Is there an association between dietary spermidine intake and mortality in humans?
Spermidine, a cohort study in 829 participants (The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2018, PMID 29955838) — all-cause mortality (deaths per 1000 person-years) decreased across thirds of increasing spermidine intake from 40.5 to 23.7 and 15.1. The study design is observational, which means it can show correlation but not causation.
Source: The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2018, PMID 29955838 ↗ · Research map · How Magellan grades evidence · evidence confidence: high
The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition · 2018 · PMID 29955838
Higher dietary intake of spermidine is associated with a lower risk of all-cause mortality in humans.
The question
Is there an association between dietary spermidine intake and mortality in humans?
What they tested
Spermidine administration is linked to increased survival in several animal models, suggesting a potential association between dietary spermidine content and mortality in humans.
How they did it
This prospective community-based cohort study included 829 participants aged 45-84 years, with diet assessed by repeated dietitian-administered food-frequency questionnaires in 1995, 2000, 2005, and 2010. All-cause mortality was tracked between 1995 and 2015, during which 341 deaths occurred. The association was also independently validated in the Salzburg Atherosclerosis Prevention Program in Subjects at High Individual Risk (SAPHIR) Study.
What they found
All-cause mortality (deaths per 1000 person-years) decreased across thirds of increasing spermidine intake from 40.5 to 23.7 and 15.1. The age-, sex-, and caloric intake-adjusted 20-year cumulative mortality incidence was 0.48, 0.41, and 0.38 for the lowest, middle, and highest thirds of spermidine intake, respectively. The age-, sex-, and caloric ratio-adjusted HR for all-cause death per 1-SD higher spermidine intake was 0.74, and 0.76 after further adjustments. The difference in mortality risk between the top and bottom third of spermidine intakes was similar to that associated with a 5.7-year younger age.
| Lowest Third | 40.5 | |
|---|---|---|
| Middle Third | 23.7 | |
| Highest Third | 15.1 |
All-cause mortality (deaths per 1000 person-years) decreased with increasing spermidine intake.
What it means
Higher spermidine intake is linked to lower all-cause mortality in humans, providing epidemiologic support for the concept that spermidine-rich nutrition is associated with increased survival.
Limitations
The study design is observational, which means it can show correlation but not causation. While adjustments were made for various factors, unmeasured confounding cannot be entirely ruled out.
The paper at a glance
| Title | Higher spermidine intake is linked to lower mortality: a prospective population-based study |
|---|---|
| Journal | The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition |
| Year | 2018 |
| PMID | 29955838 ↗ |
| Topic | Senescence, senolytics & the hallmarks of aging |
| DOI | Not recorded in our database — use the PubMed record above. |
Read the source: PubMed record (authors, abstract, full citation) ↗
Where Magellan uses this paper
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Spermidine (Wheat-Germ Extract)
In model organisms (yeast, worms, flies and mice) spermidine induces autophagy and extends lifespan, and in rodents it reduces age-related cardiac dysfunction and blood pressure and improves memory. Human evidence is earlier-stage and genuinely mixed.
Spermidine is a naturally occurring polyamine present in all human cells and obtained from the diet…
Research describes the compound or intervention studied. It is not a claim about any specific product.
Molecules & mechanisms in this paper
Each of these is named in the paper’s own words above. Open the monograph for the full mechanism and its other citations.
Cite this page
These citations point at this summary. To cite the original paper with its full author list, use the PubMed record.
Magellan Longevity. (2026). Is there an association between dietary spermidine intake and mortality in humans? [Plain-English summary of The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2018, PMID 29955838]. Magellan Longevity. https://magellanlongevity.com/study/sperm_mort.html@misc{magellan_sperm_mort,
title = {Is there an association between dietary spermidine intake and mortality in humans?},
author = {{Magellan Longevity}},
year = {2026},
howpublished = {\url{https://magellanlongevity.com/study/sperm_mort.html}},
note = {Plain-English summary of PubMed PMID 29955838; The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2018. Reviewed by Gabriel Radu, DO},
urldate = {2026-08-11}
}https://magellanlongevity.com/study/sperm_mort.htmlRelated studies in the Magellan library
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- Insights into the therapeutic strategies for aging and aging-associated diseasesSignal Transduction and Targeted Therapy · 2026 · PMID 42225652
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