Welcome to Science Says!
The importance of repairing mitochondria and the dangers of high fat diets

May 15, 2022

We spend a lot of time reading scientific studies—after all, we’re science nerds. These heavy documents have so much amazing information in them, but they can be hard to find and understand if you’re not an Academy Journal type.

So, we’re testing a hypothesis. What if we launch a newsletter about them? We’re calling this experiment “Science Says.” It’s a weekly newsletter where you’ll learn the latest healthy aging and C15:0 research news that our team of doctors, scientists, and experts are most excited about—without having to go search for it.

No snake oil. Just real science.

Eric and Steph
Co-Founders, Doctors, Nerds

What Dr. Stephanie Venn-Watson, our co-founder and author of The Longevity Nutrient and over 80 peer-reviewed scientific publications, is reading.

Healthy Aging

How Repairing Mitochondria can Keep our Muscles Strong and Body Weight Down

As we get older, we tend to lose muscle mass and gain body weight—whomp. It has become increasingly understood that these changes are driven by poorly functioning mitochondria (our cell batteries) as we age.

A recent study has shown that repairing mitochondrial function can mitigate age-related decline in muscle mass and function AND decrease body weight gain.

C15:0 Science

Eating a High Fat Diet Decreases Natural C15:0 Levels

As you know, C15:0 is a healthy odd-chain saturated fat present in butter and whole fat cow’s milk. These foods are also much higher in even-chain saturated fats (like C16:0 and C18:0)—aka the “bad” fats.

Interestingly, a recent study found that eating high-fat diets actually leads to decreasing C15:0 levels. This means that not only are we most likely not getting enough C15:0 from our diets, but getting them from diets high in fats may actually lower our C15:0 levels.