While we can’t speak directly about the formulation of other spermidine products, here are some of the main differentiators of Primeadine®/Oxford Healthspan.
- We source our raw materials from Japan, which is known for their Nobel Prize winning scientific leadership on autophagy. They have the most advanced extraction process and are known worldwide for their rigorous quality control and testing, and they meet the standards of the Japan Health Food and Nutrition Food Association. In Japan, our raw materials are manufactured in an FDA-registered and -inspected facility with ISO22000 standards, the highest in food quality control. Our raw materials are tested for heavy metals, mold, fungi and bacteria at the Japan Food Research Lab (JFRL), a third party independent testing lab. Every single batch must be tested here as food-derived spermidine will have varying quantities of spermidine per batch and we must ensure that every batch contains the minimum effective dose of 1mg stated on our labels. In addition, our spermidine is encapsulated in an FDA cGMP facility in the USA and undergoes purity testing there as well at Eurofins or Delta.
- Our capsules do not have any synthetic ingredients, whereas other supplements contain magnesium stearate (of which circa 80% will contain hydrogenated fats; the supplement industry is not legally required to get rid of hydrogenated oils the way the processed food industry has been mandated by law to), shellac, talc and glycerin. Our products are all suitable for vegans.
- Our formulation contains a special type of FructoOligoSaccharide (FOS) that acts as a prebiotic fiber and resistant starch that will selectively feed the spermidine-producing bacteria in the gut biome. The idea is to increase both supplemental or 'exogenous' spermidine as well as your own body's natural ability to produce 'endogenous' spermidine, just like it can produce neurotransmitters and some vitamins.
- We do not use liposomes with our product because this is unnecessary for absorption and would prevent the benefits that happen when spermidine is exposed directly to the gut lining. There is no evidence that spermidine cannot be taken up by the cells on its own. Similarly to amino acids, polyamines do not need a liposome to cross into the cell or to be taken up with epithelial cells. The process of creating a liposomal version also creates unnecessary expense.
- We do not synthetically enrich our product with synthetic spermidine.
- We do not use doses beyond what the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has mandated as safe for human consumption, which is 6mg daily. Please note that this is related to food-derived spermidine. Synthetic spermidine and synthetically enriched spermidine has never been tested in humans for safety or efficacy and is being sold without regulatory oversight.
- We work closely with our scientific advisers at the University of Oxford, all of whom take our product and share it with their families. We are also the only non-Japanese member of the Japan Autophagy Consortium, whose Senior Adviser is the 2016 Nobel Prize Winner in Medicine or Physiology, Prof Yoshimori Ohsumi, and who Director is Prof Tamotsu Yoshimori, Osaka University, who conducted all of the mammalian research in autophagy that helped underpin Prof Ohsumi's work in yeast cells.