What Is Humanin?
Humanin is a 24-amino-acid mitochondrial-derived peptide — the first of its class to be discovered — with reported cytoprotective, anti-apoptotic, and neuroprotective activity. It was originally identified in the context of Alzheimer’s disease research and is now studied more broadly in aging, metabolism, and cell-survival signalling. It is a research peptide, not an approved dietary supplement, and the human evidence is largely observational or mechanistic rather than from treatment trials.
Evidence
A 2020 review reports that humanin acts as a regulator of lifespan and healthspan: overexpression extended lifespan in C. elegans (dependent on daf-16/FOXO), a humanin analogue improved metabolic markers in middle-aged mice, humanin levels tend to decline with age, and children of centenarians carry higher circulating humanin than age-matched controls 1Reference 1AnimalThe mitochondrial derived peptide humanin is a regulator of lifespan and healthspan — review / in vivoView study →. These are model-organism and observational human findings. The stronger consumer-facing claims — that supplemental humanin protects the brain, slows aging, or treats disease in people — are not supported by a verified human efficacy trial in this quick pass. Its cytoprotective role is best described as biologically plausible and well-studied preclinically, not clinically proven.
Dosage & Safety
Humanin is a research peptide — not an approved dietary supplement or medicine, with no established human dose. Any circulating protocols are informational only and not personal recommendations. Human safety, drug interactions, and use in pregnancy are not established and were not assessed in this pass.
References
- Yen K, Mehta HH, Kim S-J, et al. (2020). The mitochondrial derived peptide humanin is a regulator of lifespan and healthspan — review / in vivo. Aging (Albany NY). https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32575074/