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Initial studies in humans showed that a diet rich in spermidine apparently has positive effects on cell health.
May 8, 2025
Birgitta Dunckel
Spermidine is said to slow down the aging process, support memory, and even fight cancer. But what do studies say about the positive effects of spermidine on health?
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In the search for how people can age healthily, the messenger substance spermidine has come into the focus of longevity researchers. A spermidine-rich diet, it is often said, should keep you young longer and protect against age-related diseases. But what exactly is spermidine and what exactly is its anti-aging effect?
Spermidine is a so-called biogenic polyamine. The messenger substance owes its curious name to the place where it was first discovered: in human sperm. However, it is present in almost all living cells - in plants, animals, and in the cells of the human body - and is also formed there.
Spermidine is closely linked to cell growth and is essential for cell division and repair. It is now known that the amount of spermidine in the organism increases with an acceleration of the metabolism and decreases with a slowdown. It has also been proven that the body's own production decreases with age (from about 35 years of age) - this, in turn, increases interest in compensating for this decline in the form of a spermidine-rich diet or supplementation to maintain or even stimulate the body's important repair processes.
One of the most important effects of spermidine is its ability to activate so-called autophagy, the self-cleaning process of cells: defective cell components, damaged proteins, or cellular waste are broken down and recycled. This process is essential for cell health and thus plays a key role in combating aging processes, inflammation, and diseases such as Alzheimer's and cancer.
The assumption of scientists: Because autophagy loses efficiency with age, disease-relevant deposits occur in the cells, which can in turn lead to dementia, diabetes, tumors, and atherosclerosis. The increased intake of spermidine - be it through food or supplementation - signals the cell to start the self-cleaning process and thus protects against deposits and premature aging.
Studies of model organisms like yeast cells, worms, and mice also show promising results: Spermidine not only extended lifespan but also improved heart function and reduced age-related inflammation. Administration of spermidine even improved egg cell maturation and fertility in female mice.
Initial human studies indicated that a spermidine-rich diet apparently has positive effects on life expectancy and cellular health. Spermidine not only rejuvenates cells but can also reduce inflammation, lower cholesterol and blood pressure, or even prevent dementia. However, research is still in its infancy here – more long-term studies in humans are needed to reliably determine how effective spermidine is as a dietary supplement.
However, it is certain that it is not harmful to focus on increased spermidine intake through diet. The polyamine is found in many healthy foods, and studies show that every person in Europe consumes between 7 and 25 milligrams of spermidine per day through food. The individual amount depends on which foods are consumed. Wheat germ, dried soybeans, aged cheese (like Parmesan and Cheddar), and mushrooms are particularly rich in spermidine.
Since we can also consume spermidine through food, it is not necessary to take it through dietary supplements. A balanced diet is generally sufficient.
“Klartext Nahrungsergänzung,” an offer from the consumer advice center, states that benefits from taking spermidine-containing dietary supplements for healthy individuals have not been demonstrated in any human study to date. Whether and what the regular intake of spermidine capsules brings for health and life expectancy is not researched. Dietary supplements with spermidine are often based on wheat germ extracts that contain gluten. These products are not suitable for people with gluten intolerance.
The maximum allowed amount of spermidine as a supplement is 6 milligrams per day. Caution is advised for people with histamine intolerance: Spermidine can stimulate the body's own release of histamine and trigger symptoms.
The spermidine content in body cells increases during pregnancy and growth. For this reason, experts advise pregnant, breastfeeding women and children against taking dietary supplements with spermidine. This also applies to people with diseases associated with chronic inflammation. Examples include Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, psoriasis, and rheumatism.
People receiving the active substance ethambutol (against tuberculosis) should refrain from taking spermidine, as spermidine - like magnesium - can weaken the effect of the medication.
