Older adults consuming more spermidine have better cognitive performance

New research suggests that a higher dietary intake of spermidine is associated with significantly better performance on cognitive tests among older adults. The potential protective effect was more pronounced in males, individuals who were somewhat overweight, those with hypertension or hyperlipidemia, and non-Hispanic Whites. The findings were published in the Journal of Affective Disorders.

Spermidine is a naturally occurring polyamine compound found in all living cells. It supports cellular growth, maintenance, and the removal of damaged components through a process called autophagy. It plays a key role in maintaining cellular health and has been linked in experimental studies to anti-aging and heart-protective effects. However, spermidine levels decline with age, which may contribute to age-related cellular dysfunction.

Foods rich in spermidine include aged cheese, soy products (especially natto), mushrooms, whole grains, legumes, green peas, and certain fruits such as grapefruit. Wheat germ and some fermented foods are also high in spermidine. The compound is available as a dietary supplement as well. Previous research has suggested that higher spermidine intake may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and enhance cognitive function, although human clinical trials remain limited.

Study author Yifan Ma and her colleagues sought to examine the relationship between dietary spermidine intake and cognitive performance in older adults. They analyzed data from the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) collected between 2011 and 2014.

NHANES is a program administered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that uses a nationally representative sample to assess the health and nutritional status of the U.S. population. It combines interviews, physical exams, and dietary assessments to generate a rich dataset used in public health research and policymaking.

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For this analysis, the researchers included participants aged 60 and older who had completed cognitive function tests during the 2011–2014 survey cycles. The final sample included 2,674 participants, of whom 1,361 were women. Participants completed two 24-hour dietary recall interviews, during which they reported everything they had eaten or drunk in the previous 24 hours. They also completed a questionnaire about dietary supplement use. These responses were used to estimate each participant’s spermidine intake. Cognitive function was assessed using four standardized tests.

The results showed that participants in the highest quartile of spermidine intake (the top 25%) performed better on cognitive tests than those with lower intake. Further analyses revealed that the positive association between spermidine and cognitive performance was stronger in males, non-Hispanic Whites, individuals with a body mass index between 25 and 30, and those with high blood pressure or high blood lipid levels.

“This study provides evidence supporting the association between higher dietary SPD [spermidine] intake and improved cognitive performance in older adults. The protective effect was more pronounced in certain subgroups, particularly in males, non-Hispanic whites, and individuals with specific chronic conditions. These findings suggest that SPD may be a valuable component in dietary strategies aimed at improving cognitive health in older adults and populations with chronic diseases,” the study authors concluded.

The study contributes to the scientific understanding of the health effects of spermidine intake. However, it should be noted that the design of the study does not allow any causal inferences to be derived from the results. While it is possible that spermidine has neuroprotective properties, it is also possible that older individuals with better cognitive functioning are better able to provide themselves with healthy diets.

The paper, “Association between dietary spermidine intake and cognitive performance in older adults: The U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2011–2014,” was authored by Yifan Ma, Leyao Qi, Fangyi Zhu, Mengjie Xiao, Mengyao Li, Xu Zhang, Xiaodi Yuan, Yuan Wang, Changhao Sun, and Huanyu Wu.