Science shows this supplement really can slow down ageing and experts are excited. But you can buy it NOW

It’s hardly the most appealing name for a supplement, but the longevity world is full of excitement for it. Jane Alexander says it’s hardly the most appealing name for a supplement, but the longevity world is full of excitement over spermidine The results demonstrate that the supplement induces autophagy in human tissue. ‘I think spermidine has some interesting long-term benefits to health,’ adds Dr Tamsin Lewis, a psychiatrist and neuroscientist, who runs a private longevity clinic in London. ‘Studies suggest that spermidine can slow, but not reverse, ageing – and it is not known if it works in humans.’ He cites a 2022 study, reported in the journal Neurology, by researchers in Germany and Austria which gave 100 people daily spermidine supplements or a placebo for a year and found there was no improvement in terms of brain performance and memory. Dr Mohammed Enayat, a GP and founder of HUM2N, a private London longevity clinic, is also cautious: ‘Spermidine seems to have shown benefit in mice studies through supporting important processes involved in ageing, including cell renewal.’ But there’s little evidence this translates into humans, he says.