Fatty15 (C15:0 / Pentadecanoic Acid)

Challenging the idea that all saturated fats are harmful

The Venn-Watsons discuss how the C15:0 discovery challenges conventional dietary wisdom that all saturated fats are harmful.

"When I need omega-3s, I think, okay, I need to cook fish for dinner. This is what I need to do. And you found out that wasn't the case. That's correct. Yeah, we absolutely hypothesized, in fact, just assumed that it was going to be the dolphins that got the highest amount of omega-3s and their all-fish diet would predict the healthiest aging dolphins. And in fact, yeah, it wasn't. And so, not only was it surprising that it wasn't omega-3s that predicted the healthiest aging dolphins, it was this little unassuming C15 fatty acid that very few people know about. And then add on top of that, it's a saturated fat. So, here we were looking at dolphins telling us that this trace odd chain saturated fat predicted healthy aging. Which is fascinating. And, you know, we have a lot of younger listeners on this podcast. So, can you take us back to the 1970s when some of them may not have been born yet and help us understand why C15 and fatty acids were removed from our diets originally? Sure. So, yeah, so there I was five years old, right? 1977."

Discovery of C15:0 in dolphins surprised researchers

Venn-Watson describes how C15:0, not omega-3s, predicted the healthiest aging dolphins, a surprising discovery given their fish-based diet.

"and to look for which molecules might predict the healthiest aging dolphins. And lo and behold, you know, we thought it would be omega-3s because of their fish diet. And lo and behold, there was surprising discovery of C15, the saturated fat that predicted the healthiest aging dolphins. Yeah, and that's spectacular. I mean, I haven't really looked into the literature around like understanding longevity biomarkers in different animal species, but I guess..."

C15:0 found in butter and whole dairy fat

The discussion reveals that the primary human dietary source of C15:0 is butter and whole dairy fat, making the saturated fat finding even more surprising.

"two things. So the first thing, you know, Lucas was like, okay, we'll see if our primary source of C15 as humans is butter and whole, you know, dairy fat. So, and it's a saturated fat. So that made it a very surprising finding, which also meant we needed to do a lot more science to play this out, right? And say, well, it's association, it's a causation. So from there, we were really able to"

From association to causation - validating C15:0

Venn-Watson explains the scientific journey from observing C15:0 associations to conducting studies to determine whether it causes health benefits.

"focusing on a very unique type of fatty acid called pentadecanoic acid. Now, I know that's a bit of a mouthful, but we have the lovely Stephanie Van Watson on the podcast here. Stephanie, welcome to the podcast. Hi, Lucas. It's great to be here. Awesome. So maybe, Stephanie, do you want to let my audience know a little bit about, I guess, your line of work and I guess your background into like health optimization? Yeah."

Dolphins and anti-aging connections

Venn-Watson connects dolphin longevity research to human anti-aging applications through the C15:0 discovery.

"predicting a healthier aging dolphins. Instead, it was C15, this odd chain saturated fat. So it turned our attention to that and moved C15 to the lab, eight studies and three years later, it was like, wow, something that the world needs to pay attention to. So can humans get C15 from fish as well?"

Functional medicine approach to C15:0 supplementation

The episode explores how functional medicine practitioners are incorporating C15:0 into health optimization protocols alongside other biomarkers.

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Is Fatty15 worth the investment?

Nutrition Diva evaluates whether the $49/month Fatty15 supplement is worth it, especially for people who already consume full-fat dairy.

"Learn more at mayoclinic.org slash possible. Mayo Clinic. You know where to go. Oikos presents 15 Seconds of Strength. Here we go. Steve's got a trunk full of groceries and no one to help him. Oh, that's tough, Jim. Looks like a five-trip load at least. He grabs the first bag, the second. Bob, it looks like he's trying to do it on one trip. He shimmies the door open, steps over the dog. Oh, and he stumbles. Oh, right into the kitchen without missing a beat. Jim, now that's a man who eats his protein-packed Oikos. With 15 grams of complete protein in each cup, Oikos Triple Zero can help build strength for every day. Oikos, stronger makes everything better. Hello, this is Monica Reinagle, and you are listening to the Nutrition Diva podcast, a show that takes a closer look at food and nutrition research headlines and trends to sort fact from fiction and help you make more informed decisions about what you eat and buy. I do not watch cable news, first because I value my sanity, and also because I think there are probably better ways to stay informed. But the televisions that hang above the cardio equipment at my gym are permanently tuned to cable news, and also, weirdly, cooking shows. I mean, who wants to watch people eat while they're exercising? Because I am always sort of looking at the cable news shows, I couldn't help but notice a frequently recurring ad spot for a new supplement called Fatty 15. I was curious, so I decided to check it out. According to the manufacturer, Fatty15 supplies a saturated fatty acid called pentadecanoic acid, which is essential for cellular health, strengthening cell membranes, and preventing premature cell death. It is also said to reduce inflammation, improve metabolic health, and liver function, most impressively of all, to combat cellular fragility syndrome. In fact, fatty 15 is being positioned as not just beneficial, but actually necessary for optimal health and longevity, suggesting that a deficiency of this fatty acid, which, you guessed it, is much more likely without supplementation, is going to result in poor health and decreased health and longevity. Those are some pretty big claims for a supposedly essential fatty acid that few nutritionists have even heard of. So let's take a closer look. Pentadecanoic acid is the common name for a saturated fatty acid containing 15 carbon atoms, and that makes it a bit unusual because most saturated fats have an even number of carbon atoms. And in fact, some argue that these odd-chain fatty acids, like pentadecanoic acid, play a unique role in human health. The primary dietary source for these odd-chain fatty acids is butterfat. Butter, cream, whole milk dairy products. And the presence of these fatty acids might be part of the reason that saturated fats from dairy products don't seem to have the same negative effects that saturated fats from other foods do. If you consume full-fat dairy products, you might get 50 to 150 milligrams per day of pentadecanoic acid from your diet. If you don't consume dairy or you gravitate to low-fat or fat-free options, well then your dietary intake of this nutrient will be far less. Now interestingly, if you are following a very high-fat diet, such as a ketogenic diet, that might dramatically reduce the amount of pentadecanoic acid that you can absorb from those foods, blunting the potential benefits. Now, you will see references to pentadecanoic acid as an essential fatty acid, but it is not officially recognized as an essential nutrient. Neither is there a recommended daily intake for this nutrient. However, there has been some research associated higher dietary intake or higher blood levels of this fatty acid with increased longevity, and lower risks of developing conditions such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, or heart failure. These are mostly correlations. And in the show notes, I'll include links to a handful of articles in peer-reviewed journals reviewing the existing research and making the case for pentadecanoic acid as an essential fatty acid. Although these papers have cleared the peer review process, it at least bears mentioning that the primary author for most of these papers works for the company that holds the patent for this particular fatty acid, as well as for the company that sells it as a supplement. I'm not saying there's not a good case to be made here. Rather, we may only be hearing one side of it. And, as you might expect, once we leave the scientific literature and turn to the marketing materials, things get a lot more exciting. At Mayo Clinic, we are conquering the unconquerable. Our experts are leading the way with innovative regenerative medicines and biotherapeutics that can repair diseased, injured, or defective tissues and organs to help treat people with chronic medical conditions. We're making more possible at Mayo Clinic because every day we're doing what's never been done. Learn more at mayoclinic.org slash possible. Mayo Clinic, you know where to go. to deliver thoughtful gifts that help create lasting bonds. Because it's more than just a gift. It's your way of showing you care. Visit 1-800-Flowers.com slash SXM and connect today. That's 1-800-Flowers.com slash SXM. One of the primary arguments and claims for the Fatty 15 supplement is that it provides protection against cellular fragility syndrome. And one of the problems with this claim is that this appears to be a completely invented condition. According to the company that sells Fatty 15, cellular fragility syndrome affects approximately one in three people, despite the fact that this syndrome is not recognized by any medical authority, detectable by any lab test, or included in any standard diagnostic classifications. And the best way to prevent or reverse this condition is, well, you can probably guess. You might also be impressed by what appears to be the volume of scientific research supporting this new discovery. The marketing materials cite over a hundred peer-reviewed studies to support the benefits of this very special fatty acid, the benefits of which were first identified, by the way, by scientists who were studying dolphins. Who doesn't love dolphins? But among those hundred or more peer-reviewed studies, there appear to be only two randomized controlled trials of pentadecanoic acid in humans. And one of those simply demonstrates that if you take it as a supplement, it will increase the levels of the fatty acid in your blood. In fact, the vast majority of all of these studies to support this supplement are assays of cell cultures in petri dishes or animal studies or correlations observed in population studies. It's not that there's nothing here, but as often happens in the world of nutritional supplements, the marketing has gotten way ahead of what is promising but still extremely preliminary research. As one critic expressed it, the marketing behind Fatty 15 is essentially the equivalent of selling tickets to a concert before the band has even confirmed that they're playing. But what about all these rapturous testimonials from users who are convinced that this supplement has transformed their health or is responsible for positive changes in their lab work? Well, these kinds of anecdotal reports have the same weaknesses that I mentioned just recently in my episode on raw milk. There's reporting bias, where positive results are much more likely to be documented than no results. There are uncontrolled variables, where the user makes a whole bunch of changes at once, but then ascribes the results that they see to just one of them. And of course, the placebo effect, which is especially hard to avoid when you're trying to assess effects like energy, mental clarity, or reduced cravings. Okay, so the evidence that the supplement will make you healthier, or make your cells less fragile, or extend your longevity might still be pretty limited. But is there any downside? Well, the good news is that there doesn't appear to be any real safety concerns. And in fact, because this fatty acid does not have any effect on blood clotting, it may be even a bit safer than old school fish oil supplements. Really, the main hazard that I can see, other than making this type of hype profitable, thereby encouraging more of the same, is the possible harm to your wallet. This supplement will cost you $40, $50 a month."

From Navy dolphins to human longevity supplement

Both Venn-Watson founders describe how monitoring Navy dolphin health for decades led to identifying C15:0 as a key longevity biomarker.

"membrane health, actually, the health of your cells, the health of your membranes of cells. It's about how you can live longer. It's an incredible story about dolphins. So if I haven't got you interested now from between medical emergencies and dolphin stories, I don't know what will get you interested. This is an episode that certainly didn't finish the way we planned, but very, very valuable information. And this is"

C15:0 as a longevity intervention

The conversation places C15:0 in the context of longevity interventions, exploring how this fatty acid supports healthy aging pathways.

"to look at thousands of small molecules in their fish and their blood. And that's when we found about 100 molecules that predicted the healthiest aging dolphins. And among the top of those, Jeff and Steve, was C15. And so we discovered C15 as, gosh, here's a fatty acid, odd chain saturated fat in the dolphins that if higher in their fish and their bodies, they were less likely to develop these aging associated conditions."

Dolphin research reveals surprising longevity nutrient

The Venn-Watsons explain how Navy dolphin health monitoring led to discovering C15:0 as a better predictor of healthy aging than omega-3s.

"And among the top of the list was C15, pentadecanoic acid. Wow. I'm like, which is an essential fatty acid. So tell us also what that means, like the difference between the essential in the fatty acid and then the fatty acids that we get from eating salmon, right? Like, I think I'm correct in this. And I was vegan for a long time. I just started eating like fish and things. So I'm learning. But yeah, what's the difference? Yeah, I mean, it's a perfect question. So, what was really interesting about the dolphins is all they eat are fish. So, right, so we weren't able to blame a bad like Western diet on why some dolphins were aging not as well as others. So, we were able to narrow down this analysis to be able to really look at molecules that they're getting from their fish-based diets, which molecules, specifically within fish, predicted a healthy aging dolphin. So, that's where C15 came through. Interestingly, omega."

C15:0 mimics longevity drug pathways

Venn-Watson explains how C15:0 activates AMPK and inhibits mTOR, sharing activity profiles with longevity drugs like rapamycin.

"you know, molecules like C15. So it's a really nice toolbox for longevity. Yeah. And in regard to longevity, I think there was a paper, if I remember correct, where it was compared to rapamycin, metformin and a carbose, I think. So there was some like comparative studies on that. Maybe explain like, and I think there was using a human cell line. So maybe explain some of the longevity studies comparing it"

Critical evaluation of Fatty15 supplement claims

Simon Hill takes a skeptical but fair look at whether the science behind Fatty15 supports its marketing claims.

"So, this is a saturated fat, an odd-chain saturated fat that really has kind of been Stephanie Van Watson, who first studied this fat in dolphins. And then her team have gone from there and researched this fatty acid alongside some independent studies that also exist. And they've patented this C15 supplement that they market."