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Are memories the KEY to weight loss?
Plus five high-tech wellness gifts for mom, new metabolic health features on Oura, and the world's happiest city!
Issue 58 | May 9, 2025
image credit: Reuters
Felix sexta-feira,
Sister Inah Canabarro Lucas, the world’s oldest living person, recently died at the age of 116. The Brazilian football-loving nun credits her longevity to faith and was remembered as a disciplined, social person who never complained and maintained a daily routine. 🫶
In today’s issue:
Frozen memories for weight loss
5 high-tech wellness gifts for mom
The happiest city in the world
and much more…
WISDOM FOR LIFE ☺️
“I’m young, pretty and friendly…all very good, positive qualities that you have, too.”
Sister Inah Canabarro Lucas (age 116)
👁️🗨️SPOTLIGHT
Are memories the key to weight loss?
How the brain’s ability to remember feeling cold might be used to burn calories.
image credit: freepik
🥶 New research from Trinity College Dublin reveals that the brain forms long-term memories of being cold—AND can use these memories to control metabolism.
The science
In cold environments, mammals instinctively boost metabolism to preserve body heat ♨️, a process called adaptive thermogenesis.
In the study, researchers trained mice to associate cold exposure with visual cues. Later, when shown those cue (even in a warmer environment), their metabolism activated as if anticipating the cold.
🐁 + 👀 → 🖼️ = 🔥
The basic biology:
Coding the cold: Cold memories are stored in hippocampal cells called engrams (cells used for long-term memory storage)
Brown fat activation: In cold conditions, the brain signals to the body to burn more calories. This is achieved by increasing brown fat activity.
Like Pavlov’s dog: Just as dogs in the famous experiment learned to salivate at a bell, mice learned to burn calories at a visual cue. 🐕
Big picture: Manipulating brown fat cell activation could potentially treat cancer, obesity, and other disorders, according to Aaron Douglas, the joint-lead study author.
LIVE MORE
Starvation by fat: Engineered fats cells can starve tumors by depriving them of nutrients.
WELLNESS WATCH
5 wellness tools to optimize mom’s health
image credit: freepik
🌹 Mother’s day classics like brunch, flowers, and jewelry are always appreciated, but why not give the maternal figures in your life (or yourself!) experiences and products that support whole-body wellness and longevity?
Here are five high-tech wellness gadgets for 2025:
FlexBeam: This is an all-purpose red light therapy tool that reduces inflammation. Red light promotes healing on the cellular level and increases the production of ATP, which cells need for health and energy.
Waver Vibration Plate: Vibration plates have longevity potential, and this plate may improve mobility, muscle tone, bone density, and promote lymphatic drainage to reduce swelling and get rid of built-up toxins.
Elemind: There is nothing more restorative than a good night’s rest. This tech analyzes brain wave patterns and shifts brainwaves to slow, rest-inducing patterns.
Luxe Comfort Foot & Calf Massage: In reflexology, different parts of the foot correspond with the health of other parts of the body. This wellness gadget uses compression, kneading, and heat to relax the foot, and it could have many relaxation and therapeutic benefits.
TheraBody TheraFace Depuffing Wand: This tool uses heating and cooling technology to reduce puffiness around the eyes and improve skin radiance. It received the Bazaar Beauty Icon Award of 2024.
You can discover more at TownandCountryMag.com.
IN OTHER NEWS
OURA adds new metabolic health features
image credit: freepik
The Oura smart ring now offers two new AI-driven features aimed at improving metabolic health: Meals and Glucose.
🥗 Meals feature: Snap a photo of your food, and AI analyzes and breaks down macronutrients, nutrient profiles, and gives personalized health insights.
🧁 Glucose feature: Syncs with a Stelo glucose monitor to show real-time glucose readings in the Oura app, while helping users understand the role of sleep, stress, exercise, and meal data.
Metabolic health is critical for physical health. The goal of these programs is to optimize vitality and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke, kidney disease, and other long-term diseases.
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Today’s top reads
Are you flourishing? Flourishing means that "your whole life [is] good,” and new data from the Global Flourishing Study suggests that people in flourishing countries score higher in meaning, purpose, relationships, and character, according to The Conversation. Money is an important factor, but it’s not everything.
🥧 Cinnamon: Too much might be impacting your prescription meds.
💬 Chat GPTherapy: Can AI replace your therapist?
💤 Sweet dreams: A fruit that has ‘mysterious sleep powers,’ per science creator and surgeon Dr. Karan Rajan.
LONG-LEVITY
Copenhagen is the happiest city of 2025
image credit: freepik
Looking for your next travel destination (or move)? consider Copenhagen! The Danish capital tops the world’s happiest city in 2025, according to a new index created by The Institute for Quality of Life.
🤸 This ranking is based on how well it performed across 82 ‘joy indicators,’ many linked to health on happiness, according to the report.
"Health and well-being are cornerstones of life in Copenhagen," according to the report. Some of the health benefits of living in Copenhagen include:
Universal health care coverage
Long average life expectancy (79.9 years)
37-hour average workweek 👀
Zurich, Switzerland, Singapore, Aarhus, Denmark (last year’s winner!), and Antwerp, Belgium rounds out the top five.
LIVELONG+
📚 READ: The Telomere Effect by Elizabeth Blackburn and Elissa Epel.
🎧 LISTEN: Solitude and the meaning of life.
🍽️ TASTE: The salmon and kale recipe that calms an endometriosis flare-up.
💬 SHARE: Share this newsletter to spread the knowledge.
🙂 REWIND: This might be the #1 indicator of longevity.
Poll results
We asked: What is more valuable? The pursuit of winning or mastery, or the win itself?
69% said it’s about journey ⭐
25% said it’s about both
6% said other things are more important
QUIZ!Which option is NOT a macronutrient? |
Until next time,
Please note: Some links in this newsletter are affiliate links, meaning we may earn a small commission if you decide to make a purchase through them. This helps us continue to bring you credible and actionable health and longevity insights at no extra cost to you. Thank you for your support!
Always seek the advice of a physician or other qualified healthcare professional before starting any exercise, wellness, or health program. Nothing in our content, products or services should be considered, or used as a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Livelong is a media company and not a medical provider. We try to give the most accurate possible, but sometimes information is subject to change.
Longevity Media LLC
Look good, feel better, live longer.
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