Spermidine is a natural polyamine found in almost every food, and the richest everyday sources are wheat germ, soybeans, aged cheese, mushrooms, peas, nuts and whole grains. Animal studies link it to longer lifespan through autophagy, the cell's recycling system. In people, higher spermidine intake tracks with lower death rates in two large observational studies, but the one 12-month randomized trial found no memory effect.
Spermidine searches have climbed fast, mostly because of mouse and yeast research and the supplements that followed it. This guide sticks to what was measured: how much spermidine common foods actually contain, what the human studies did and didn't show, and who funded the work. The food numbers come from a 2019 review that pooled published measurements, and we convert them to milligrams so you can compare them with supplement labels.
Last reviewed: November 2, 2026
Key Takeaways
- Wheat germ is the richest common food source, at roughly 35 mg of spermidine per 100 g. Soybeans come next at about 21 mg per 100 g.
- Mushrooms, green peas, nuts, broccoli, cauliflower and aged cheese are useful everyday sources. Fruit, milk and eggs contain very little.
- Spermidine extended lifespan in yeast, worms, flies and mice, and the effect depended on autophagy.
- In people, the evidence is mostly observational. Higher intake was linked to lower death rates, which shows an association, not cause and effect.
- The longest randomized trial (100 older adults, 12 months, 0.9 mg a day from wheat germ extract) found no significant change in memory.
What is spermidine?
Spermidine is a small molecule called a polyamine. Your cells make it, gut bacteria make some, and you take in more from food. It was first found in semen, which explains the name, but it is present in nearly every living tissue, including plants.
Inside cells, polyamines help with growth, the packaging of DNA and the making of proteins. Body levels of spermidine tend to fall with age, which is one reason researchers became interested in whether eating more of it matters (Madeo et al., 2018).
The research interest centers on autophagy. Autophagy is the process cells use to break down worn-out parts and recycle them. Fasting and exercise switch it on. Spermidine appears to switch it on too, which is why some scientists call it a "caloric restriction mimetic". If you've read our guide to senescent cells or mitochondrial health, autophagy is part of the same cell-maintenance story.
Which foods are highest in spermidine?
A 2019 review in Frontiers in Nutrition gathered published measurements of polyamines in foods (Muñoz-Esparza et al., 2019). The review reports values in nanomoles per gram. We converted the highest reported values to milligrams per 100 g using spermidine's molecular weight, so treat them as upper-end figures. Real foods vary with variety, ripeness, storage and cooking.
| Food or food group | Spermidine, reported range (nmol/g) | About mg per 100 g (upper end) |
|---|---|---|
| Wheat germ | Up to 2,437 | About 35 |
| Soybeans and other legumes | 1 to 1,425 | About 21 (soybeans) |
| Vegetables (mushrooms, green peas, broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, green beans) | 6.9 to 398 | Up to about 5.8 |
| Nuts (hazelnuts, pistachios and others) | 41 to 383 | Up to about 5.6 |
| Cheese | Not detected to 262 (most below 69) | Up to about 3.8; most about 1 or less |
| Fish | Not detected to 167 | Up to about 2.4 |
| Fruit | 6.9 to 98 | Up to about 1.4 |
| Fresh meat | 1 to 92 | Up to about 1.3 |
| Milk | 0.41 to 5 | Under 0.1 |
| Eggs | 1 to 4 | Under 0.1 |
Two things stand out. First, plant foods dominate. Grains, legumes, vegetables and nuts supply most of the spermidine in a typical diet. Second, fruit is low. Apples, pears, cherries and oranges sit near the bottom of the list, so a fruit-heavy diet doesn't add much.
Aged cheese gets a lot of attention online, and some matured cheeses do contain more than fresh ones. An earlier Swedish analysis found 1.2 mg per kilogram in a matured cheese, while vegetables were among the richest foods in the same study (Atiya Ali et al., 2011). Cheese is a modest source, not a standout.
How can you get more spermidine from food?
There is no official intake recommendation for spermidine, so there's no target number to hit. If you want to eat more of it, the practical moves are simple, and they overlap with eating patterns covered in our guide to diet and longevity:
- Sprinkle wheat germ on yogurt, oatmeal or salads. It is the most concentrated common source.
- Eat soy foods and legumes such as edamame, tempeh, natto, peas, lentils and beans a few times a week.
- Add mushrooms to eggs, soups, stir-fries and pasta.
- Choose whole grains over refined grains. Much of the spermidine in wheat sits in the germ, which refining removes.
- Snack on nuts such as hazelnuts and pistachios.
- Keep broccoli, cauliflower and green peas in regular rotation.
A quick piece of math puts supplements in context. At about 35 mg per 100 g, roughly 2.5 g of wheat germ (well under a tablespoon) would supply about 0.9 mg of spermidine. That is the daily amount used in the longest human trial. Actual content varies by batch, so this is an estimate, not a label figure.
What did the animal studies show?
The research that started the interest came from a 2009 study in Nature Cell Biology. Adding spermidine extended lifespan in yeast, worms and flies and improved the survival of human immune cells grown in the lab. When the researchers blocked autophagy, the effect disappeared (Eisenberg et al., 2009).
In 2016, the same research network reported that spermidine in drinking water extended lifespan in mice, including when it was started late in life, and that old mice given spermidine kept better heart function (Eisenberg et al., 2016). Several authors disclosed equity in TLL The Longevity Labs, a company developing food extracts.
Animal lifespan results are a reason to study a compound. They are not evidence that it lengthens human life. Many compounds that extend mouse lifespan have not shown the same effect in people.
What do human studies show about spermidine?
Human evidence comes in two types: observational studies of diet, and small supplement trials.
Observational studies
The Bruneck Study in northern Italy followed 829 people aged 45 to 84 from 1995 to 2015 and estimated spermidine intake from food questionnaires. Death rates fell from 40.5 to 23.7 to 15.1 per 1,000 person-years across the lower, middle and upper thirds of intake. The authors estimated the gap between the top and bottom thirds was similar to being 5.7 years younger (Kiechl et al., 2018).
A larger analysis of 23,894 US adults in NHANES (2003 to 2014) found a similar pattern. People in the highest quarter of spermidine intake had about 30% lower risk of death from any cause over follow-up than those in the lowest quarter (Wu et al., 2022).
Both studies are observational. People who eat more wheat germ, legumes, vegetables and nuts tend to differ from those who don't in many ways, and statistics can only adjust for some of them. These studies show an association, not proof that spermidine itself caused the difference.
Supplement trials
| Study | Who | What they took | What they found |
|---|---|---|---|
| Schwarz et al., 2018 | Older adults, 3 months | 1.2 mg spermidine a day from wheat germ extract, or placebo | No safety differences from placebo; compliance above 85% |
| Wirth et al., 2018 | 30 adults aged 60 to 80 with subjective memory complaints, 3 months | Wheat germ extract or placebo | A moderate improvement on one memory test in this small pilot |
| Schwarz et al., 2022 (SmartAge) | 100 adults aged 60 to 90, 12 months | 0.9 mg spermidine a day from wheat germ extract, or placebo | No significant change in memory or in the blood markers measured; side effects similar to placebo |
The SmartAge trial is the most important of the three because it was the largest and longest. It did not confirm the memory signal from the pilot. The 2018 pilot safety paper listed author financial interests in TLL.
Is spermidine from food different from a supplement?
Chemically, spermidine is the same molecule whatever the source. The differences are in the amount and in what comes with it. Most supplements sold in the US are wheat germ extracts that supply around 1 mg a day, which is in the range a spermidine-rich diet can provide. Food also brings fiber, protein and other nutrients that may explain part of the pattern seen in the observational studies.
If you do look at a supplement, check whether the label states the spermidine amount per serving rather than just the extract weight. Our guide to reading a Supplement Facts label explains what to look for. OPA Nutrition does not sell a spermidine product.
Is spermidine safe?
Spermidine from ordinary food is part of every diet. In the supplement trials above, wheat germ extract at about 1 mg of spermidine a day caused no more side effects than placebo over 3 to 12 months. Longer-term data is limited.
Because polyamines are involved in cell growth, researchers still study whether very high intakes matter for people whose cells are growing abnormally. That question isn't settled. Wheat germ extracts also contain gluten unless the label says otherwise. Anyone who is pregnant, takes medication or is under medical care should check with a clinician before starting a spermidine supplement.
Where does spermidine fit with other healthy aging habits?
Spermidine is one part of a bigger pattern. The habits with the strongest evidence for healthy aging are still regular movement, good sleep, not smoking and a diet built on plants, legumes and whole grains. A spermidine-rich diet happens to look a lot like the eating patterns described in our guides to nutrition for healthy aging and healthspan versus lifespan. If you're comparing other compounds studied for similar reasons, see our guides to resveratrol foods, sirtuins and intermittent fasting.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which food has the highest spermidine?
Wheat germ, at up to about 35 mg per 100 g in published measurements. Soybeans are next at about 21 mg per 100 g.
How can I increase spermidine naturally?
Eat more wheat germ, soy foods, legumes, mushrooms, whole grains, nuts and cruciferous vegetables. Fruit, milk and eggs add very little.
How do you get 20 mg of spermidine a day from food?
There is no recommended intake, and 20 mg is far above the 0.9 to 1.2 mg a day used in human trials. Reaching it would take a large daily serving of wheat germ or soybeans. There's no evidence that people need that much.
Is aged cheese a good source of spermidine?
Some aged cheeses contain more than fresh cheese, but most cheeses measured contained less than about 1 mg per 100 g. Wheat germ, soybeans and many vegetables contain more.
What are the side effects of spermidine supplements?
In trials lasting 3 to 12 months, people taking about 1 mg a day from wheat germ extract reported side effects at rates similar to placebo. Long-term data is limited.
Who should not take spermidine?
People who are pregnant or breastfeeding, people under medical care and anyone sensitive to gluten (for wheat germ extracts) should talk to a clinician first. Food sources are part of a normal diet.
Does spermidine work like fasting?
In lab and animal studies, spermidine triggers autophagy, a recycling process that fasting also switches on. That is why it's called a caloric restriction mimetic. Human trials have not shown it produces the effects of fasting.
Sources
- Madeo F, Eisenberg T, Pietrocola F, Kroemer G. Spermidine in health and disease. Science. 2018;359(6374):eaan2788. PubMed 29371440
- Muñoz-Esparza NC, Latorre-Moratalla ML, Comas-Basté O, et al. Polyamines in food. Front Nutr. 2019;6:108. PubMed 31355206
- Atiya Ali M, Poortvliet E, Strömberg R, Yngve A. Polyamines in foods: development of a food database. Food Nutr Res. 2011;55. PubMed 21249159
- Eisenberg T, Knauer H, Schauer A, et al. Induction of autophagy by spermidine promotes longevity. Nat Cell Biol. 2009;11(11):1305-1314. PubMed 19801973
- Eisenberg T, Abdellatif M, Schroeder S, et al. Cardioprotection and lifespan extension by the natural polyamine spermidine. Nat Med. 2016;22(12):1428-1438. PubMed 27841876
- Kiechl S, Pechlaner R, Willeit P, et al. Higher spermidine intake is linked to lower mortality: a prospective population-based study. Am J Clin Nutr. 2018;108(2):371-380. PubMed 29955838
- Wu H, Wang J, Jiang H, Liu X. The association of dietary spermidine with all-cause mortality and CVD mortality: the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2003 to 2014. Front Public Health. 2022;10:949170. PubMed 36249217
- Schwarz C, Stekovic S, Wirth M, et al. Safety and tolerability of spermidine supplementation in mice and older adults with subjective cognitive decline. Aging. 2018;10(1):19-33. PubMed 29315079
- Wirth M, Benson G, Schwarz C, et al. The effect of spermidine on memory performance in older adults at risk for dementia: a randomized controlled trial. Cortex. 2018;109:181-188. PubMed 30388439
- Schwarz C, Benson GS, Horn N, et al. Effects of spermidine supplementation on cognition and biomarkers in older adults with subjective cognitive decline: a randomized clinical trial. JAMA Netw Open. 2022;5(5):e2213875. PubMed 35616942
Disclosure: OPA Nutrition sells supplements, including products mentioned in this article. This content is for education only and is not medical advice. Statements about dietary supplements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Talk to your healthcare provider before using any supplement, especially if you take medication or have a medical condition.
