Show notes
Welcome to the latest episode in our series of highly vetted companies I like to share with my Everyday Wellness community.
Today, I’m delighted to connect with Leslie Kenny, Founder and CEO of Oxford Healthspan. After being diagnosed with multiple autoimmune conditions and being told she was unlikely to have any biological children, Leslie put her autoimmune conditions into remission through nutrition and lifestyle changes and later went on to conceive naturally at 43. Her personal experience led her into a research collaboration with Oxford immunologist Professor Katya Simon, where she was introduced to spermidine, a naturally occurring polyamine studied for its role in autophagy—our cells’ internal recycling and cleanup process. She later founded Oxford Healthspan to bring a whole-food Japan-sourced spermidine supplement, Primadine, to market. She also co-founded the non-profit Oxford Longevity Project alongside Oxford scientists to educate the public more broadly on healthspan research.
In our conversation, we discuss self-advocacy, autoimmunity, infertility, and empowerment, exploring how modern life affects perimenopause and menopause, as well as spermidine research and its mechanisms of action. We discuss intermittent fasting, autophagy, mitophagy, gut health, food-based sources of spermidine, how our spermidine levels decrease with age, and why supplementation is truly beneficial. Leslie also shares feedback on how Primadine impacts memory, cognition, hair, skin, and nails; how clock genes and circadian biology work; and biological versus chronological age.
Stay tuned for a truly fascinating conversation with Leslie Kenny- one you’ll most likely want to revisit more than once.
IN THIS EPISODE, YOU WILL LEARN:
The changes Leslie implemented after being diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and lupus
How patients need to ask questions and collaborate with their clinicians rather than simply following instructions
Leslie describes how she worked with doctors to monitor her symptoms and address problems early during the perimenopause-to-menopause transition.
How Leslie came to learn about spermidine and its connection to autophagy and mitophagy
How spermidine can support healthy aging
How ultra-processed foods can affect the gut, and foods that contain natural sources of spermidine
The types of improvements customers taking Primadine have reported
Leslie explains the distinction between biological and chronological age
Why intermittent fasting, although beneficial, may not work the same way for all women
Bio:
Leslie Kenny is an Oxford-based longevity entrepreneur, TEDx Oxford speaker, and healthspan advocate. She is the founder of Oxford Healthspan, creator of Primeadine®, co-founder of the Oxford Longevity Project, and Global Executive Ambassador for the Japan Autophagy Consortium, whose senior adviser is Yoshinori Ohsumi, recipient of the 2016 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his pioneering research on autophagy.
She is a frequent international speaker and moderator on longevity, biological aging, and the future of preventive medicine, with a particular focus on translating emerging research into practical, evidence-based strategies for extending healthspan. Leslie has been an early advocate for the role of autophagy, cellular renewal, and nutrition in healthy aging, helping to pioneer broader awareness of spermidine and its relevance to longevity pathways.
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