# GDF11 (Growth Differentiation Factor 11)

GDF11 (growth differentiation factor 11) is a signaling protein in the TGF-β family. In the embryo, it has a well-established job: helping pattern the body axis and organs, by signaling through activin type II receptors and SMAD2/3. Its role in adult aging is where the drama is. Parabiosis studies in 2013-2014 reported that blood GDF11 falls with age, and that adding it back reversed signs of heart, muscle, and brain aging in mice. But later work raised serious doubts. Some studies found GDF11 actually rises with age (a problem of unreliable assays). Others could not reproduce the rejuvenating effects. The current consensus: GDF11's role as a body-wide 'youth factor' that could rejuvenate you is unresolved and contested, pending studies with validated, isoform-specific assays.

## Sources

- Loffredo et al.. (2013). Growth differentiation factor 11 is a circulating factor that reverses age-related cardiac hypertrophy. Cell. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2013.04.015
- Rodgers BD, Eldridge JA. (2015). Reduced Circulating GDF11 Is Unlikely Responsible for Age-Dependent Changes in Mouse Heart, Muscle, and Brain. Endocrinology. https://doi.org/10.1210/en.2015-1628

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_Canonical: https://longevity-switzerland.com/en/glossary/gdf11 · Part of Longevity Cities · Updated 2026-06-22_