As we get older some cells in our bodies become damaged and stop working, which can contribute to age-related neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease. The reason this happens to our cells as we get older, is because autophagy naturally declines with age – allowing damaged and dead cells to stay present in the body.

What is autophagy?

‘auto’ means ‘self’ and ‘phagy’ means ‘eating’, so autophagy literally translates into ‘self-eating’ – whilst this is something you’d think you wouldn’t want to encourage in your body, it is actually beneficial to your overall health. This is because autophagy helps to remove damaged cells and reuse them to support cellular repair and cleaning. The process helps to self-regulate the cells, promoting adaptation to various stressors and toxins that accumulate in our cells.

The benefits of autophagy are mostly related to anti-ageing, helping to remove toxic proteins from the cells that are related to neurodegenerative diseases. The process also provides energy to cells that could still benefit from repair, as well as prompting regeneration and healthy cells.

It has also been suggested to play a role in treating and preventing cancer, as it helps to remove defective cells – where all cancers start from.

How do spermidine and mangiferin support autophagy?

As previously mentioned, autophagy naturally declines as we age and therefore our bodies may benefit from a helping hand. Spermidine is a natural polyamine that stimulates autophagy in the body, as well as exhibiting anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties – both of which also support anti-ageing. Mangiferin functions as an anti-oxidative compound that also supports autophagy with neuroprotective benefits.

Time Health’s ‘Renew’

Renew combines spermidine and mangiferin – naturally derived from buckwheat and mango – two powerful ingredients that help promote lifespan extension through autophagy.