A primary goal of ageing-related research involves the identification of therapies that slow down senescence and delay age-related diseases.

It has now been discovered by researchers that spermidine, a naturally occurring polyamine essential for life (and present in certain cheeses, grains, pulses, etc.), can extend the lifespan of mice and rats and also improve cardiovascular health in humans, revitalizing their hearts.

According to a study published yesterday in Nature Medicine titled “Cardioprotection and Lifespan Extension in Natural Polyamine Spermidine,” researchers  from France and Austria led by Simon Sedej (University of Graz) and Guido Kroemer  tested the effects of spermidine in rats by putting it into their water.   They observed that with the drug, most rats lived longer on average, even if it was introduced into their diets when they were middle-aged, and that spermidine also enhanced cardiac function and lowered blood pressure in older rats.

The researchers also studied the effects of spermidine on humans by analyzing the eating habits of circa 800 people, and determined that those who ate foods with more spermidine — men in particular — not only had a lower risk of heart failure and other heart-related diseases, but lower blood pressure as well. With such encouraging findings, the researchers concluded that more clinical trials should be conducted to study spermidine’s benefits more extensively.