Dr. Stephanie Venn-Watson

Dr. Drew called me unfixable.

Dr. Drew called me unfixable.

Great, Dr. Drew, wonderful to be here.

Great, Dr. Drew, wonderful to be here.

Yeah, absolutely, because how could you not start with the dolphin story, right? Exactly, exactly. As we've shared, I'm a veterinary epidemiologist and was working for the U.S. Navy, helping with the care of the aging Navy dolphins. That's why I was brought on. And I was really studying, Dr. Drew, about understanding why some Navy dolphins were aging healthier than others.

Yeah, absolutely, because how could you not start with the dolphin story, right? Exactly, exactly. As we've shared, I'm a veterinary epidemiologist and was working for the U.S. Navy, helping with the care of the aging Navy dolphins. That's why I was brought on. And I was really studying, Dr. Drew, about understanding why some Navy dolphins were aging healthier than others.

surprisingly as mammals or maybe not surprisingly as long-lived large brain mammals navy dolphins age a lot like us they can develop as you had shared earlier alzheimer's disease high cholesterol chronic inflammation all these things we see with aging and humans where we saw in dolphins which is really fascinating and importantly we were seeing that some of the dolphins at the navy

surprisingly as mammals or maybe not surprisingly as long-lived large brain mammals navy dolphins age a lot like us they can develop as you had shared earlier alzheimer's disease high cholesterol chronic inflammation all these things we see with aging and humans where we saw in dolphins which is really fascinating and importantly we were seeing that some of the dolphins at the navy

were aging healthier than others. Specifically, some dolphins were aging slower at a slower rate than other dolphins. So we were able to use this advanced technology called metabolomics. We looked at hundreds of small molecules to figure out which small molecule predicted the healthiest aging dolphins.

were aging healthier than others. Specifically, some dolphins were aging slower at a slower rate than other dolphins. So we were able to use this advanced technology called metabolomics. We looked at hundreds of small molecules to figure out which small molecule predicted the healthiest aging dolphins.

And long story short, there at the top was C15, a molecule I had never heard of, which ends up being a surprising saturated fat. And we didn't know it at the time. This was back in 2012, 2015. We didn't know it at the time, but the dolphins had just unlocked the secret to longevity.

And long story short, there at the top was C15, a molecule I had never heard of, which ends up being a surprising saturated fat. And we didn't know it at the time. This was back in 2012, 2015. We didn't know it at the time, but the dolphins had just unlocked the secret to longevity.

That's right. Exactly. So this discovery we talked about just, you know, was started by the surprising discovery with dolphins. We very quickly then moved this pure saturated free fatty acid into the lab. And we spent three years doing eight studies.

That's right. Exactly. So this discovery we talked about just, you know, was started by the surprising discovery with dolphins. We very quickly then moved this pure saturated free fatty acid into the lab. And we spent three years doing eight studies.

to understand not only is this saturated fat a beneficial, a good fat, but it met these rare criteria being the first essential fatty acid to be discovered in over 90 years. So this was an added shocking discovery. And as an essential fatty acid, just like you shared, if something is truly essential, it's a nutrient that our bodies have to have,

to understand not only is this saturated fat a beneficial, a good fat, but it met these rare criteria being the first essential fatty acid to be discovered in over 90 years. So this was an added shocking discovery. And as an essential fatty acid, just like you shared, if something is truly essential, it's a nutrient that our bodies have to have,

then we would expect to see a nutritional deficiency. Like, you know, when you think about things like vitamin C deficiency in scurvy and vitamin D deficiency in rickets, this is the first deficiency syndrome found in over 75 years. It's called cellular fragility syndrome, and it's caused by us having too low levels of It was timely that Allison was talking about having goats on our farm.

then we would expect to see a nutritional deficiency. Like, you know, when you think about things like vitamin C deficiency in scurvy and vitamin D deficiency in rickets, this is the first deficiency syndrome found in over 75 years. It's called cellular fragility syndrome, and it's caused by us having too low levels of It was timely that Allison was talking about having goats on our farm.

You know, a big reason our C15 levels have declined is our primary source of C15 is from dairy fat. And it is highest in animals that are grass fed, you know, and fed kind of like on your old kind of older school farms.

You know, a big reason our C15 levels have declined is our primary source of C15 is from dairy fat. And it is highest in animals that are grass fed, you know, and fed kind of like on your old kind of older school farms.