Can fat reverse aging? Based on a growing body of evidence, the answer is yes. 

While you may already be familiar with the many health benefits of fat, you might be surprised to learn that a little-known saturated fat could be the ultimate biohack. C15:0 (pentadecanoic acid) is a healthy and essential odd-chain saturated fatty acid. That’s right – a healthy saturated fat. 

Our 40-Year Fat Deficiency Experiment

For over 40 years, voices of authority told us to avoid saturated fats due to some less than rigorous research (and likely a good deal of “oversight” at the hands of those that would benefit). I fell prey just like many others to this smoke and mirrors show, until I actually started digging into the research myself. Luckily, times have changed, and we now know that not all fats are created equal – including different types of saturated fat. 

So here’s what we know today. Are saturated fats pro-inflammatory? Potentially. But it depends on the structure of the fatty acids:

• Even-chain saturated fatty acids (like C16:0) are pro-inflammatory and continue to be associated with increased risks of metabolic and heart disease.
• Odd-chain saturated fatty acids (like C15:0) calm immune responses and have been repeatedly associated with better metabolic and heart health.

Turns out, in our decades-long “fat-free” quest, we’ve been throwing out the good fat with the bad. As a result, population-wide C15:0 levels have been declining around the same time we’ve seen an exponential rise in chronic illnesses. Coincidence? Likely not. 

The First Essential Fatty Acid Discovered in 90 Years

Now here’s where things get really interesting. A recent Nature Scientific Reports paper found that C15:0 meets the rare criteria of an essential fatty acid. This means that our bodies require certain levels of C15:0 to maintain baseline physiological health. But since our bodies can’t make adequate amounts of C15:0 on their own, we have to get C15:0 routinely from our diet or supplements.  

In other words, C15:0 isn’t just a “nice to have,” it’s a “must-have.” 

Before this discovery, there were only two known essential fatty acids: alpha-linolenic acid (an omega-3 fatty acid) and linoleic acid (an omega-6 fatty acid).

Today, over 50 peer-reviewed scientific publications have linked C15:0 to better long-term metabolic, heart, immune, and liver health, which means we need C15:0 if we want to keep our cells resilient, energized, and young.

 I personally can’t believe I’ve gotten this far in life without paying attention to my C15:0 intake.

How C15:0 Reverses Aging at the Cellular Level

Anti-aging is no longer a pipe dream; we now have more information than ever to help us dial back the clock, including insights into several “hallmarks of aging,” which define how our bodies break down over time. These hallmarks include:

• Early cell death (cellular senescence)
• Loss of cellular energy (mitochondrial dysfunction)
• Impaired cross-talk between cells (impaired cellular signaling)

If we can stop or even just delay these processes, we can slow aging. And that’s precisely what C15:0 does. 

Studies show that C15:0 works by:

• Improving the stability of our cellular membranes, making them resilient against age-related breakdown.
• Boosting mitochondrial function and providing “remarkable” ATP (aka cellular energy) generating capabilities. Studies also show that C15:0 can repair mitochondria to effectively increase cellular energy (aka ATP) production by 350% and decrease harmful reactive oxygen species by 45%.

• Activating key receptors that support cellular signaling. By activating PPAR?/? and AMPK, C15:0 can help to restore balanced metabolism and immunity. In addition, as recently published in Nature’s Scientific Reports, our bodies use C15:0 to make a metabolite called pentadecanoylcarnitine (aka PDC). PDC is a newly discovered endocannabinoid shown to fully activate key cannabinoid receptors (CB1 and CB2) that can help with calmer mood, improved sleep, and joint comfort.

By directly targeting the causes of aging, C15:0 helps to keep our cells (and bodies) balanced and healthy. 

An Urgent Need

If C15:0 helps reverse aging at the cellular level, what happens when we reduce or even remove this essential fat from our diets? 

Unfortunately, declining C15:0 levels over the last few decades have coincided with increased aging-related conditions. In the last two years alone, we saw a sharper decrease in life expectancy than we’ve seen since 1921-1923.

Given the important role C15:0 plays in the health and longevity of our cells, scientists are hypothesizing that C15:0 nutritional deficiencies may be to blame for the rise in age-related conditions among younger and younger populations. 

There’s so much information out there about this new saturated fatty acid I can’t even begin to cover it all. If you want to dig in even further and learn about the latest C15:0 science, check out this C15:0 site that’s packed with info: www.discoverC15.com.

Your Best Source of C15:0 

So, how do you get more of this biohacking fat into your diet?

Traditionally, dairy fat was our primary source of C15:0. Unfortunately, dairy has several limitations: 

• First, dairy fat contains much higher levels of pro-inflammatory even-chain saturated fats (like C16:0) compared to C15:0. 
• Second, cow’s milk contains sugars and calories that you may be looking to avoid. 
• Third, the C15:0 in dairy is in the triacylglycerol form, making it difficult to absorb. 
• And finally, the amount of C15:0 in dairy fat is dependent on what the cows are fed. Cows fed corn (and even some types of grasses) have lower C15:0 levels in their milkfat.

Looking at the plant kingdom, there are some nuts and seeds containing C15:0, but in minimal amounts. For example, it would take 1.7 cups of chia seeds or 5 cups of sunflower seeds to get the amount of C15:0 you need every day – can you imagine trying to swallow that much chia seed pudding? 

Luckily, I found another option to take care of my C15:0 needs; a pure C15:0 supplement. The same Navy doctors and scientists that discovered C15:0 as an essential fatty acid developed a pure, sustainable, stable, vegan-friendly, 1-calorie, and readily bioavailable C15:0 ingredient called FA15TM. FA15TM is the only ingredient in fatty15, a science-backed and award-winning C15:0 supplement. Just one small pill (and one small calorie) gives you just the right amount of C15:0 that you need each day.

Long-Term Results That Can be Seen & Felt

I love a good biohacking supplement, but I really love a supplement that provides immediate results and takes you from your average potential to superhuman potential. Due to C15:0’s incredible ability to impact cellular aging, benefits from taking C15:0 can be seen and felt within weeks. 

Here’s what the science shows:

• 2 Weeks. Pure C15:0 activates key PPAR receptors, and a key C15:0 metabolite (aka PDC) activates cannabinoid receptors that balance sleep, mood, and appetite. In a customer survey, 58% of people using a C15:0 supplement reported experiencing better sleep, calmer mood, or less snacking.
• 3-12 Months. C15:0 works hard at the cellular level to repair & restore your long-term health. At this stage, C15:0 supplements can help to restore cellular strength and repair your mitochondrial function. In one study, enhanced mitochondrial function, driven by C15:0, improved hair growth. 

• 1-3 Years. C15:0 settles in to maintain your long-term health and wellness at the cellular level. Peer-reviewed scientific publications have linked C15:0 to better long-term metabolic, heart, immune, and liver health.

• Our Older Years. Since C15:0 levels naturally decline with age, C15:0 supplementation helps to replenish healthy C15:0 levels, resulting in benefits that can be seen and felt, especially during our older years.

As someone whose life goal is to extend my time here as long as possible, I’ve made fatty15 a regular part of my anti-aging regimen, and if you’re looking for a simple yet effective bio-hack to longevity, I highly suggest you check them out as well. 

Citations:

Venn-Watson, S., Lumpkin, R., Dennis, E.A. Efficacy of dietary odd-chain saturated fatty acid pentadecanoic acid parallels broad associated health benefits in humans: could it be essential? Sci Rep 10:8161 (2020).

Dornan, K. et al. Odd chain fatty acids and odd chain phenolic lipids (alkylresorcinols) are essential for diet. J Am Chem Soc 98:813-824 (2021)

Kaikkonen, J.E. et al. Associations of serum fatty acid proportions with obesity, insulin resistance, blood pressure and fatty liver: the cardiovascular risk in young Finns study. J Nutr 151, 970-978 (2021).

Huang, L. et al. Circulating saturated fatty acids and incident type 2 diabetes: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Nutrients 11:998 (2019).

Trieu, K. et al. Biomarkers of dairy fat intake, incident cardiovascular disease, and all-cause mortality: A cohort study, systematic review, and meta-analysis. PLoS Med 18:e1003763 (2021).

Zheng, J. S. et al. Changes in plasma phospholipid fatty acid profiles over 13 years and correlates of change: European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition-Norfolk Study. Am J Clin Nutr 109, 1527–1534 (2019).

Kurotani, K. et al. Even- and odd-chain saturated fatty acids in serum phospholipids are differentially associated with adipokines. PLOS ONE 12, e0178192 (2017).

Kratz, M. et al. Dairy fat intake is associated with glucose tolerance, hepatic and systemic insulin sensitivity, and liver fat but not ?-cell function in humans. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 99:1385-1396 (2014).

Adachi, K., Yokoyama, D., Tamai, H., Sadai, M., Oba, K. Effect of the glyceride of pentadecanoic acid on energy metabolism in hair follicles. Int J Cosmetic Sci 15, 125-131 (1993).

Venn-Watson, S., Reiner, J., Jensen, E.D. Pentadecanoylcarnitine is a newly discovered endocannabinoid with pleiotropic activities relevant to supporting physical and mental health.Scientific Reports 12:13717 (2022).

Fu, W.C. et al. Pentadecanoic acid promotes basal and insulin-stimulated glucose uptake in C2C12 myotubes. Food Nutr Res 65:10.29219/fnr.v65.4527 (2021).

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Life expectancy in the U.S. dropped for the second year in a row in 2021. 

Venn-Watson, S.K., Butterworth, C.N. Broader and safer clinically-relevant activities of pentadecanoic acid compared to omega-3: Evaluation of an emerging essential fatty acid across twelve primary human cell-based disease systems. PLOS ONE https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0268778 (2022).

Roh et al. A clinical study of pentadecanoic glyceride (LHOP) on male pattern alopecia. J Korean Soc Clin Pharmacol Ther 6:199-206 (1998).

Tsoukalas et al. Application of metabolomics part II: Focus on fatty acids and their metabolites in healthy adults. Int J Mol Med 43:233-242 (2019)