Spermidine
Specific molecules
A polyamine involved in cellular recycling, much studied over the last fifteen years.
Natto is by far the richest. Colon bacteria also make part of it.
Effects and benefits
It triggers the cells' big clean-up, autophagy, and extended the lives of yeast, worms, flies and mice. In humans, those who eat the most live longer in observational studies, though no trial has proven it yet.
Autophagy is the cell's internal recycling: it wraps its worn parts and digests them to build new ones. The mechanism earned Yoshinori Ohsumi the 2016 Nobel Prize. Spermidine triggers it, and in yeast, worms, flies and mice, it lengthened lifespan (Eisenberg et al., 2009).
In the Bruneck study in Italy, people who ate the most spermidine had lower mortality over twenty years (Kiechl et al., 2018): an association. A twelve-month trial in older people showed no effect on memory (Schwarz et al., 2022).
By age: its level in tissues falls over the years (Madeo et al., 2018), which explains the interest in it.
Sources: Eisenberg et al., Nat Cell Biol, 2009 · Kiechl et al., AJCN, 2018 · Schwarz et al., JAMA Netw Open, 2022 · Madeo et al., Science, 2018
Where to find it (14)
- Black soybean
- Button mushroom
- Cheese aged < 3 months
- Fermented black soybeans
- Fermented soybeans / edamame
- Koji
- Miso
- Natto
- Oyster mushrooms
- Peas
- Shiitake
- Soybeans / edamame
- Split peas / dried green peas
- Tempeh