Issue 76 | September 19, 2025
created by Midjourney.
Happy Friday! 🍂 As long summer days give way to sweater weather, apple picking, and cooler temperatures, it’s time for some new priorities. Monday marks the first official day of fall. Get outside to grab as much sunlight as you can. 🌞 It’s a proven mood booster during the changing season.
Consider this 2025 Fall Foliage Map to embrace the natural beauty of the new season.
Let’s go! 🚶♀️🍁
This week:
The vitamin outperforming FDA drugs
Weighing in on the weighted vest hype
World massage champions
Poll
👁️🗨️Spotlight
The vitamin that outperformed prescription drugs for fatty liver
created by Midjourney.
Fatty liver disease affects more than one-third of Americans, but new research suggests that a humble vitamin could have some serious benefits.
In a recent paper published in Metabolism: Clinical and Experimental, vitamin B3 (also known as niacin), triumphed over 149 other FDA-approved drugs in suppressing a gene linked to Metabolic Dysregulated-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease (MASLD).
⚡ How it works
Vitamin B3 converts food into energy, and it is also important for the nervous system and skin health.
New research shows that B3 can also slow fatty liver disease progression at the cellular level. Niacin suppresses miR-93, a molecule elevated in MASLD. In excess, miR-93 blocks an important gene for healthy fat metabolism.
Why it matters: MASLD is the leading cause of liver disease.
It’s tied to type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, pollutants, and poor diet.
The risk is greatest among men in their mid-late 60s, women in their early 70s, and Mexican-Americans. Women may face an additional risk after menopause, when estrogen levels decline.
Think lifestyle first. 🥗 The liver is resilient, and lifestyle shifts, such as adopting a Mediterranean diet, engaging in regular exercise, and managing cholesterol and blood pressure (naturally or through medication), can support liver repair.
Note: high doses of prescription niacin can cause liver damage, so it’s recommended to work with a provider if considering treatment. ✅ The Mayo Clinic recommends:
16 mg daily for men
14 mg daily for women
Wellness Watch
The “best-kept secret” of healthy aging?
Walking with a weighted vest is a trend taking over everywhere in 2025.
created by Midjourney.
🚶♀️Praised as a calorie-burner, strength-builder, and even a “best-kept secret” for healthy aging, walking with a weighted vest has been embraced everywhere–especially among women in menopause who are at risk of bone loss. But does the science hold up?
The promise of weighted vests
Weighted vests add resistance to walking, a proven longevity exercise. Potential benefits may include:
🦴 Slower bone density loss: Effectiveness may depend on vest heaviness, frequency of wearing it, and the workout intensity, says Tufts University exercise physiology researcher Roger Fielding in New York Times.
💪 Muscle strength: Weight strategically stresses muscle, particularly muscles in the lower back and legs, says Fielding. Building muscle strength also has metabolic benefits.
✅ Accessibility: The vest is also a simple, low-impact tool that does not require learning new skills.
Is it too good to be true?
The Bone Health and Osteoporosis Foundation has not endorsed weighted vests because evidence is ‘uncertain.’
⚠️ Some experts caution against using it if pregnant, dealing with chronic injury, or combining it with other activities.
Big picture: Despite conflicting evidence, some research shows that wearing a weighted vest during an impact workout (jumping, squats) builds bone density.
Walking alone is already associated with longer lifespan. Adding weight might preserve bone density and muscle, but more evidence is needed to confirm it’s worth your while.
Sponsored by:
Manta Sleep Mask
100% blackout & no pressure on eyes
Great sleep is the non-negotiable foundation you need to create your best life. Livelong readers get a special discount on Manta Sleep masks and functional sleep accessories. Shop here
Top Story
…in brain health 🧠
A recent mouse study found that declining levels of Menin, a lesser-known protein found in the brain’s hypothalamus, could be a significant driver of aging. Genetically switching it off led to brain inflammation and a modest decrease in lifespan. When they restored genes to produce Menin into the brains of older mice, aging symptoms reversed. Those mice developed stronger bones, thicker skin, had a better learning ability, and expressed more D-serine, a neurotransmitter in the hippocampus. 💪
Action item: D-serine alone might be a powerful lever to slow aging. Dietary D-serine supplementation shows similar cognitive benefits, making it a potential new therapeutic against cognitive decline.
Short reads
☀️ S(un)screen: This sunscreen scandal that put a country with the highest skin cancer rate in the world at even bigger risk.
💻 Is digital literacy a public health priority? The case for going inside the mind of AI.
🐳 Whale watching and cancer: Goose-beaked whales evolved to survive low-oxygen environments. It could inspire the next generation of stroke/cancer treatments.
Long-levity
The world’s largest massage face-off
One, two, MASSAGE!
created by Midjourney.
💆♀️ At the eighth annual World Championship in Massage, competitors from Italy, Canada, and Belgium were crowned givers of the world’s best massages.
Held in Copenhagen – the happiest city in the world – 260+ global competitors faced off in nine massage styles, from Swedish and Thai to freestyle massage, according to an article in The New Yorker.
In the United States alone, there are more than 300,000 licensed massage therapists, and their expertise is in high demand.
🌸 Massage lowers stress hormones, reduces chronic pain, and supports lymphatic drainage, which may help remove toxins. It also supports an anti-aging appearance.
🏆 Even though the prize was only bragging rights, massage – a second career for many – is often not about money, but rooted in the desire to help others feel better. ❤️
This Week
Coming Soon: The Livelong Woman ✨
We’re thrilled to introduce The Livelong Woman, an upcoming newsletter dedicated to women’s health and longevity.
Led by Editorial Director Rachel Lehmann-Haupt and writer Tiffany Nieslanik, The Livelong Women brings the science, strategies, and stories in women’s health and longevity. As part of the Livelong community, you’ll automatically start receiving it when we launch. 🚀
Podcasts we’re loving 🗣️
New blood, healthier you: The power of infusing yourself with clean blood. Watch the episode
Can you actually slow down aging? Telomeres, immunity, and the age of discovering life extension. Watch the episode
Thanks for reading!
Until next time,
Erin is the Senior Editor at Livelong Media, where she explores the intersection of health, science, and the human experience.
- 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.
- 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!
Longevity Media LLC
Look good, feel better, live longer