Most women are told menopause is a hormone story. The science suggests it is also an energy story, one that starts inside your cells decades before your last period.

Dr. Siobhan Mitchell is a neuroscientist with a PhD, 80+ peer-reviewed publications, and 25 years of research on how nutrition shapes brain aging. She started this work after watching her grandmother die of Alzheimer's and she has spent her career trying to make sure that never has to happen to anyone else. She currently serves as Chief Science and Technology Officer at MitoQ. This episode is not sponsored.

In this conversation, we go deep into the science that most physicians are still not talking about: how estrogen loss during perimenopause and menopause triggers a cascade of mitochondrial changes that affect your brain, your metabolism, your muscles, and your cardiovascular system, all at once.

What you will learn in this episode:

Why your mitochondria, not the calendar, determine how fast you age
How estrogen acts as a master regulator of cellular energy, and what happens when it disappears
Why women's brains start to struggle with glucose during perimenopause and what the research shows about preserving cognitive function
What S-Equol is, why only 25% of Western women can produce it from soy, and how to change that
The biomarker GDF-15 that most doctors are not ordering, and why it should be on your radar
How plant-based fats, MCTs, fiber, B vitamins, and polyphenols feed your mitochondria in ways no supplement can replicate

Dr. Mitchell also addresses the honest evidence base for MitoQ, including where the data is strong and where more research is still needed.

If you are navigating perimenopause, postmenopause, or want to understand how to protect your healthspan, you will enjoy learning from Dr. Mitchell in this episode.

Connect with Dr. Siobhan Mitchell:

MitoQ: https://www.mitoq.com

Research: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=s6LruaUAAAAJ&hl=en

Additional resources to help you thrive on plants:

🌱 Access the free Plant-Powered Body course: Access Here

🌱 Take the free health assessment for women 40+: Start Here

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