A common pesticide is making fish age faster

🙌 Happy Friday! 

Pesticides may keep bugs off our produce, but the long-term cost may be more serious than finding a worm in your apple. 🪱 New research links chlorpyrifos, a common pesticide, to faster aging in fish. 🫣 This week, we’re swimming in that science, and how it may provide clues about pesticides and human aging.

✔ More this week: The simple blood test that could change breast cancer treatment, long live strong legs, and why you should consider an analog bag.

Fish may be canaries in the coal mine for the dangers of pesticides on aging.

A new study in Science found that low-level exposure to a common pesticide sped up aging in fish. The risk to human lifespan “cannot be ruled out.” ‼

Even at levels considered ‘safe,’ long-term exposure to the pesticide (chlorpyrifos) shortens telomeres, 🧬 the protective caps of DNA. Shorter telomeres are linked to earlier death because they make DNA more vulnerable to damage.

The study: Researchers at the China University of Geosciences analyzed 24,000 fish from three lakes: one clean, one polluted, and one heavily polluted with chlorpyrifos. What they found:

Despite being banned in the European Union, chlorpyrifos is commonly used in several US states on citrus fruits, apples, and wheat.

🌎 Big picture: Scientists are calling for more studies on the impact of chlorpyrifos, but in the meantime, different sites like the EWG Dirty Dozen/Clean 15 list can help you identify the safest produce for your health.

What if the only thing standing between you and your healthiest self is just clear information? 

Hear leading longevity experts, including Dr. Vonda Wright and Dr. Dean Ornish, teach you what actually protects women’s bodies long-term — and the decisions that matter now — at the Livelong Women’s Health Summit. Use promo code ERIN for a discount on your ticket.

A simple new blood test could change how breast cancer is treated. 👱‍♀ By analyzing cancer DNA in blood, researchers can predict how well a treatment will work, sometimes just weeks after treatment begins, as reported by The Guardian.

🧪 How it works: The test is a liquid biopsy that allows researchers to flag fragments of tumor DNA (ctDNA) in the blood. 

In a study of 167 women with advanced breast cancer, many who showed lower levels of ctDNA at the start of treatment responded better and lived longer. After treatment, low or undetectable levels meant a lower risk of the cancer returning—at least within the year.

Predictions create possibilities.

Leg strength is linked to a better brain.

Are you leveraging your legs? Lower-body strength may be one of the most powerful proxies for brain health 🧠. In a recent study, older adults with the greatest lower-extremity strength had 34% better odds of good cognitive function than those with the weakest legs.

Big picture: Resistance training (bodyweight exercises, weights, or machines) supports memory, attention, and learning because it boosts blood flow to the brain. But focusing on leg strength may provide a unique advantage to the brain, especially for folks who can’t do cardio! 🧓

JOIN The Women’s Livelong Lab (WLL): It’s free to join and easy to use, and we’d love to see you there. 😊 Reach out to [email protected] with any questions.

The latest social media trend is (ironically) fighting screen time.

Gen Z might be tech-savvy, but they’re leading the fight against digital living through a new trend called the ‘Analog Bag,’ and it’s one that all ages might benefit from. 👜

Coined by content creator Sierra Campbell, the Analog bag is simply a bag with playful, hands-on items to keep you off your phone in public and around friends.

 “My biggest fear is that I’ll lie on my deathbed and regret how much time I spent on my phone,” Campbell says.

The Analog bag might be retro, but it could create a future where you are more present and healthy.

Longevity tote ideas: A newspaper, journal, crossword puzzle, resistance band, massage ball, hand gripper, book, playing cards, or even knitting needles. 📰 🧶

🛍️ Vendors have the opportunity to connect with your audience at the Livelong Women’s Health Summit, April 17–18 in San Francisco. See the media kit for more information.

💫 If you’re passionate about women’s health and longevity and want to help spread the word about the event, you can join us as an Ambassador! Check out the details and reach out to [email protected] with any questions.

We asked: Which under-discussed downstream effect of Ozempic interests you most?

Most of you are curious about long-term dependency, which makes sense considering everything people are warning: Once you start, it’s nearly impossible to stop without gaining the weight back. As one person writes, “I’m not thrilled that I have to take this drug for the rest of my life.”