Episode 17: The Female Longevity Protocol: Build Muscle & Bone Density for a Longer Life | Dr. Robin Berzin

What if the number on the scale is the least important thing about your health? In this conversation, Brigid sits down with Dr. Robin Berzin, founder and CEO of Parsley Health, to talk about what actually predicts women’s longevity: muscle mass, bone density, blood sugar balance, and root-cause healing. They dive into DEXA scans, functional medicine, hormone health, gut health, and how to eat for longevity in a real-life way—especially if you’re juggling kids, a career, and chronic inflammation or pre-diabetes symptoms. If you’ve ever been told “your labs are normal” while you still feel exhausted, inflamed, or anxious, this episode will completely change how you think about women’s health. What You’ll Learn In This Episode Why the scale is a terrible metric for women’s health and longevity The body composition markers that matter most: bone density, lean muscle, and fat mass When women should consider DEXA scans—and why waiting until 65 is a “travesty” How resistance training, impact, and protein help reverse osteopenia and osteoporosis The connection between muscle mass, chronic disease, and early mortality What functional medicine actually is—and how it finds the root cause How nutrition, gut health, and food sensitivities can put autoimmune disease into remission Why food is medicine is not a slogan, it’s biology Real-life strategies for eating a higher protein, lower sugar, anti-inflammatory diet How Dr. Berzin balances CEO life, motherhood, and her own hormone & energy health Timestamps 01:40 – Why the number on the scale is the wrong health metric 02:20 – When women should start getting full-body DEXA scans (it’s earlier than you think) 03:50 – Osteoporosis meds, side effects & why lifting heavy actually builds bone 05:00 – Reversing osteopenia & osteoporosis with strength training and lifestyle 05:50 – Low muscle mass and early death: the shocking mortality statistic 08:47 – Exactly how much protein women really need for muscle & hormones 11:00 – What functional medicine is (and how it’s different from conventional care) 12:27 – Migraines, root causes & why painkillers aren’t the real solution 14:45 – The “medicine of why”: deeper testing, hormones, thyroid, toxins & lifestyle 16:39 – Why Dr. Berzin founded Parsley Health & what she saw in exam rooms 18:59 – Making functional medicine more accessible (without 100 supplements and $5k visits) 20:30 – Longevity, wearables, and why this is the moment for health optimization 22:48 – Can nutrition really reverse chronic disease? What the data shows 28:45 – Why DIY elimination diets often fail (and what to do instead) 31:56 – How a CEO + mom of 3 actually fits in self-care 35:01 – Raising kids in a wellness-focused home 37:07 – Why “perfect” can’t be the enemy of good enough 38:56 – How to work with Parsley Health & where to find Dr. Berzin If you’re ready to stop obsessing over the scale and start building real longevity from the inside out—bone, muscle, hormones, gut and blood sugar—this episode is your playbook. Next Steps & Resources: Watch the full episode on YouTube Brigid’s Website Brigid’s Instagram Dr. Robin Berzin’s Website Dr. Robin Berzin’s Instagram Learn more about functional medicine & Parsley Health: https://www.parsleyhealth.com