In most parts of the world, life expectancy has increased significantly over the last few decades. At the same time, a wide range of age-related diseases have increased. Fasting appears to be a promising preventive measure. A few years ago, scientists from Graz were able to prove its health-promoting effects. Now an international research group led by Sebastian Hofer and Frank Madeo from the University of Graz has discovered the molecular mechanisms underlying the positive effects: During fasting, the concentration of the substance spermidine in the body increases, which sets in motion a cellular cleansing process. The current study was published in the renowned scientific journal Nature Cell Biology.
Spermidine is a powerful substance. Over the last ten years, researchers in Graz have been able to prove that the natural substance protects the heart and can prevent age-related memory loss, among other things. The current study now shows that the spermidine concentration increases significantly in fasting humans, mice, flies and yeast cells. This stimulates autophagy, a cellular cleaning program. Cell waste that is produced during the aging process is broken down. “With spermidine, we have found an important building block for the health-promoting effects of fasting,” says Frank Madeo, underlining the importance of the latest publication.
In all organisms studied, the study authors observed an increase in fitness as well as an extension of health and lifespan through fasting processes, as long as they were accompanied by an increase in spermidine concentration. “After we prevented the increase in spermidine through chemical and genetic interventions in various model organisms, they were no longer able to trigger autophagy and the vitality-enhancing effect of fasting was absent,” reports Madeo.
Chronic inflammation is a significant accelerator of the aging process. “In model organisms that suffered from arthritis, the inflammation improved through regular fasting. However, only if they were also able to produce spermidine,” explains Sebastian Hofer, now a researcher at the Max Delbrück Center in Berlin, using an example. The same applies to the heart-protective effects of fasting processes. “By giving additional doses of spermidine, various fasting regimes could possibly be made even more effective,” Hofer suspects additional potential.
The research is part of the BioHealth profile area of the University of Graz:
For further information: Univ.-Prof. Dr. Frank Madeo and Dr. Sebastian Hofer Institute of Molecular Biosciences, University of Graz E-mail: frank.madeo@uni-graz.at, Tel. +43 316 380 8878 (Madeo) E-mail: sebastian.hofer@uni-graz.at, Tel. +43 664 136 90 59 (Hofer)
