Summary: I tried fatty15 supplements during a particularly busy three-week span of travel, time changes, and activity-packed days where I couldn’t do my normal routine as a yoga instructor. I can confidently report that it left me feeling sharper, more energized, gut-healthy, and physically resilient. Since it was easy to take, I’ve been super consistent and I’m looking forward to the longer-term benefits, too.
Pros:
- I felt the energizing benefits of fatty15 throughout my three weeks of taking the supplement, and was less reliant on my typical caffeine consumption to wake me up.
- Fatty15 can be taken with or without food, and in quantities of one or two capsules at a time, so it was easy to remain consistent even with a sporadic schedule.
- My gut health significantly improved. I felt a reduction in bloating and the urge to snack between meals.
- Since C15:0 supplements are designed to support long-term health and prevent health challenges over time, starting them early can yield great results.
Cons:
- The price point is on the steeper side, so for those who aren’t used to buying high-quality supplements regularly, it might be a bit of a shock. With the 90-day subscription, the cost is about $1.33/day.
- The changes you see immediately are subtle because fatty15 primarily supports longevity and healthy aging.
Although I’m no Bryan Johnson, I love just about anything that can support healthy aging and longevity. I’m a yoga instructor who’s obsessed with my gua sha, vitamin C serum, lymphatic drainage, and all things collagen, so it’s no surprise that fatty15 — which is designed to support healthy aging from the inside out — is right up my alley. I also am someone who suffers from a finicky metabolic system, where I seem to always have an upset stomach. When I read up on fatty15 and saw it supported both these issues (and more), I knew I was the perfect person to test out fatty15.
The brand was founded by doctors Stephanie and Eric Venn-Watson, a veterinary epidemiologist and a military physician, respectively. When they started looking into the science that would eventually become fatty15, it wasn’t even for humans at all — it was for dolphins. Yes, dolphins. After studying how to continually improve dolphin health for the US Navy, Stephanie noticed that aging dolphins share many ailments with aging people, such as declines in liver and heart health. But when the dolphins were provided diets higher in C15:0, an odd-chain saturated fat, many of those conditions resolved. Today, peer-reviewed studies have been published showing the health benefits of C15:0 — including for humans.
Although saturated fats like whole milk and butter have spent decades being labeled as unhealthy, newer research suggests the story is more nuanced. Odd-chain saturated fats like C15:0 may actually be linked to lower risks of conditions commonly associated with even-chain saturated fats, including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and chronic inflammation. Some recent research even suggests that C15:0 is better for you than omega-3 fish oil for long-term health.
Fatty15 is literally in the driver’s seat of the discovery of this essential fatty acid, and their supplements consist of one active ingredient: Pure pentadecanoic acid (C15:0). They’re GRAS certified, vegan, backed by over 10 years of research, and have been included in over 100 peer-reviewed publications. ✨
My first impressions of fatty15
I must say, when the fatty15 box arrived at my partner’s parents’ house in California in the middle of our nearly month-long winter travel extravaganza, I was tickled, but skeptical. The packaging was sleek, pretty, and almost entirely recyclable, which I love. The words printed on the box even encouraged, “OK, now you can recycle me” beneath the slot for the glass bottle. It also included a few helpful sources, like an explainer card and an informational packet to go along with the sealed packages of capsules and the sealed glass bottle to hold them.
Staring down the remainder of my travel, which would take me from California to Hawaii and back home to New York, I was unsure if I’d even notice the effects of fatty15 at all with the dysregulation that travel and high activity can cause in the body. Nonetheless, I started taking it every morning with breakfast, after food and water (though you can take it on an empty stomach, too).
In those first few days, I didn’t notice too much of a difference, and I’d consider these as much more of a slow burn than an instant boost. However, I did begin to notice a difference in the following weeks.
How I felt taking fatty15 for 3 weeks
For the next three weeks, I took one fatty15 capsule every single day, mostly with breakfast, but sometimes on an empty stomach. I first began to notice the benefits in my second week of taking them. The very first, and perhaps the most noticeable change, was the increase in metabolic regulation. Like I mentioned, I am the owner of a frequently upset stomach, which I often attribute to an overall gut sensitivity to gluten, dairy, and pretty much all junk food. While I’ve still experienced a few tummy aches here and there, they’ve been significantly reduced while I’ve been taking fatty15. I’ve also felt a significant reduction in the urge to snack between meals, which is a commonly stated benefit of fatty15 supplements. I’d say that this is one of the more immediate changes and one of the most quantifiable.
The other benefit I noticed in my weeks of testing out fatty15, albeit a bit more ephemeral, is that I simply felt more energized and more regulated. Amidst jet lag, climate shifts, and constant high-energy activities (large family gatherings, Chanukah, New Year’s Eve clubbing, rock climbing, hiking, scaling waterfalls, ziplining, swimming, etc.), I felt awake, alert, and present, even after an overnight flight back to New York City that landed at 7:30 a.m. when my body felt like it was 11 p.m. My recovery period from jet lag and general fatigue was much shorter than usual, and I was continuously surprised at how I just kept on going. I felt like I had so much more energy than usual, to the point that I didn’t feel quite as reliant on caffeine as I usually am. While I didn’t skip my morning coffee, I’ve been passing on my afternoon coffee nearly every day since my second week on fatty15.
Of course, one of the tough things about fatty15 is that the majority of the health benefits are long-term and can only really be observed over months and years, not in a matter of a few weeks. I can’t personally say whether I experienced any of the longevity benefits over just three short weeks, but I will say that the immediate improvements are significant enough that I would continue taking the supplement for those alone. Personally, I find the research about C15:0 convincing, especially when paired with the short-term benefits I’ve already experienced.
Another detail about fatty15 that I love is that they offer a 30-day trial kit so you can see if it works for your body before fully committing to a long-term subscription — no need to go all-in from the start.
So, is fatty15 worth it?
While I can’t speak to everyone’s supplement needs, I can say that I thoroughly enjoyed my experience with fatty15, and I’d recommend it for a variety of different purposes — particularly the metabolic and energizing benefits, as those are the areas in which I experienced the most significant changes in my own body. I’d also recommend it to anyone looking to take a longevity-supporting supplement such as fish oil, simply because the research on C15:0 is so compelling.
Another small but mighty feature of fatty15 is that they can be taken on a full or empty stomach at any time of day, in quantities of one or two capsules. The extreme versatility of the supplement makes it easy to take and to fit into your life because you can take it anytime, even if the timing varies from day to day. I basically never forget to take it, so I actually get all the benefits to my metabolic function, alertness, sleep quality, and the long-term ones, too.
There’s no sugar-coating that fatty15 is a high-end supplement, and the 90-day starter kit is $149.95 without a subscription, $119.95 if you subscribe. There’s also an option for a 30-day trial kit for $49.99 if you subscribe. So, at around $40 bucks a month, if you’re not used to investing in your health, it might feel like a stretch. For others, especially those who take studio workout classes, you’ll find the price easy to stomach (just like fatty15 😉)! If longevity is a high priority for you and the short-term benefits are aligned with your body and lifestyle needs, I think it’s well worth the investment.
THIS STORY IS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH OUR FRIENDS AT FATTY15
Jamie Kahn is a writer and yoga teacher based in New York. Her work has been featured in Glamour, Brooklyn Magazine, Epiphany, The Evergreen Review, and others.
