WSUV Faculty participants

• Bonnie Hewlett

This research will begin to investigate why there is a long average lifespans after menopause. Current hypothesis assume that an older woman’s long post fertile life serves to enhance daughters fertility and grandoffsprings chances of survival by the extra provisioning and care provided by postmenopausal women. Long average post-reproductive lifespans theories will be tested by determining if, in part, the release of environmental toxins through breastfeeding promotes a longer average female lifespan. In addition, the production of breast fluid by postmenopausal women when nursing grandoffspring has been investigated. Specifically the biomedical samples will be analyzed for; levels of fat-soluble micronutrients lipids and proteins, in addition to environmental contaminants; dioxins, PCB’s and chlorinated organic pesticides.