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PeptideMostly animalNot FDA approved

Humanin

Humanin

Last reviewed October 27, 2026 · 14 sources · Written for general readers · Compare with another compound →

The bottom line

Humanin is a natural peptide made from a gene in your mitochondria, and its levels tend to fall with age. In worms, mice and rats it protected cells, the heart and memory and improved markers of healthy aging. Human studies only link higher natural levels to better health, and no one has published a study giving it to people.

Where the evidence stands

What it is

Humanin is a tiny peptide, 24 amino acids long, encoded by a gene inside mitochondria, the power plants of cells.[1] It belongs to a group called mitochondrial derived peptides.[2]

It was discovered in 2001 during a search for factors that protect nerve cells from damage caused by Alzheimer's disease genes.[3] The body makes it naturally, and blood levels generally fall with age.[2]

Many animal studies used stronger lab made versions such as HNG or HNGF6A rather than natural humanin.[4][5]

Name
Humanin (Humanin)
Other names
HN; lab analogs HNG and HNGF6A
Type
Peptide
Sequence
MAPRGFSCLLLLTSEIDLPVKRRA
Molecular weight
About 2,687 Da

How it works

Lab studies show humanin helps cells survive stress.

  • It binds proteins that trigger cell death, such as BAX, and switches on a protective signaling pathway known as JAK and STAT3.[1]
  • In cell studies, it protected nerve cells from damage caused by Alzheimer's disease genes and amyloid beta, the protein that forms plaques.[1][3]
  • In rats, humanin delivered into the brain made the body respond better to insulin, acting through the hypothalamus, a brain area that controls metabolism.[5]
  • In mouse hearts, the analog HNG switched on the energy sensor AMPK and shifted the balance of proteins that control cell death.[6]

These effects are well described in cells and animals, but no one has shown that taking humanin does the same in people.

What the research shows

We keep animal and human evidence apart. A result in animals is a reason to study something in people, not proof that it works in people.

Animal and lab studies

Healthier aging signs in worms, mice and rats

  • Worms engineered to make extra humanin lived longer, and middle aged mice given HNG had better metabolic health and fewer inflammation markers.[2]
  • Old female mice given HNG for months did better on some memory tests and had fewer activated immune cells in the brain. An early balance benefit faded after four months.[4]
  • In rats, an intravenous humanin analog improved insulin sensitivity, and one dose lowered blood sugar in diabetic rats.[5]
  • In mice with a blocked heart artery, HNG given before or at the time blood flow returned reduced heart damage and improved heart pumping a week later.[6]
  • In mice on a high fat diet, HNG reduced weight gain, belly fat and fat buildup in the liver, partly by signals through the brain and the vagus nerve.[9]

Limit: Most animal studies used lab analogs and small groups, and longer life was shown only in worms.[2]

Human studies

Natural level links only, no treatment trials

  • We found no published study that gave humanin or its analogs to people.
  • In about 150 adults, a common gene variant was linked to about 14% lower humanin in the blood. In a large U.S. study of adults over 50, people with that variant had a cognitive age, a measure of thinking ability, about two years older, mainly among African Americans.[4]
  • Children of people who lived to 100 had much higher blood humanin than others their age. People with Alzheimer's disease and with MELAS, an inherited mitochondrial disease, have lower levels.[2]
  • In 40 patients tested for heart artery function, those with poor function had lower blood humanin than those with normal function.[8]
  • In 55 men with high blood sugar, 12 weeks of strength training raised humanin in muscle by 35%, while blood levels did not change in any group.[7]
  • In 30 adults, one session of endurance cycling raised blood humanin, but a session of weight training did not.[10]
  • In 95 people with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease, 16 weeks of exercise raised humanin in tiny nerve derived particles in the blood, while the control group did not change.[11]
  • In 164 men at a fertility clinic, humanin in semen was higher in men with better sperm count and movement.[12]

Limit: These studies only show links between natural humanin levels and health. They do not show that taking humanin helps.[4]

Claims check

The most common claims about this compound, and what studies actually found. Verdicts rate the evidence, not whether you should use it.

Slows aging and extends life

Only in animals

Worms engineered to make extra humanin lived longer.[2] Middle aged mice given the analog HNG had better metabolic health and fewer inflammation markers, but longer life was shown only in worms.[2] In people, children of those who lived to 100 had higher blood humanin, which is a link, not proof.[2]

Protects memory and the brain

Only in animals

Old female mice given HNG for months did better on some memory tests and had fewer activated immune cells in the brain.[4] In a large U.S. study of adults over 50, people with a gene variant tied to lower humanin had a thinking ability about two years older, a link only.[4] No trial has given humanin to people.

Improves insulin sensitivity and blood sugar

Only in animals

In rats, humanin and an analog improved insulin response, and one dose of an analog lowered blood sugar in diabetic rats.[5] In 55 men with high blood sugar, those whose blood humanin was higher after 12 weeks of strength training improved more on a sugar tolerance test, a link only.[7]

Protects the heart

Only in animals

In mice with a blocked heart artery, HNG shrank the area of heart damage and better preserved heart pumping a week later.[6] In 40 people having heart artery tests, those with poorer artery lining function had lower blood humanin, a link only.[8]

Burns fat and prevents weight gain

Only in animals

In mice on a high fat diet, HNG reduced weight gain, belly fat and liver fat.[9] No human study has tested it for weight.

Known risks and side effects

  • No human safety data. We found no study that gave humanin to people, so its side effects in humans are unknown.
  • Lab versions differ. Much of the research used modified versions such as HNG and HNGF6A, so results may not apply to natural humanin or to products sold online.[4][5]
  • Unregulated products. Humanin is not on FDA's list of substances nominated for compounding, so any product sold online has had no FDA check of identity, purity or strength.[13]
  • Sport rules. WADA does not name humanin, but its S0 rule bans any drug with no government approval for human use.[14]

Regulatory status

Today: Humanin is not FDA approved for any use and does not appear on FDA's May 2026 list of substances nominated for compounding.[13] WADA does not name it, but its S0 rule bans unapproved drugs in sport.[14]

Sources

  1. UniProt Consortium. UniProtKB entry Q8IVG9: Humanin (gene MT-RNR2), Homo sapiens. UniProt Q8IVG9
  2. Yen K, Mehta HH, Kim SJ, Lue Y, et al. The mitochondrial derived peptide humanin is a regulator of lifespan and healthspan. Aging (Albany NY). 2020;12(12):11185-11199. PMID 32575074
  3. Hashimoto Y, Niikura T, Tajima H, Yasukawa T, et al. A rescue factor abolishing neuronal cell death by a wide spectrum of familial Alzheimer's disease genes and Abeta. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2001;98(11):6336-6341. PMID 11371646
  4. Yen K, Wan J, Mehta HH, Miller B, et al. Humanin Prevents Age-Related Cognitive Decline in Mice and is Associated with Improved Cognitive Age in Humans. Sci Rep. 2018;8(1):14212. PMID 30242290
  5. Muzumdar RH, Huffman DM, Atzmon G, et al. Humanin: a novel central regulator of peripheral insulin action. PLoS One. 2009;4(7):e6334. DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0006334
  6. Muzumdar RH, Huffman DM, Calvert JW, Jha S, Weinberg Y, et al. Acute humanin therapy attenuates myocardial ischemia and reperfusion injury in mice. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 2010;30(10):1940-1948. PMID 20651283
  7. Gidlund EK, von Walden F, Venojärvi M, Risérus U, Heinonen OJ, et al. Humanin skeletal muscle protein levels increase after resistance training in men with impaired glucose metabolism. Physiol Rep. 2016;4(23):e13063. PMID 27923980
  8. Widmer RJ, Flammer AJ, Herrmann J, Rodriguez-Porcel M, Wan J, et al. Circulating humanin levels are associated with preserved coronary endothelial function. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol. 2013;304(3):H393-H397. PMID 23220334
  9. Gong Z, Su K, Cui L, Tas E, Zhang T, et al. Central effects of humanin on hepatic triglyceride secretion. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 2015;309(3):E283-E292. PMID 26058861
  10. von Walden F, Fernandez-Gonzalo R, Norrbom J, Emanuelsson EB, Figueiredo VC, et al. Acute endurance exercise stimulates circulating levels of mitochondrial-derived peptides in humans. J Appl Physiol (1985). 2021;131(3):1035-1042. PMID 34351816
  11. Delgado-Peraza F, Nogueras-Ortiz C, Simonsen AH, Knight DD, Yao PJ, et al. Neuron-derived extracellular vesicles in blood reveal effects of exercise in Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimers Res Ther. 2023;15(1):156. PMID 37730689
  12. Rao M, Wu Z, Wen Y, Wang R, Zhao S, et al. Humanin levels in human seminal plasma and spermatozoa are related to sperm quality. Andrology. 2019;7(6):859-866. PMID 30920769
  13. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Bulk Drug Substances Nominated for Use in Compounding Under Section 503A of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. Updated May 14, 2026. FDA 503A nominations list
  14. World Anti-Doping Agency. World Anti-Doping Code International Standard: Prohibited List 2026. Effective January 1, 2026. WADA 2026 Prohibited List
Medical disclaimer

This page is educational information only. It is not medical advice and does not replace care from a licensed medical provider. Do not use this page to decide whether to take any substance. Talk to a licensed medical provider first.

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