Dietary spermidine triggered autophagy and extended lifespan across multiple model organisms

English digest

A naturally occurring compound found in wheat germ, aged cheese, and mushrooms — and present in every human cell — may be one of the most overlooked longevity molecules in the diet.

Researchers administered spermidine — a polyamine compound whose tissue concentrations decline progressively with human age — to aging organisms across three species: worms (C. elegans), fruit flies (Drosophila), and mice. In each model, they tracked lifespan or cell survival, then used genetic knockout experiments to test whether the observed benefits required intact autophagy, the cellular recycling process that degrades and repurposes worn-out organelles and misfolded proteins. The cardiac arm of the mouse study was particularly detailed: aged animals received oral spermidine supplementation in their drinking water for several months while the researchers tracked heart function by echocardiography and examined cardiac tissue for fibrosis and inflammation markers.