Nowadays, there is a huge hype around the spermidine supplement. You must have heard about it in the magazines and online sites too. But what exactly is spermidine?
Well, the story goes back to 1678 when Anton Van Leeuwenhoek discovered a very useful polyamine compound in human semen. It is comprised of three main components; putrescine, precursor, and spermine.
Later, it was found in human sperm cells too. Hence, the researchers decided the name to be spermidine.
Its main function is to help the body in autophagy (i.e. break down of old, damaged cells). However, there are many other amazing benefits associated with the consumption of spermidine. Let’s discuss them below!
1. Delays Aging
Autophagy refers to a natural cleaning process inside your body. It occurs when the cells are either stressed or deprived of essential nutrients. Since energy is constantly needed, the body breaks down old cells and reuses them for new cells.
Spermidine contributes significantly to this process. So, when there are higher levels of spermidine in your body, more autophagy is performed. This results in energetic and stronger cells that delay aging.
A study conducted over 20 years also found a correlation between eating spermidine-rich food and lower mortality rates. The participants had an increase of 5 years in their life expectancy.
2. Improves Hair Growth
Spermidine has also been proven to boost hair growth in both men and women. The polyamine compound fastens the growth stage of hair follicles, it also encourages the production of keratin, which strengthens hair and reduces frizz.
3. Prevents Obesity
Obesity is a serious health issue that affects 1 billion people throughout the world. It does not only increase your weight but triggers other fatal diseases. These include type 2 diabetes, osteoarthritis, and cancer.
Surprisingly, people with good amounts of spermidine in their bodies don’t get obese. It’s because spermidine supports autophagy that breaks down old cells.
4. Reduces Chronic Inflammation
Inflammation is the natural response of your body’s immune system to injuries and wounds. But chronic inflammation refers to inflammatory processes that last for months. This is unhealthy and leads to several problems:
- Prevents tissue regeneration
- Causes dysfunctionality of immune cells
- Speeds aging of cells
While most people seek medications to deal with chronic inflammation, having spermidine is an easy solution. The natural compound reduces chronic inflammation to an absolute minimum.
5. Enhances Memory and Cognitive Thinking
Amyloid-beta proteins are the large membrane proteins that assist in neural growth. However, later in life, they are likely to be corrupted and form a plague over brain cells. This is known to cause memory loss and even Alzheimer’s disease.
Amazingly, spermidine can prevent this decline in brain functionality by removing amyloid-beta proteins. During autophagy, spermidine specifically targets this protein and dissolves it. This not only keeps your memory strong but also improves your cognitive thinking abilities.
That’s why the elderly are recommended to take spermidine supplements more than adults.