Can You Take Spermidine While Fasting?

Understanding Spermidine

Spermidine is a natural polyamine, a type of organic compound involved in cellular function. Polyamines like spermidine are vital molecules in the human body, assisting with cell growth, cell survival, and cell death (2).

Spermidine plays a particularly important role in stimulating autophagy, which is a crucial process for maintaining cell health—especially as we age. Inducing autophagy is the main way spermidine helps to delay aging and prolong the lifespan. Beyond autophagy, spermidine has been found to support cell health in various other ways, such as by reducing inflammation and aiding in lipid metabolism and cell growth regulation (3).

The body gets spermidine in many different ways. It can be naturally produced by gut bacteria, but is also found in a variety of foods, including:

• Wheat germ

• Soybeans

• Aged cheese and blue cheese

• Mushrooms

• Chicken liver

• Green peas

• Corn

• Shellfish (2)

It’s also possible to supplement your diet with spermidine by taking it in the form of a capsule or pill. Spermidine supplements are often made with pure wheat germ extract, as this is a particularly good natural source of spermidine.

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As such an important molecule, spermidine has many potential health benefits which are subject to intense recent study. For example, it has been associated with improved longevity, cognitive function, and reduced incidence of cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases (4).

The Science of Fasting 

Fasting—the practice of consuming little to no food for a specified period of time—is an ancient custom that has become popular in recent years, largely due to the wide variety of studies demonstrating its health benefits. The main types of fasting are: 

• Prolonged fasting or extended fasting: this means fasting for several days to weeks at a time

• Intermittent fasting: this involves cycling between periods of eating and fasting on a regular schedule, e.g. alternate-day fasting (eating normally on one day, and restricting your calorie intake the next)

• Time-restricted eating: this is a variation on intermittent fasting which limits food intake to a short window each day, such as an 8-hour period (5).

Studies suggest that intermittent fasting, along with calorie restriction, could help fight age-related diseases and improve overall health. It’s been linked to a range of benefits, including reducing obesity, hypertension, asthma, and rheumatoid arthritis (4).

Many of the benefits of fasting occur due to its effect on the metabolism: it helps protect and heal cells from damage, reduces inflammation, and optimizes energy metabolism. This happens because fasting activates autophagy, the body’s cell-recycling mechanism. Because of this, it’s thought that fasting could help extend the lifespan and healthspan (healthy years of life)(6).

Autophagy: The Common Link 

If the benefits of supplementation and fasting seem similar, it’s because they have the same effect: increasing the amount of spermidine in the body and inducing autophagy—the body's housekeeping process.

Autophagy, which comes from the Greek for “self-eating”, is a vital cellular mechanism where old or damaged parts of cells are broken down and recycled. This helps cells stay healthy and functioning optimally, preventing age-related cell damage and disease. That’s why autophagy has been shown to extend lifespan in organisms such as flies and mice, and is also why it is an area of great interest to researchers (1).

Research shows that spermidine plays a key role in inducing autophagy during a fast. During acute or chronic calorie shortages (as you’d experience when fasting), the body has to find energy to use from somewhere other than food, and it can do this by converting cell components into energy for the rest of the body to use. When spermidine levels are raised, this triggers hypusination, a process that activates cells to begin this recycling mechanism (4)(1). 

Put simply: without enough spermidine in the body, the process of autophagy won’t even start. Raising the level of spermidine in the body in one of several ways—through supplementation, or dietary and lifestyle changes—can therefore make your fasts more effective.

Spermidine Supplementation During Fasting

Given the link between spermidine and fasting, it makes sense to combine the two. Here are the potential benefits and things to bear in mind when taking spermidine while fasting.

Potential Benefits

As we’ve discussed, levels of spermidine in the body are naturally raised during fasting. However, you can also supplement with spermidine to raise these levels even further. Essentially, this supports the natural effects of fasting, helping your body do what it already does—but better.

• Boost autophagy: Supplementation has been shown to up-regulate ATG genes, which induce and regulate autophagy. This means that spermidine can increase the activity of these crucial genes, further boosting the benefits of fasting, including potentially helping you live longer.

• Support for anyone with naturally low spermidine levels: As we age, the concentration of spermidine in our bodies declines. Supplementing with spermidine is therefore especially useful for anyone with low natural levels.

• Improved cellular health: Spermidine supplementation has been linked to other benefits on a cellular level like inflammation reduction, improved lipid metabolism, improved muscle cell function, and more. Fasting can also support these beneficial processes, making fasting and spermidine supplementation an exceptionally powerful anti-aging combination.

In short, then: fasting without getting enough spermidine, while not a waste of time, makes all of your effort far less effective. Anyone who already fasts should seriously consider trying to increase their spermidine intake (3).

Considerations

As with any supplement, there are considerations to keep in mind if you plan to take spermidine and fast at the same time.

• Caloric content of supplements: Supplements, including spermidine, contain calories (albeit not many). If you're following a fasting regimen that requires zero caloric intake during certain hours, be sure to keep this in mind.

• Timing of supplementation: Unlike many other supplements, there is no need to take spermidine with food, as it is absorbed well with or without it. However, some experts suggest taking it around mealtimes to mimic the natural intake of spermidine from food. Additionally, some believe that taking spermidine before starting a fast—or before going to sleep, when your body naturally fasts—might boost its effectiveness in promoting autophagy. 

• Consistency is key: For optimal results, it's essential to take spermidine consistently. Since it works at a cellular level, the benefits build up over time.

• Individual differences: It is also worth bearing in mind that individual responses can vary to any supplement. This can occur due to natural levels of spermidine in your body, whether your diet is high or low in spermidine, and even your genetic makeup. You should consult with a healthcare professional before making changes to your diet, supplementation, or medication.

Studies into spermidine’s anti-aging effects have shown promising results so far. However, further research is needed to explore things like safe dosage levels, bioavailability, and the efficacy of supplementation as opposed to absorption from the diet (3). 

Best Practices for Combining Spermidine and Fasting 

The optimal time to take spermidine when fasting seems to be either during the eating window or at the beginning of the fasting period, although more research is needed to determine when precisely is best. 

Research suggests that the average daily intake of spermidine is approximately 10 mg per person in developed countries. We recommend taking 10 mg per day for best results—this is the amount our spermidine supplement provides. Many other supplements only contain 1-3 mg spermidine, which has been shown to be ineffective in human studies. As with most supplements, taking too much may not be good for you, so always stick to the recommended dose indicated on the packaging (7).

Spermidine is generally considered a safe supplement, but it’s important to be aware of potential side effects. While none have yet been reported, if you do experience any unexpected negative effects of spermidine supplementation, talk to a doctor. 

And as always, consult with a doctor before making changes to your diet or supplement regimen. That’s particularly important if you’re considering restricting your calorie intake, as with fasting.

Alternatives to Spermidine During Fasting 

Given that spermidine is a naturally occurring compound, there are ways to increase the amount in your body without supplementation. Adding spermidine-rich foods to your diet outside of your fasting window, like wheat grain, soy beans, chicken liver, corn, or shellfish, would be a good start (2).

You could also consider adding other autophagy-inducing supplements to your diet, like NMN and resveratrol. Resveratrol is another naturally-occurring compound with similar effects to spermidine. Research published in Scientific Reports suggests that not only is resveratrol effective at promoting autophagy, but that it may have other beneficial effects like alleviation of inflammation and tumor cell death (8).

Interestingly, resveratrol and spermidine activate autophagy through different means. Resveratrol triggers autophagy by activating a protein called SIRT1, while spermidine does so without involving SIRT1. And although resveratrol and spermidine work differently, they both influence similar pathways, leading to changes in protein acetylation–suggesting that they can work together to produce the same results, but in different ways (9).

Lifestyle factors such as exercise and sleep can also induce or improve autophagy. This is particularly useful for anyone fasting for extended periods of time who can’t eat spermidine-rich foods or take supplements (10).

There are still very good reasons to consider spermidine supplementation, however. One is the purity of ingredients; high-quality supplements contain ultra-pure extracts that contain consistent amounts of spermidine, helping you maximize the benefit of this remarkable compound.

Conclusion

In summary, spermidine is essential for maintaining cell health, especially while fasting. In particular, mounting research suggests that its role in autophagy—the body’s way of recycling old and damaged cells—makes it an important part of the anti-aging process. 

Spermidine is produced naturally in the body, and can also be found in various foods. But without the right diet and lifestyle, your body may have less spermidine than it needs, meaning that your fasts are less effective. Taking spermidine supplements while fasting could therefore help you lose weight, reduce inflammation, protect against heart and brain disease, and even improve your lifespan.

If you are planning on fasting, browse our range of longevity supplements, including spermidine. Remember to make an informed decision by consulting with a medical professional prior to making any changes to your diet.

FAQs

Does spermidine break a fast?

This depends on the type of fast you’re following. Supplements, including spermidine, generally contain very few calories—often negligible amounts that are unlikely to trigger metabolic responses associated with breaking a fast. However, if you're adhering to a very strict fasting regimen, even minimal caloric intake might be considered breaking the fast. It's essential to assess your fasting goals and choose accordingly.

How long should I fast to induce autophagy?

Fasting for 24-48 hours has been shown to induce the autophagic response. However, it’s possible that individual responses may vary due to lifestyle and genetic factors, for example if you have a particularly high resting metabolic rate. Taking spermidine supplements can also help boost the effects of fasting, including autophagy (11). 

Can spermidine replace fasting for autophagy induction?

Research published in the Journal of Cell Biology suggests that spermidine may be able to induce autophagy in certain cell types without fasting. However, more research is needed to determine whether this holds true in human studies, and it’s clear that combining spermidine with fasting has many benefits (9). 

Are there any contraindications for taking spermidine?

Research on spermidine supplementation is still in its early stages. So far, no specific contraindications have been found—however, this doesn’t mean that adverse effects are impossible. Always talk with your doctor before starting any new supplement, including spermidine, and seek medical advice if you notice any potential side effects or concerns.

How does spermidine compare to other longevity supplements?

Spermidine is one of the best longevity supplements with research-backed anti-aging effects, though there are others to consider, such as NMN (Nicotinamide Mononucleotide) and resveratrol. While they may work in different ways, each of these compounds has effects like reducing inflammation, protecting against cell damage, and helping the body fight disease.