Peptide Graded

Humanin

Does Humanin work?

Not properly: animal and lab studies, plus blood tests in 693 people, but no trial giving it to people.

CAnimal and cell studiesNot approvedas of 2026-10-27

For the longevity and metabolic use humanin is sold for, no human has been given humanin in a published trial. The human data are observational: a 693-person study of plasma mitokines across ages, a disease-comparison study in diabetes and Alzheimer's, and a genetic association with cognitive aging. Effects on insulin sensitivity, synapse loss and lifespan come from rats, mice, cultured neurons and worms. 678123

Conte and colleagues measured humanin, FGF21 and GDF15 in 693 people aged 21 to 113. All three rose with age and were highest in centenarians. But higher levels went with worse handgrip strength, insulin sensitivity and triglycerides in 70-year-olds. In the oldest people, they went with shorter survival. The authors read this as a stress response, not a sign of health. A follow-up found humanin lower in Alzheimer's disease. It was not lower in type 2 diabetes. 67

Yen and colleagues found a variant in the mitochondrial humanin-coding region. It went with lower humanin in the blood. In a large national group of older adults, the variant tracked with faster cognitive aging. In the same paper, aged mice given humanin improved their cognition. 8

Evidence checklist

  • Randomised controlled trial No human trial; animal and cell work
  • Human study over 100 people Observational study of 693 people
  • More than one research group Several independent groups' human and animal data
  • Clinical outcomes, not surrogate markers Blood levels and cell effects, no outcomes
  • Human safety data beyond case reports Never given to humans in a published study

Read the full Humanin page

More on Humanin

Citations

  1. Muzumdar 2009, PLoS One: humanin as a central regulator of peripheral insulin action doi.org
  2. Zarate 2019, Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience: humanin released by astrocytes prevents synapse loss in hippocampal neurons doi.org
  3. Yen 2020, Aging: the mitochondrial derived peptide humanin is a regulator of lifespan and healthspan doi.org
  4. DEA: controlled substances alphabetical list (Orange Book) deadiversion.usdoj.gov
  5. Journal of Clinical Investigation 2022: mitochondria-derived peptides in aging and healthspan, review pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  6. Conte 2019, Journals of Gerontology A: human aging and longevity are characterised by high levels of mitokines pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  7. GeroScience 2021: disease-specific plasma levels of FGF21, GDF15 and humanin in diabetes and Alzheimer's disease pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  8. Yen 2018, Scientific Reports: humanin prevents age-related cognitive decline in mice and is associated with cognitive age in humans pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  9. International Journal of Biological Macromolecules 2011: biological activity of humanin analogs correlates with structure stability pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  10. FDA: certain bulk drug substances for use in compounding may present significant safety risks fda.gov
  11. FDA: bulk drug substances nominated for use in compounding under section 503A, category list fda.gov
  12. FDA Drugs@FDA: bremelanotide (Vyleesi) application 210557 accessdata.fda.gov
  13. FDA Drugs@FDA: tesamorelin (Egrifta) application 022505 accessdata.fda.gov

Reference information only, not medical advice. Drawn from the Humanin article, fact-checked against the cited sources. No dosing anywhere on this site.