Episode 535: Dr. Stephanie Venn-Watson: The Longevity Nutrient That Could Slow Aging and Protect Your Cells

Habits and Hustle

Jen Cohen

Entrepreneurship, Education, Self-improvement, Health & Fitness, Business

4.5 • 818 Ratings

🗓️ 10 March 2026

⏱️ 70 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Longevity science is shifting fast. New discoveries are revealing that aging may be influenced not just by genetics or lifestyle, but by specific nutrients that regulate cellular health. In this episode of Habits & Hustle, I sit down with Dr. Stephanie Venn-Watson to explore the discovery of C15, a fatty acid that emerged from decades of research studying Navy dolphins. Her work suggests that declining C15 levels may weaken cell membranes, accelerate aging, and increase vulnerability to metabolic disease. We break down how this molecule works, why not all saturated fats are the same, and how modern dietary shifts away from full-fat dairy may be contributing to widespread nutrient deficiencies. We also discuss how C15 interacts with longevity pathways like AMPK and mTOR, the same pathways targeted by drugs like metformin and rapamycin, and why researchers believe C15 may function as a geroprotector — a compound capable of slowing biological aging. Dr. Stephanie Venn-Watson is a veterinary epidemiologist, CEO of Seraphina Therapeutics, and author of The Longevity Nutrient. Her work bridges marine biology, epidemiology, and human longevity science to uncover how nutrition influences cellular aging. What’s Discussed (07:48) How studying Navy dolphins led to a breakthrough in longevity research (10:31) Why dolphins are a powerful model for studying human aging (16:04) The discovery of C15 and its role in metabolic health (17:33) Why not all saturated fats are harmful (20:25) How C15 interacts with longevity pathways like mTOR and AMPK (22:23) How modern diets may be creating a widespread C15 deficiency (24:30) The link between C15 deficiency and accelerated cellular aging (27:11) How dairy fat became the primary source of C15 in humans (31:18) Why C15 may qualify as a “geroprotector” (34:28) How to measure C15 levels through blood testing (39:23) Signs of cellular fragility and biological aging in blood markers (43:02) How C15 may influence inflammation and autoimmune conditions (50:20) The lifestyle factors that matter most for longevity (55:17) Other ways to increase C15 levels through diet and exercise Thank you to our sponsors: Rho Nutrition: Try Rho Nutrition today and experience the difference of Liposomal Technology. Use code JEN20 for 20% OFF everything at https://rhonutrition.com/discount/jen20 Prolon: Get 30% off sitewide plus a $40 bonus gift when you subscribe to their 5-Day Program! Just visit https://prolonlife.com/JENNIFERCOHEN and use code JENNIFERCOHEN to claim your discount and your bonus gift. Therasage: Head over to therasage.com and use code Be Bold for 15% off Air Doctor: Go to airdoctorpro.com and use promo code HUSTLE40 for up to $300 off and a 3-year warranty on air purifiers. Magic Mind: Head over to www.magicmind.com/jen and use code Jen at checkout. Momentous: Shop this link and use code Jen for 20% off Manna Vitality: Visit mannavitality.com and use code JENNIFER20 for 20% off your order Amp fit is the perfect balance of tech and training, designed for people who do it all and still want to feel strong doing it. Check it out at joinamp.com/jen Find more from Jen: Website: https://jennifercohen.com Instagram: @therealjencohen Books: https://jennifercohen.com/books Speaking: https://jennifercohen.com/speaking-engagement Find more from Stephanie Venn-Watson: Website: https://fatty15.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fatty15/?hl=it LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanievennwatson/ Book: The Longevity Nutrient

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi guys, it's Tony Robbins. You're listening to Habits and Hustle. Crush it. All right, you guys,
0:08.3	welcome to another episode of Habits and Hustle. And we have a real changemaker. Even CNBC called her that.
0:16.3	This woman, her accolades are just extraordinary and super impressive.
0:21.4	And her name is Stephanie Van Watson.
0:24.0	And she's joining us today.
0:25.9	So, oh, she has a new book out coming out.
0:28.0	Actually, her new book is called The Longevity Nutrient, and it's coming out on paperback, you said.
0:33.8	That's right in March.
0:34.9	So very excited.
0:36.2	Amazing.
0:37.0	Well, congratulations, and thank you for being here. Thank you, Jennifer. Fantastic. Did you be chatting with you? Very excited. By the way, I feel like we just did a whole podcast before the podcast, which is why I try, that's why I felt like I liked you, and I'm like, oh, shoot, we're in trouble because I knew they would take about an hour to get into the room, and it kind of did. And I didn't want to ask you any real pertinent questions because I wanted to make sure I asked you on the show. But so anyway, thank you for being here. And your background is quite impressive. I mean, it really is. Do you want to kind of give people the origin story of why you're even here right now? Sure, sure.
1:13.8	So I was out it really is. Do you want to kind of give people the origin story of why you're even
1:12.1	here right now? Sure, sure. So I was out of the womb. Just going to get it. It all started in
1:18.2	1971 or whatever, you know. So there it was. Yeah, so I've always been a self-proclaimed nerd.
1:31.1	I've always been like loving-proclaimed nerd. I've always been like loving, finding patterns.
1:36.6	Pattern recognition is just a natural thing since I was little. We'd go. My dad would come home.
1:43.5	He worked at a library and he would bring home books like of just of numbers and I would take him down to the basement and circle patterns.
1:44.7	Like what a nerd, right? Really, you are a nerd. There's what the thing that I would take him down to the basement and circle patterns. Like, what a nerd, right?
1:49.5	Really? You are a nerd. Right? This was a thing that I would do. So I don't think they were worried at the time. But so fast forward to college and I was ready to go for it to medical school.
1:57.5	And then I read a book from Lori Garrett called The Coming Plague.
2:01.4	And I learned what?
2:03.4	There's a profession called epidemiology where their doctors and their whole job is to find patterns.
	...

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