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Spermidine and Weight Loss

If you’re interested in biohacking and taking supplements, you may have heard of spermidine.

This natural polyamine (a compound with more than two amine groups) is easily absorbed and the body is able to be used where needed. It was first discovered in sperm, but there is also a range of spermidine foods, such as aged cheeses, shiitake mushrooms, fermented products like miso and natto, wheat germ, dark leafy greens, mushrooms, peas, chicken, soybeans, mango, cauliflower, lentils and red beans — foods common in the Mediterranean and Japanese diets.

About a third of the spermidine in our bodies is produced by our own cells, with the rest coming from the food we eat and some bacteria in our gut. It’s the most abundant polyamine in the majority of our different tissues and it’s essential for maintaining normal metabolic functions.

As we age, our spermidine levels begin to dwindle, but a diet rich in spermidine has been shown to effectively restore our spermidine levels.

Other than being an antioxidant with anti-inflammatory properties, spermidine benefits are incredibly exciting, such as longevity and brain health benefits, but it’s also been found to have some unintended weight loss benefits.

How Does Spermidine Help With Weight Loss?

Spermidine is thought to work in the same way that rapamycin, a popular longevity and disease-fighting compound, does — by mimicking the effects of intermittent fasting and calorie restriction.

Definition: Calorie restriction is the long-term reduction of calorie intake, or simply eating a bit less for a long time, without malnutrition. A study found that healthy adults who reduced their calorie intake by 15 to 25 per cent for two years reported improved quality of life, such as general health, sexual drive, mood, reduced tension, resting metabolic rate and cognition, along with losing an average of 7.6kg in mostly body fat.

Fasting, or eating less food, switches off mTOR (mechanised target of rapamycin), which then activates our bodies’ emergency systems that allow us to survive starvation.

Definition: Fasting is abstaining from or restricting food, drink or both. It’s known to benefit weight loss and improve health and lifespan in most living organisms.

One of these systems is autophagy, which is the process in which healthy cells scavenge and clean out old cells that are dead (apoptosis) or dying, before putting molecules in place to then build new cells.

As we age, this process doesn’t happen as well, which means that dead cells are left lying around, which is a direct cause of the physical signs of aging.

Therefore, spermidine seems to work on the same cellular level of autophagy mechanisms as rapamycin does, mimicking fasting. By taking a spermidine supplement on days you can’t actively incorporate intermittent fasting, like if you’re heading out with friends or eating pasta — who can eat 25 per cent less pasta? — you can still get the benefits of fasting. Or, if you want to enhance the benefits of fasting, spermidine supplements can help.

Especially for certain groups of people where fasting can have negative consequences, like menstruating women, those with hypothyroidism and older people with sarcopenia or simply a low body weight, spermidine supplementation can be the answer.

Scientific Studies Behind Spermidine’s Benefits On Weight Loss

Studies have shown that taking spermidine is negatively correlated with obesity. This was found in both humans and mice.

As spermidine is believed to stimulate autophagy, it helps remove damaged cellular components and supports healthy cellular function, which in turn can impact metabolism and energy expenditure.

In diet-induced obese mice, weight loss and improved insulin resistance have been found when taking spermidine due to enhanced intestinal barrier function as a result of autophagy. The activation of autophagy by spermidine could lead to a more efficient breakdown of fats in the body. Spermidine's potential to improve insulin sensitivity might also play a role in better weight management.

Spermidine also causes a significant alteration of microbiota composition and function, protecting against obesity, and it’s also been found to reduce the blood lipid level in high-fat diet-induced mice.

In humans, those who took daily spermidine were found to have a lower body mass index (BMI). Another study found those who are obese actually had higher serum spermidine levels, but this is thought to be compensatorily elevated to have a protective effect against elevated BMI, which was one of the findings.

Want to learn more about spermidine and its scientific clinical trials? We’ve compiled a list of spermidine research on our website, so check it out here.

Spermidine Supplements

Due to these results, spermidine supplementation may possibly be a viable therapy for obesity.

There are generally two types of spermidine supplements: synthetic spermidine supplements, which only contain spermidine and are often cheaper, and wheat germ extract, which contains additional polyamines but is more expensive.

Since it’s a natural compound, spermidine is well-tolerated in the body and is safe to take as a supplement. There are no known spermidine side effects — minimal at that — but talk with your doctor before using.

While the average daily nutritional intake of spermidine in European countries varies between 10 and 15mg, a recent 2023 study found it unlikely that spermidine dosage in supplements lower than 15mg per day had any short-term effects. Remember that many of the foods we eat contain spermidine, so supplements are just that; supplementation.

Consider taking spermidine supplements with food to begin with, then slowly taking them without, as taking them while fasting can enhance their benefits.

When looking for the best spermidine supplement, make sure to always pick supplements that have been third-party tested, like the ones at Xandro Lab.

Integrating spermidine-rich foods or supplements into your weight loss journey can complement your efforts. Remember that no single nutrient or compound can replace a balanced diet and regular physical activity, but supplements can help fill in the gaps where you’re missing nutrients or in other targeted areas for your overall health.

Even though it’s effective, calorie restriction can also have its risks. Taking spermidine can be similarly effective, easier and more satisfying, and while it’s found in foods like natto, green peas, corn, pumpkin and mushrooms, it can also be taken as a supplement, like our scientifically researched Spermidine capsules.