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Science / Ingredient Library

Spermidine

A naturally occurring polyamine.

Definition and mechanism

Spermidine belongs to a group of compounds called polyamines. Cells produce and interconvert polyamines, and dietary sources add to exposure. Laboratory work examines processes such as autophagy. Human work includes measurements of circulating polyamines and a placebo-controlled study of memory.

Ingredient identity

Medicinal ingredient
Spermidine
Amount in the licensed combination
10 mg per capsule
Listed source material
Spermidine Trihydrochloride

Licensed product information

Spermidine + EGT · NPN 80144277

Recommended use or purpose

Source of an amino acid.

Medicinal ingredients

  • Ergothioneine (EGT) · 25 mg per capsule
  • Spermidine · 10 mg per capsule

Recommended dose

Adults 18 years and older: one capsule once daily.

Cautions and warnings

Ask a health care practitioner before use if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.

Health Canada licence record ↗

Selected research

A pilot trial of spermidine and memory discrimination

Study type
Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase IIa human pilot trial.
Product relevance
Relevant ingredient evidence from a spermidine-rich plant extract. This was an earlier trial in the SmartAge research programme.
Studied dose
Spermidine-rich plant extract or placebo. The abstract does not report the dose in milligrams.
Finding
The between-group memory contrast was 0.17 (95% CI −0.01 to 0.35), so the interval crossed zero. The study also reported a moderate within-group effect on memory discrimination.
Limitations
The pilot was small. The primary between-group estimate was imprecise and does not establish a memory benefit. The study used a different preparation.
Funding and disclosures
Funding and conflicts were not verified from the approved source material.

Short-term tolerability of a spermidine-rich extract

Study type
Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled human safety study, with a separate repeated-dose mouse toxicity study.
Product relevance
Relevant ingredient safety evidence for the specific wheat germ extract and dose.
Studied dose
Human study: a spermidine-rich wheat germ extract providing 1.2 mg/day of spermidine, or placebo.
Finding
The human groups showed no differences in the reported vital signs, weight, clinical chemistry, blood safety measures or self-reported health. Adherence exceeded 85%. The separate mouse study reported no increase in the monitored toxicity findings.
Limitations
The human sample was small and follow-up was short. The results apply to the studied extract and dose and cannot establish safety for other formulations or long-term use.
Funding and disclosures
PubMed indexes Austrian Science Fund (FWF) support. Competing interests were not verified from the approved source material.

A year-long trial with no significant primary memory benefit

Study type
Double-masked placebo-controlled SmartAge trial
Product relevance
Indirect relevance; different dose/formulation
Studied dose
Spermidine-rich wheat germ extract providing 0.9 mg of spermidine per day, or placebo.
Finding
The primary memory outcome did not improve significantly versus placebo. Exploratory signals require confirmation.
Limitations
The trial used a spermidine-rich wheat germ extract that provided 0.9 mg of spermidine per day, well below the 10 mg of spermidine per capsule in DR.MORGAN Spermidine + EGT. A null result must not be hidden; exploratory findings do not establish prevention or treatment of cognitive decline.
Funding and disclosures
Public and grant funding. Some investigators disclosed commercial relationships. See the original paper for details.

Cognitive measures in a preliminary nursing-home trial

Study type
Multicentre, double-blind preliminary human study comparing higher and lower oral spermidine intake.
Product relevance
Relevant ingredient evidence in a nursing-home population. The study did not evaluate the DR.MORGAN combination.
Studied dose
Higher and lower oral spermidine intake. The abstract does not state the amounts in milligrams.
Finding
In the higher-intake group, the mild-dementia subgroup gained 2.23 points on the MMSE (p = 0.026). The phonemic-fluency change of 1.99 was not statistically significant (p = 0.47). Cognitive performance in the lower-intake group was stable or declined.
Limitations
This was a preliminary study in a specific care setting, and the reported results were mixed. The subgroup finding does not establish a clinical effect for a finished supplement.
Funding and disclosures
The authors reported that they funded the study themselves and declared no competing interests.

A one-year spermidine follow-up without a control group

Study type
Single-arm human follow-up. The abstract describes no placebo or control group.
Product relevance
Relevant ingredient evidence from a dietary follow-up, with weak evidence because there was no control group.
Studied dose
3.3 mg of spermidine per day in the diet.
Finding
The mean MMSE score was 5 points higher at follow-up than at baseline (p < 0.001). This was a within-group comparison.
Limitations
Weak evidence. Without a control group, practice effects and changes in care cannot be ruled out. The change cannot be attributed to spermidine on this design alone.
Funding and disclosures
The authors declared no competing interests. Funding was not verified from the approved source material.

Following spermidine metabolites after oral dosing

Study type
Triple-blind placebo-controlled crossover PK/metabolomic study
Product relevance
Indirect relevance; different dose/formulation
Finding
Plasma spermine increased, while plasma spermidine did not; salivary polyamines did not change.
Limitations
Short exposure and circulating measurements cannot establish long-term outcomes, tissue exposure or that every lower-dose supplement is ineffective. Different dose; no EGT combination.
Funding and disclosures
Authors report no external funding and no conflicts.

Dietary spermidine intake and mortality in a cohort

Study type
Prospective human dietary cohort.
Product relevance
Indirect evidence from estimated dietary intake, with no supplement intervention.
Sample or population
829 adults aged 45–84 in the main cohort.
Studied dose
Usual food intake estimated by repeated questionnaires. No assigned dose.
Duration
20 years of follow-up in the main cohort.
Finding
Higher estimated dietary intake was associated with lower all-cause mortality after adjustment. The paper reports a similar association in a separate cohort.
Limitations
Dietary measurement error and residual confounding remain possible. The association does not establish a supplement effect.
Study quality
Prospective design with repeated dietary assessments and external validation. Editorial review was limited to the abstract. No formal risk-of-bias rating was assigned.
Funding and disclosures
Funding and conflicts were not verified from the abstract.

Dietary spermidine and MRI measures

Study type
Exploratory cross-sectional human dietary study.
Product relevance
Indirect evidence from questionnaire estimates of food intake.
Sample or population
90 older adults with subjective cognitive decline and 47 controls.
Studied dose
Usual dietary intake estimated by questionnaire. No assigned dose.
Duration
No follow-up period is reported in the abstract.
Finding
Higher estimated intake was associated with several MRI measures, including hippocampal volume. The associations did not significantly differ by participant group.
Limitations
MRI associations and self-reported food intake cannot establish causation or supplement effects.
Study quality
Exploratory regression analyses with structural imaging. Editorial review was limited to the abstract. No formal risk-of-bias rating was assigned.
Funding and disclosures
One author disclosed consulting fees, honoraria and royalties in the PubMed record. Funding was not verified.

Blood spermidine and cognitive scores in nursing homes

Study type
Cross-sectional human biomarker study.
Product relevance
Indirect evidence from circulating spermidine, with no supplement intervention.
Sample or population
80 people aged 60–96 in six nursing homes.
Studied dose
No assigned dose.
Duration
No follow-up period is reported in the abstract.
Finding
Blood spermidine concentration correlated with cognitive screening scores.
Limitations
Correlation does not validate a diagnostic biomarker or show that supplementation changes cognition.
Study quality
Observational biomarker and screening-score comparison. Editorial review was limited to the abstract. No formal risk-of-bias rating was assigned.
Funding and disclosures
The PubMed disclosure reports no competing interests. Funding was not verified.

Dietary spermidine, cognition and experimental models

Study type
Mouse and fruit-fly experiments plus prospective human dietary data.
Product relevance
Indirect human dietary association and separate preclinical mechanisms.
Sample or population
Mice, fruit flies and a human cohort. Counts are not reported in the abstract.
Studied dose
Not reported in the abstract. The human component assessed dietary intake.
Duration
Not reported in the abstract.
Finding
Animal experiments linked feeding to mitochondrial and learning measures. Higher estimated human dietary intake was associated with lower risk of cognitive impairment.
Limitations
Human data were observational. Feeding effects in animals do not establish a human supplement effect.
Study quality
Multiple experimental models plus a prospective human association. Editorial review was limited to the abstract. No formal risk-of-bias rating was assigned.
Funding and disclosures
The PubMed disclosure lists commercial equity, consultancy, research contracts and a related pending patent for some authors. Funding was not verified.

Review of spermidine and autophagy

Study type
Narrative review of preclinical and epidemiologic evidence.
Product relevance
Mechanistic context and dietary associations.
Sample or population
Prior animal and human research. No recruited sample described.
Studied dose
Varied across sources.
Duration
Varied across sources.
Finding
The authors describe proposed autophagy and mitochondrial mechanisms and summarize epidemiologic associations with dietary polyamines.
Limitations
The review does not establish a human supplement benefit or a dose.
Study quality
Evidence synthesis without a new intervention. Editorial review was limited to the abstract. No formal risk-of-bias rating was assigned.
Funding and disclosures
Funding and conflicts were not verified from the abstract.

Cardiac measures in animal models and dietary associations

Study type
Mouse and rat experiments with human dietary observations.
Product relevance
Mechanistic animal evidence plus a separate human dietary association.
Sample or population
Mice, salt-sensitive rats and human dietary data. Counts are not reported in the abstract.
Studied dose
Not reported in the abstract.
Duration
Not reported in the abstract.
Finding
Several cardiac measures changed in rodents. The cardiac effect was absent in mice lacking cardiomyocyte Atg5. Higher estimated human food intake correlated with lower blood pressure and cardiovascular disease incidence.
Limitations
The human component did not assign spermidine. Rodent findings and dietary correlations cannot establish cardiovascular benefit in people.
Study quality
Animal experiments included a test of autophagy dependence. Editorial review was limited to the abstract. No formal risk-of-bias rating was assigned.
Funding and disclosures
The PubMed disclosure lists equity interests in a natural-extract company for several authors. Funding was not verified.

Spermidine and autophagy in experimental models

Study type
Mechanistic experiments across model organisms and cultured cells
Product relevance
Mechanistic relevance
Finding
The experiments linked spermidine exposure with autophagy and lifespan-related outcomes in laboratory models.
Limitations
Cultured human cells are not human clinical participants. These findings cannot establish that this supplement activates autophagy or extends human life.
Funding and disclosures
Complete funding/conflict assessment not extracted; independence was not established.

The cited studies cover ingredient, material or formulation evidence. They do not establish outcomes for a finished DR.MORGAN product.

Related products

Dr. Morgan Spermidine + EGT 30 capsules front package, NPN 80144277

Spermidine + EGT · 30 capsules

$39.00 CAD

View product
Dr. Morgan™ Spermidine + EGT — 60 Capsules (NPN 80144277)

Spermidine + EGT · 60 capsules

$59.00 CAD

View product

Safety and precautions

Use the product-specific warnings and directions. Results from wheat germ extract and other preparations do not establish outcomes for the DR.MORGAN combination.

References

  1. Kiechl et al. · 2018 · Am J Clin Nutr · PMID 29955838
  2. Schroeder et al. · 2021 · Cell Rep · PMID 33852843
  3. Schwarz et al. · 2020 · Neuroimage · PMID 32629145
  4. Pekar et al. · 2020 · Wien Klin Wochenschr · PMID 31832773
  5. Eisenberg et al. · 2016 · Nat Med · PMID 27841876
  6. Madeo et al. · 2018 · Science · PMID 29371440
  7. Eisenberg et al. · 2009 · PMID 19801973
  8. Schwarz et al. · 2022 · PMID 35616942
  9. Senekowitsch et al. · 2023 · PMID 37111071
  10. Wirth et al. · 2018 · PMID 30388439
  11. Schwarz et al. · 2018 · PMID 29315079
  12. Pekar et al. · 2021 · PMID 33211152
  13. Pekar et al. · 2024 · PMID 37284840
  14. Combination product licence

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