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Published on: September 21, 2021
Long-term oral polyamine intake increases blood polyamine concentrations.
Kuniyasu Soda1, Yoshihiko Kano, Masako Sakuragi
1Cardiovascular Research Institute, and 2 Department of Surgery, Saitama Medical Center, Jichi Medical University, 1-847 Amanuma, Saitama, Japan. soda@jichi.ac.jp
Journal of Nutritional Science and Vitaminology
|September 19, 2009
Summary
Dietary polyamines increase blood spermine levels in both mice and humans. This study found that consuming polyamine-rich foods, like natto, boosts blood polyamine concentrations and enhances individual variability.
Area of Science:
- Nutrition and Aging
- Biochemistry
- Dietary Supplements
Background:
- Intracellular polyamine synthesis declines with age, but blood polyamine levels show wide individual variability.
- The influence of dietary polyamines on blood polyamine levels and age-related trends is not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effect of polyamine-rich diets on blood polyamine concentrations in mice and humans.
- To determine if dietary polyamines can attenuate age-related decreases and augment variability in blood polyamine levels.
Main Methods:
- Mice were fed diets with varying polyamine concentrations for 26 weeks.
- Human volunteers consumed natto (a fermented soybean product rich in polyamines) or excluded polyamine-rich foods for 2 months.
- Blood polyamine concentrations, specifically spermine, were measured in both groups.
Main Results:
- Mice on high-polyamine diets showed significantly higher blood spermine concentrations (10.1 micromol/L) compared to control groups (5.2 and 4.7 micromol/L).
- Human volunteers consuming natto experienced a 1.39-fold increase in blood spermine concentration, while controls showed no change.
- Individual variability in blood polyamine levels increased in both mice and humans following polyamine-rich diets.
Conclusions:
- Long-term oral intake of diets enhanced with polyamines increases blood polyamine levels in both mice and humans.
- Dietary polyamines may play a role in modulating blood polyamine concentrations and their variability.
- Further research could explore the health implications of dietary polyamine supplementation.
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