a study investigating the effects of Primeadine on mice found that the supplement did in fact increase nail growth and thickness, as well as thicken keratin in the nail bed.

An additional study in humans proved the antiaging effects of spermidine on the skin [3]. Alarmingly, the most abundant skin-dwelling organisms that make up the skin biome are bacteria, however while some bacteria can cause unsightly acne, others can have anti-aging effects.

Spermidine secreted on the skin by the Streptococcus bacteria increases the production of collagen, elastin and lipids in older skin cells, improving the skin structure and barrier function. Tellingly, colonies of Streptococcus were enriched in the skin of the study’s younger subjects. The mechanism by which spermidine does this is by activating the transcription of genes that control skin improvement. Taking daily spermidine supplements as part of a balanced lifestyle can improve holistic health and help unlock antiaging from the inside out.