The company that markets Vitoli® products is called Idunn Technologies. The name Idunn comes from the name of the goddess of eternal youth. In mythology, when the gods didn’t want to grow old, they appealed to the goddess Idunn who gave them the golden apple of longevity. Idunn Technologies was created to set up an ambitious research program on cellular longevity which led to the discovery of new gerosuppressive agents. The research program was developed in the fall of 2013 and has been supported since its inception by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC).

This research has made it possible to identify new gerosuppressive agents: natural molecules capable of slowing down cellular aging. While the majority of anti-aging approaches target appearance or a particular facet of health, gerosuppressive agents act on cellular mechanisms upstream from physiological changes in order to preserve both appearance and capabilities.

Confident in the importance of these discoveries, but also aware of the knowledge on centenarian populations around the world, I then decided:

  • To continue research on cellular longevity,
  • To write books on healthy longevity (Live Young Longer books),
  • To bring together professionals from different professions on a blog (Vitoli blog),
  • And to market natural products containing gerosuppressive agents.

Our research on cellular longevity

The vast majority of research on aging aims to understand what happens as we age, to see the damage, to identify the origins of the changes; usually with the goal of understanding them better or developing treatments. Research on the prevention of aging has begun only recently.

The vast majority of geroscience scientists agree that research on primary aging will allow diseases associated with aging to be concentrated in a shorter period at the end of life. This will prolong the active, healthy period during which we maintain the autonomy and capacities necessary to enjoy life. It is therefore not a question of being “old and sick longer”, but of living young longer (hence the title of my books).

The primary aging modulators, the gerosuppressive agents, which we are currently discovering, should increase our chances of aging like people in centenarian populations. You should know that the period of chronic illness amongst centenarians is about 6 to 10% of their life expectancy compared to about 19% for the North American population. Therefore, centenarians, in addition to living longer, experience a much shorter period during which they are affected by diseases associated with aging. A recent study of 3000 people confirmed this and in some cases the period of illness was limited to a few months or a few weeks in centenarians.

Our research has trained a large number of graduate students while publishing the results in a top peer-reviewed scientific journal. Two large families of patents were filed to protect the discovery of these 21 new gerosuppressive agents.

Natural products to live better, longer.

“Live better, longer”. This is the slogan of Vitoli® products that you find on each bottle. They were developed to apply some of our discoveries on cellular longevity by creating much more effective natural products.

When it comes to natural health products, people are very skeptical of the potential effectiveness, and with good reason. Our objective was to select all the ingredients with the highest level of scientific demonstration, accumulating the greatest quantity of conclusive data, to ensure a higher quality of these ingredients which will be formulated at the dosages respecting these clinical demonstrations. Thus, this greater effectiveness of Vitoli® products is related to several aspects:

  1. Ingredient selection, standardization and quantity.
  2. The combination of complementary mechanisms of action, when applicable.
  3. The presence of gerosuppressive agents.

We did not want to consider approaches that would not be scientifically valid and sufficiently supported by evidence. We considered only the benefits for which plant extracts of good quality and in sufficient quantity, can allow a significant and justifiable effect. For each benefit considered, we have selected the plant extracts with the most clinical evidence and providing the greatest beneficial effect. We then decided to standardize all the ingredients used.

Standardization is the identification of the active molecules of plant extracts. This allows greater efficiency if the dosages are adequate, but also the production of safer products. For example, for Vitoli® Menopause, only one supplier of soy isoflavone agreed to produce the extract that we chose to use because we guarantee, not just the quantity of isoflavone like the other companies, but the quantity of both active molecules which are daïzine and genistein. This is the highest level of quality. Only Idunn Technologies guarantees that all extracts used are standardized.

But beware, it is not enough to have the right ingredients. Even if these are the best scientifically documented and standardized ingredients, it is also necessary to ensure that you have enough in order to enable the targeted health benefits. Vitoli® products contain higher doses of the ingredients, in accordance with the clinical demonstrations carried out.

In order to always offer greater efficiency, we have paid attention to the possibility of adding complementary mechanisms of action. For example, the effects of valerian are more significant in combination with other plant extracts than when used alone, both for sleep and for anxiety. This assertion was validated by an independent systematic review of the scientific literature. That’s why our Vitoli® Stress and Anxiety and Vitoli® Sleep products contain valerian extracts combined with other high-quality plant extracts such as L-Theanine, passion flower as well as olive extracts from the exclusive Provitol® Complex.

The presence of gerosuppressive agents

Certain gerosuppressive agents are very well documented to act on all the important facets of healthy longevity. We have therefore integrated a gerosuppressive agent exclusive to Vitoli® products, in all products: the exclusive Provitol® Complex (specific polyphenols extracted from olives).

Thus, in each Vitoli® product, you benefit from the presence of gerosuppressive agents, to which are added the plant extracts with the most scientific demonstrations for each of the targeted applications. Our extensive knowledge of the field of healthy longevity has led us to supplement certain formulas with vitamins and minerals when this contribution was deemed significant. For example, Vitoli® Immunity, in addition to containing the plant extracts with the best non-specific antiviral effects, also contains the zinc and vitamin D3 necessary for better health of the immune system.

A recent scientific article, published by independent researchers from Spain and France (de Pablos et al., 2019), claims that these gerosuppressive agents protect against aging via several cellular mechanisms.

 

Other suggested articles:

 

 

References:

  • Andersen, et al. 2012. Health span approximates life span among many supercentenarians: compression of morbidity at the approximate limit of life span. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. Apr;67(4):395-405.
  • Dakik P, Rodriguez MEL, Junio JAB, et al. Discovery of fifteen new geroprotective plant extracts and identification of cellular processes they affect to prolong the chronological lifespan of budding yeast. 2020;11(23):2182-2203. Published 2020 Jun 9. doi:10.18632/oncotarget.27615
  • de Pablos et al, 2019. Hydroxytyrosol protects from aging process via AMPK and autophagy; a review of its effects on cancer, metabolic syndrome, osteoporosis, immunemediated and neurodegenerative diseases. Pharmacological Research 143 (2019) 58–72.
  • Eileen M. Crimmins. 2015. Lifespan and Healthspan: Past, Present, and Promise. 2015 Dec; 55(6): 901–911.
  • Ismail K, Nussbaum L, Sebastiani P, Andersen S, Perls T, Barzilai N, Milman S. 2016. Compression of Morbidity Is Observed Across Cohorts with Exceptional Longevity. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2016 Aug;64(8):1583-91.
  • Kaeberlein, 2015. Healthy aging: The ultimate preventative medicine. Science, 2015 Dec 4 ;350(6265) :1191-3.
  • Kennedy BK, Pennypacker JK. 2014. Drugs that modulate aging: the promising yet difficult path ahead. Transl Res. 2014 May;163(5):456-65.
  • Jin et al, 2014. The Critical Need to Promote Research of Aging and Aging-related Diseases to Improve Health and Longevity of the Elderly Population. Aging Dis. 2014 Dec 15;6(1):1-5.
  • Kaeberlein et al, 2015. Healthy aging: The ultimate preventative medicine. 2015 Dec 4;350(6265):1191-3.
  • Longo et al, 2015. Interventions to Slow Aging in Humans: Are We Ready? Aging Cell. 2015 Aug;14(4):497-510.
  • López-Otín et al, 2013. The hallmarks of aging. Jun 6;153(6):1194-217.
  • Menendez et al, 2013. Xenohormetic and anti-aging activity of secoiridoid polyphenols present in extra virgin olive oil. A new family of gerosuppressant agents. Cell Cycle 12:4, 555–578; February 15, 2013.
  • Seals DR, Justice JN, LaRocca TJ. 2016. Physiological geroscience: targeting function to increase healthspan and achieve optimal longevity. J Physiol. 2016 Apr 15;594(8):2001-24.
  • Shinjyo et al, 2020. Valerian Root in Treating Sleep Problems and Associated Disorders-A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. J Evid Based Integr Med. 2020 Jan-Dec;25:2515690X20967323.