The Livelong Newsletter

Happy Friday,

I recently stumbled upon the German practice of “Lüften.” Lüften involves opening your windows—usually in the morning and at night—to circulate fresh air into a space and reduce humidity, stale air, pollutants, mold, and allergens.

Easy, breezy, breathable…

In today’s issue:

• Why cold plunge can slow cellular aging

• The wine linked to radical life extension

• Smart bombs that kill cancer

• and much more…

WISDOM FOR LIFE

Whatever your age, put down your phone and contact an old friend

The Montreal Gazette

👁️‍🗨️SPOTLIGHT

Cells live longer with cold plunge

❄️ What do fasting and cold plunging have in common? Aside from being enduring health trends, they both trigger autophagy.

New research from the University of Ottawa in Canada reveals that regular cold exposure enhances autophagy and other key cellular mechanisms that make cells resilient and potentially slow aging.

Autophagy is like a cellular recycling service. It allows the body to get rid of old proteins and debris that can cause inflammation (and potentially disease). ♻️

What’s the science? During the uOttowa study, a small group of healthy young males did cold plunge for one hour over seven consecutive days. Blood tests showed:

• 🛡️ Enhanced autophagy*: This ‘critical cellular protective mechanism’ makes cells more tolerant to stress, says study author Glen Kenny, a professor at uOttawa, in the article.

• 💪 Reduced cellular damage: Consistent cold exposure reduces cellular damage signals and helps the body ‘cope’ better with stressors, such as extreme temperature.

• ⚡ Added shock value: Cold plunge also shocks the liver into generating cold shock proteins which heal organs, said Sophie Strauss, founder of Sauna Camp, in a previous interview with Livelong.

Conditions apply: Where long-term cold exposure promotes autophagy, short-term exposure messes with these processes. Water temperature was also 57.2°F, indicating that the benefits came from cold water—not freezing.

Big picture: Cold plunge act “like a tune-up for your body's microscopic machinery," says Kelli King, a postdoctoral fellow and member of the Canadian research team. She adds that it can potentially slow cellular aging and prevent disease, but more varied research is needed.

WELLNESS WATCH

Byproduct of wine RADICALLY increases lifespan

What if it’s not the wine, but the byproduct from making it, that actually boosts lifespan?

Researchers in the Philippines discovered that a byproduct (lees) created during the process of making a traditional rice wine (tapuy) may boost lifespan by more than 70%, writes New Atlas. 🇵🇭 

Optimizing the wine-making process could produce a ‘super’ polyphenol-rich lees that can be used to create anti-aging supplements.

🪴 Radical life extension: Researchers fed C. elegan worms different types of tapuy lees extracts. One lees was derived from a starter culture with a high concentration of Rhizopus oryzae, Mucor indicus, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae fungal strains. Start culture kicks off the fermentation part of making wine.

The lees produced impressive results:

• 72.72% lifespan increase

• Renewed motility (among older animals)

• Longer fertility window 

• More protection against age-related cell deterioration

Why does it work? The byproduct scavenges harmful radicals and contains polyphenols that fight cellular damage, inflammation, and oxidative stress, New Atlas writes.

LIVE MORE

• Transformative yeasts: Specialized red yeast turns wood into fat that can be used in health supplements. Read more.

• Starving beer yeast: Why understanding how beer yeast adapts to starvation can help with cancer treatments. Read more.

IN OTHER NEWS

A “smart” bomb to treat aggressive cancer

Researchers at Michigan State University created a ”smart” bomb that destroys metastatic breast cancer tumors in mice, according to a university press release. 💣

• 🔆 Treatment consists of light-sensitive chemicals called cyanine-carborane salts that are absorbed by cancer cells. 

• 💥 Near-infrared light penetrates the skin, hits the salts, and transforms them into “smart” bombs that kill cancer cells and spare healthy cells.

Cyanine-carborane salts are not only more safe than traditional photodynamic therapy (PDT), but they are also effective for aggressive forms of breast cancer, says lead study author Amir Roshanzadeh, a graduate student at MSU.

Today’s top reads

Happy faces make better learners ☺️: Research proves that happy faces are more conducive to learning for young children. Smiling has an array of benefits for adults too, from workplace productivity to stress reduction and better blood pressure. Fake smiles work too, but we prefer the real thing. :)

• 🥤 Microplastic madness: Luxury London clinic says it can clean microplastics from your blood.

• 😶‍🌫️ Brain fog and menopause: Hormone changes + sleeplessness fuel the fire.

• 🧠 Shingles: The shingles vaccine reduces dementia risk by 20%.

LONG-LEVITY

Dopamine dressing

Different colors impact your mood, so why not dress to feel happier?

👗 A recent fashion trend called dopamine dressing uses outfits to boost happiness and mood. For some, the bolder the look, the better.

Clothes can affect psychology and improve performance—civilizations have known this for thousands of years, writes verywellmind. Try to make an effort to wear something that makes you feel confident.

“Getting dressed is a pleasure we should all feel uplifted by, it’s our sacred moment of joy in the morning,” says artist and dopamine dresser Kerry Jones in Good News Network. “Have fun!”

LIVELONG+

📚 READ: Limitless by Jim Kwik. You are capable of more than you know.

🎧 LISTEN: Dr. William Li on three foods to eat every day for longevity.

🍽️ TASTE: “Healthy” salad that tastes like pizza? I’ll believe it when I eat it. Get the recipe here and taste for yourself.

💬 SHARE: Share this newsletter to spread the knowledge.

📚 EXPERIENCE: Distraction-free destinations to read a good book. 2025’s newest wellness trend is the reading retreat.

About Livelong

Look good, feel better, live longer.

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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.