Description
What is spermidine?
Spermidine is a polyamine found naturally in cells and certain whole foods. It is also available in supplement form. Spermidine is fast becoming a big name on the supplement scene. Taken regularly, the supplement can have a significant impact on health and lifespan. By mimicking the effects that caloric restriction has on cells in the body, it induces autophagy, the process of cellular renewal thought to have anti-aging benefits. As we age, our spermidine levels as well as our rate of autophagy decline, leaving cells more exposed to damage from the hallmarks of ageing.
Maintaining our spermidine levels as we age by eating foods high in spermidine or taking supplements should be a priority in protecting future longevity.
The science behind spermidine
Spermidine supplements have been lauded for their anti-aging benefits; but how does spermidine actually work inside the body? Common dietary supplements are designed to provide your body with nutrients missing from the modern diet and protect against deficiencies.
Longevity supplements like spermidine instead contain active ingredients that work on the molecular pathways that control how we age.
As we age, we accumulate a variety of molecular and cellular damage that results in the hallmarks of ageing. Longevity supplements work on the pathways that control the ageing process rather than on ageing itself.
For example, spermidine induces autophagy, the process of cellular rejuvenation, through the TOR kinase pathway. Autophagy occurs naturally in cells as it regulates cellular metabolism. Autophagy also balances nutrients during cell stress so can be can be accelerated by fasting or by caloric restriction mimetics (CRMs) like spermidine that mimic fasting’s effects on the body.
During autophagy, cells reuse their old or damaged organelles to achieve cellular renewal and its anti-aging benefits. Indeed, autophagy is thought to limit inflammation and oxidative stress, the main culprits involved in ageing and related diseases.
What are the benefits of spermidine supplements?
While not a cure-all, spermidine has undeniable benefits for holistic health. With effects ranging from disease protection to hair health, and applications in areas as diverse as coronavirus and fertility, regularly taking spermidine supplements can boost the health and longevity effects of a healthy lifestyle.
Benefits to health and longevity
Longevity supplements can be used as part of a balanced diet and regular exercise routine to unlock health and longevity. Increased intake of spermidine may reduce the risk of numerous age-related diseases like cancer, metabolic disease, heart disease and neurodegeneration.
It may also improve cognition and memory. Spermidine can have a neuroprotective effect against neuron damage from inflammation, ischemia and oxidative stress. One of the ways it does this is by dissolving amyloid-beta proteins through autophagy. These plaques can build up in the brain and are thought to be related to neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s. Indeed, a study showed early signs that spermidine could prevent memory loss in older people suffering from dementia.
Taken every day, spermidine supplements could be a promising tool in countering age-related diseases amongst the rapidly growing ageing population.
Spermidine may also benefit longevity itself. The supplement mimics the effects of other life extending interventions like calorie restriction to promote cellular renewal through autophagy.
Spermidine also protects DNA from damage caused by oxidative stress. It has been observed to stabilise mitochondrial DNA, thus protecting against ageing caused by mutations in the mitochondrial genome. It may also protect against telomere attrition in mice, the endcaps of chromosomes that shorten with age, directly impacting longevity.
Both genomic instability and telomere shortening are part of the hallmarks of ageing, biomarkers used to measure the changes that occur within organisms as they age. Research shows that spermidine can inhibit five of the nine hallmarks of ageing.
Antiaging effects of spermidine
Spermidine may also be effective in reducing the more physical aspects of ageing. One of the earliest signs of ageing can be traced in our faces; fine lines, deep wrinkles and sagging skin are seemingly inevitable parts of the ageing process, and the common fear of looking older has fuelled the skincare and anti-aging industries.
Based on ancient anti-aging wisdom from Japanese medical scrolls, the supplement combines the active ingredients of spermidine and wheatgerm to reduce deep wrinkles and promote hair growth, longer lashes and stronger nails through keratin production, all contributing to a more youthful appearance. Indeed, one study proved the anti-aging benefits of spermidine on the skin.
It found that spermidine secretions from the Streptococcus bacteria that lives in the skin biome promote production of collagen, elastin and lipids in older skin cells. This improves skin structure and barrier function.
Improved reproductive fertility
Spermidine has additionally been associated with improved reproductive fertility in both sexes. With the growing global population, rising cost of living and pressures of professional life, many people are deciding to delay having children. If they do choose to become parents, they may encounter some unexpected problems on the way to expecting a baby.
Menopause, when women lose the ability to have children, can occur from age 45 and ovaries can age up to five times faster than any other organ in the body.
While there are several reproductive assistance methods available, research has turned to spermidine. Over time, ovaries accumulate reactive oxygen species (ROS), a form of oxidative stress that can damage eggs (oocytes) and cause cellular senescence – contributing towards menopause.
ROS can cause the female germline stem cells (FGSCs) in the ovaries to develop abnormally. This prevents them from producing viable oocytes, dramatically limiting fertility. One study hypothesized that spermidine could reduce oxidative stress in FGSCs. The results proved that autophagy and stem cell production were boosted in FGSCs treated with spermidine, therefore reducing oxidative damage.
This gives rise to the potential use of the supplement in female fertility therapies. Equally, while men do not undergo the same sharp decline in fertility as in menopause, spermidine may also have potential benefits to male fertility. Indeed, infertile men have been found to have lower spermidine levels compared to fertile men.
A large part of sexual reproduction is controlled by hormones. One study investigated the effect of the supplement on different hormone levels in men.
It found that taking the supplement for 30 days significantly reduced levels of the stress hormone cortisol, which can majorly impair fertility as a survival mechanism. It also reduced levels of oestradiol, a type of oestrogen linked to reduced sexual function in men. However, levels of testosterone and the sex steroid hormone DHEAS were seen to increase, indicating improved sexual function.
Spermidine and COVID-19
The mainstay in medical news over the past few years has been the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which has had major implications for longevity, health and wellbeing globally.
As governments scrambled to control coronavirus, research turned to investigating potential therapeutics to treat its symptoms. Indeed, several studies have investigated the impact of spermidine on immune health.
Using supplements to enhance immune function and reduce inflammation became popular during the pandemic as people took autonomy over their own health. Supplements may help prevent and reduce symptoms of respiratory illnesses like the cold and flu.
The hope was that this could be transferrable to COVID-19 infection. Considering that a major mechanism affected by spermidine is autophagy, which is part of the immune system clearing away pathogens and regulating inflammation, this hypothesis is not so far-fetched.
The advent of the COVID-19 vaccination and its boosters has provided most people with protection against serious coronavirus. In older people, vaccines are usually less effective as the immune system weakens with age, known as immunosenescence. This has been evident throughout the pandemic, with those most effected by serious coronavirus generally being older, as well as those with underlying health conditions.
To help prevent this, studies have focused on increasing vaccine efficacy and immune function in older people. One preliminary study investigated whether spermidine supplements increased vaccine efficacy in older subjects.
Spermidine was observed to reduce with age in human T cells that are involved in the immune response. Using supplements restored T cell functioning and autophagy level, raising hopes of using autophagy-boosting compounds like spermidine to improve vaccine efficiency in older adults.
While there are several pharmacological treatments for those with severe cases of coronavirus, a cure for COVID-19 does not yet exist and vaccines unfortunately do not offer 100% protection.
There remains a need for novel, effective therapeutics. Promising results from one study found that during infection, the SARS-CoV2 virus reduced spermidine levels as well as cellular autophagy by interfering with metabolic pathways. Administering spermidine to target these pathways was found to restore autophagy and reduce viral replication. This shows potential for using an autophagy-inducing compound as a treatment for coronavirus.
Spermidine & Mangiferin
Our Spermidine & Mangiferin help to counteract ageing and promote longevity by inducing Autophagy – a regulated cell mechanism whereby the body replaces old and damaged cells with newer and healthier cells.
Our body is made up of cells (about 37.2 trillion of them!) Now imagine if your body wasn’t working optimally to clean, repair and replace your cells. Your quality of life, susceptibility to life-changing health conditions, and cognitive functioning are all under threat of rapid decline.
Here’s the good news: a process called Autophagy which helps to clean and regenerate your body’s cells and Spermidine helps to promote Activation of Autophagy.
The health benefits of Dr MB’s Spermidine & Mangiferin through initiating the process of Autophagy are numerous, diverse and help offer you longevity! From improved hair health to reducing cognitive decline, spermidine helps enable your body to thrive through the process of cell renewal.
BOOST YOUR METABOLISM
Are you looking for a weight loss supplement that mimics the effects of fasting? Initiating the process of Autophagy, the DR MB’s Spermidine & Mangiferin helps facilitate glucose metabolism and fat oxidation, so you can see noticeable, quick results while following a healthy lifestyle.
HEALTHY CELLS MEAN HEALTHY HAIR, NAILS AND SKIN!
Dr MB’s Spermidine & Mangiferin even helps your hair follicles! This hair growth supplement helps promote healthy hair growth over longer periods of time. Spermidine offers a reliable hair loss treatment for women and men while helping strengthen your nails and restore a more youthful complexion.
SIRTUINS ACTIVATOR
Anti-ageing proteins:
They are called SIRT and they are responsible for the production of sirtuins, fundamental proteins that allow the cell to live longer. Scientists have begun to understand how to stimulate them pharmacologically but also with natural molecules.
When we are too stressed, it is often necessary to stop, take a break and regain energy. This rule applies not only to us, but also to our cells.
If they are subjected to stress our cells rest and renovate themselves. Natural evolution has selected precise mechanisms that allow cells to enter a state of “stand-by”: a recovery system that prolongs the life of the cell and also that of our organism. But how does this work?
Scientists have identified a family of genes that play a fundamental role in this system of recovery and are therefore considered the most important longevity genes. They are called SIRT genes and there are seven of them within human cells.
These seven genes are responsible for the production of sirtuins, proteins essential for the survival of all living cells and organisms. They are activated in response to threats or conditions of metabolic stress: cold, food shortages and imminent danger. In all these cases, sirtuins reduce the cell’s reproduction activity to concentrate all resources on survival.
What does all this have to do with longevity? Several studies have shown how the activity of sirtuins can slow down the ageing process and can reduce the risk of related diseases, such as cancer, metabolic and neurodegenerative diseases.
If sirtuin activity is compromised, the risk of metabolic syndrome and diabetes increases, and we become more susceptible to the negative effects of high-fat diets.
For example, it has been observed that if sirtuin activity is compromised, not only the risk of metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes increase, but also the other negative effects of high-fat dietary regimens are exacerbated.
In addition, scientists have highlighted how sirtuin activity is fundamental for the maintenance of cardiac health. Sirtuins also maintain proper functioning of the circadian rhythm, also known as the sleep-wake cycle, which is highly affected by ageing. These are some of the reasons for which sirtuins have been defined as longevity proteins.
Several natural molecules have been identified which are able to activate sirtuins.
Natural molecules that has recently attracted the attention of researchers are:
NMN (Nicotinamide mononucleotide),
Fucoidan – Brown Algae Extract,
Sulforaphane,
Spermidine & Mangiferin
When these enter our cells, they turns into a molecule called NAD (nicotinamide adenin dinucleotide), which is essential for the activity of more than 500 enzymes, including sirtuins.
As we age, NAD levels diminish, which results in decreased functioning of sirtuins and many other enzymes. It has been shown, however, that dietary supplementation with the above mentioned molecules regenerates physiological NAD levels and activates sirtuins.
Sirtuin-activating compounds (STAC) are chemical compounds having an effect on sirtuins, a group of enzymes that use NAD+ to remove acetyl groups from proteins. They are caloric restriction mimetic compounds that may be helpful in treating various age related diseases.
Autophagy is an evolutionary self-preservation mechanism that allows the body to remove dysfunctional cells and recycle some of them for cell repair and irrigation. In other words, Autophagy is a method of the body that wipes out damaged cells to regenerate newer and healthier cells. The main benefit of Autophagy is anti-ageing. The cellular level removes toxic proteins, recycling residual protein, provides energy, and promotes healthy cell regeneration.
