Hintergrund
Growing old, staying young - who wouldn't want that? While people once cherished the dream of the source of eternal youth, scientists are now conducting intensive research to decipher all aspects of ageing. The study of the effects of spermidine on the ageing process has now attracted attention. The natural cellulose has brought us a great deal closer to the goal of enabling people to live healthily and grow older. First discovered in the 1870s, spermidine owes its name to the place where it is found - seminal fluid. Nevertheless, you should not be misled or even put off by this. It is now known that this valuable vital substance is not limited to men, but can be found in all living beings and body cells. In addition, spermidine is found in plant foods.
Zielsetzung
So spermidine's name is not its program. But what then? The small molecule plays an important role in autophagy, the natural process of cell cleansing. During this process, faulty or no longer required cell components are broken down and recycled. With age, however, the spermidine concentration decreases and with it the ability to clean up our human cells. Do we remember what happened back then when we didn't tidy up our Lego pieces after playing? The painful soles of our feet still bear witness to the chaos and disorder. Unlike in a child's bedroom, it is not toys lying around in the cell that lead to pathological deposits of cell parts and proteins, which in turn can lead to various diseases. Vice versa, it has been shown in several animal models that spermidine administration is associated with increased survival and even reduces age-related mortality.
In a highly regarded study by Kiechl and colleagues the aim was to investigate a possible link between dietary spermidine intake and mortality in the general population - with exciting results!
Methode
An international team of scientists from the Medical University of Innsbruck conducted a prospective long-term study in the South Tyrolean municipality of Bruneck. The advantage: Only a few residents move away from the town in Val Pusteria/Pustertal. People are rooted in their South Tyrolean home region and mobility is extremely low. People maintain a healthy lifestyle with a traditional diet and plenty of sport. It is not uncommon to meet fit 80-year-olds here. At the same time, other health parameters are comparable with other populations in Europe. Factors such as these make the small town the ideal place to observe age-related health risks over the long term and research their predictability. No sooner said than done. for 20 years, 829 people between the ages of 45 and 84 were systematically examined for age-related diseases as part of this study. The test subjects were examined in detail every five years. Among other things, a specific diet questionnaire was completed by professional nutritionists to analyze food intake. This made it possible to draw conclusions about the amount of spermidine consumed naturally.
Food and gut flora as sources of spermidine and its possible life-prolonging effect through autophagy in humans
Which foods are rich in spermidine
This raises the legitimate question of which foods are particularly rich in spermidine. In principle, as previously revealed, spermidine is found in every cell of the body. However, the natural substance is not only produced by the cells themselves, but also by certain bacteria in our intestinal flora. Around a third of spermidine comes from our own production, while the rest - the majority - is absorbed through food. Spermidine is contained in a variety of foods. Examples include mushrooms, cauliflower, broccoli, pulses, various types of cheese, wholegrain products and wheat germ. The valuable substance is particularly abundant in soybean products. However, it should be noted that the amount of spermidine in natural sources can be subject to strong fluctuations.
Ergebnisse
Let's dive straight into the results of the study. In general, a few things could be said about the participants in advance. Surprisingly, the spermidine content of the food was higher in women than in men and also decreased steadily with age. The hot favorites among the main food sources of spermidine were whole grain products, apples and pears, lettuce, vegetable sprouts and potatoes. In order to investigate further effects of spermidine, the participants were divided into three groups based on their daily intake. Participants:inside with low ( below 9 mg), medium ( 9-11,6 mg) and high ( over 11.6 mg) spermidine intake.
These groups were compared in terms of all-cause mortality and mortality risk. The results were groundbreaking. It was found that the group with the spermidine-richest diet had a significantly lower mortality rate. Put simply, the higher the daily intake of spermidine, the lower the overall mortality rate. Furthermore, the group with a high spermidine intake showed a significantly reduced mortality risk compared to the lower third. In concrete terms, this reduction corresponded to a reduction in age of 5.7 years. Almost too good to be true.
Spermidine highly dosed from soybean extract and chlorella algae powder.
Discussion and conclusion
Off to Bruneck! - some over-motivated longevity fanatics would hastily suggest. However, the revolutionary results are not location-specific, but are most likely transferable to all of us. After all, those who consume a lot of spermidine in their diet may extend their healthy lifespan.
In summary, this study provides the first evidence of a link between a spermidine-rich diet and increased survival in humans. The current epidemiological data are consistent with preliminary experimental studies indicating longevity and health-promoting effects of spermidine in animal models and human cells. Intervention studies are still required as definitive proof, some of which are already underway. We look forward to further interesting news!
The study was published online in July 2018 in the scientific journal American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (AJCN).
