Explainer
The benefits of fasting, without skipping a meal
Fasting works by triggering autophagy, the deep cleanup inside your cells. Researchers have found the molecule that carries that signal, and it works while you’re eating normally.
Spermidine
The compound that tells your cells to clear out and recycle their worn-out parts, the way fasting does.
The lab testing reported in this section was commissioned and paid for by the maker of one of the six products tested.
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146 compounds, 20 years, and one link to a longer life
It’s called spermidine. Researchers followed 829 people for 20 years, and the more of it they got from their food, the lower their risk of dying.
Explainer
Microplastics in your brain: what you can do about it
You can’t avoid plastic. But your cells have a way of clearing out what doesn’t belong, and there’s a molecule that switches it on.
Buyer’s Guide
6 spermidine brands, measured. One delivered a full 20 mg.
20 mg meets or exceeds the dosage in every major study linking spermidine to a longer life. One serving of these 6 products held anywhere from 21.9 mg down to 0.7 mg.
The testing was commissioned and paid for by the maker of one of the six products tested.
List
7 proven benefits of spermidine
In a 20-year study comparing 146 compounds, spermidine had the strongest link to a longer life of any nutrient measured. It does one job in your cells, and all 7 benefits come from it.