2020 would have been a great year. Although there was much sadness, there was also some good news worth celebrating. We would like to reflect on this year to highlight our accomplishments, but also learn from it. Here is our 2020 overview:

  1. More information and online sales that can be helpful.
  2. A fourth book and other high-level scientific findings.
  3. Magazines, radio and collaborators.
  4. Lessons learned from a missed opportunity.
  5. Looking into the future

1. More information and online sales that can helpful.

The onset of the pandemic forced us all to adapt quickly. We have therefore decided to make Vitoli products available on the website and thus limiting trips to stores for our consumers. We have also chosen to increase the frequency of articles on our blog, by producing more information, in order to better inform the population. Thus, in addition to articles on healthy lifestyles and on different facets of health, we have published a series of articles on the virus and related facets to better understand the situation and what can be done:

  1. The virus
  2. Why is it causing so many problems?
  3. What happens if you are infected?
  4. Medicines used for treatment
  5. The development of a vaccine
  6. The origin of the virus
  7. Supplements; the opinion of a pharmacist
  8. The mask and risk exposure factors

The Vitoli blog now contains dozens of quality articles, grouped under different themes:

2. A fourth book and other high-level scientific findings.

At the very beginning of the pandemic, the 4th book on healthy longevity was published (French only – English version coming soon): Live Young 4 – Don’t Be a Slave to Your Genetics. A book in continuity with the first three which are unique reference works containing recommendations on all the important aspects to consider in order to “live young longer”. This time, the main diseases associated with aging are discussed with explanations concerning the causes, as well as the risk and prevention factors. It also presents a new concept: facilitating advice. Here, it is about simplifying disease risk reduction recommendations so as to produce statements that are easy to understand and apply; understanding + motivation + application = facilitating advice. This is the way to simplify and improve lifestyles to allow the development of a culture of prevention and to keep people healthy longer.

In terms of discoveries, we had already announced 6 new gerosuppressive agents in 2016 and the best results ever obtained for slowing the processes of primary aging, in 2019. Already 6 scientific articles have been published when we announced, in 2020, 15 new gerosuppressive agents. Research in the field marks a turning point in human health and preventive medicine. These natural molecules could help prevent all of the diseases associated with aging, not one at a time, but all at once. It is therefore a question of reducing the incidence of common conditions such as osteoarthritis, diabetes, cancer, heart disease, Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s. This approach has already been called “the ultimate preventative medicine” in the prestigious journal, Science.

Vladimir Titorenko, professor of biology at the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Concordia University, has been collaborating since 2013 with Éric Simard, president of the company Idunn Technologies, to discover new anti-aging molecules. This work has just been published in the scientific journal Oncotarget. The TransBIOTech research center and the Cégep de Lévis-Lauzon also participated in the studies.

“We now have a large number of anti-aging herbal extracts that could be used to reduce the incidence or progression of age-related diseases in humans”, says Dr. Vladimir Titorenko. The researcher is devoting his efforts to understanding the molecular mechanisms that allow cells to resist aging.

“With the aging of the population, the possibility of keeping people healthy longer is a major advance that could have repercussions, not just in economic terms, but for the quality of life of the population and the capacity of the health care system in general”.

3. Magazines, radio and collaborators.

The year 2020 has also been marked by an increase in our collaborations. We were already actively involved in providing articles on different facets of health for the Vie de grand-parents website. We have now added Les Radieuses magazine, Vitalité Québec magazine, the Académie du kéto webcast and a health column on CNV Radio Numérique.

In addition to these collaborations, we have welcomed a large number of various new collaborators to the Vitoli blog in order to continue to provide you with high quality information:

  • 4 pharmacists,
  • A doctor,
  • Two psychologists,
  • A nutritionist,
  • An acupuncturist,
  • An osteopath; Dr. in Food Sciences,
  • A Dr. in kinesiology,
  • Two integrative health therapists,
  • Two researchers in the field of primary aging,
  • A cook specializing in international cuisine,
  • A dentist,
  • Two naturopaths,
  • A specialist in patient-partner involvement in research and teaching in mental health,
  • A chemist specializing in the detection of natural active molecules,
  • A physiotherapist specializing in services for the elderly,
  • A karate trainer, president of the largest group in Quebec

4. Lessons learned from a missed opportunity.

We consider this to be a very sad year for two reasons:

  1. The pandemic,
  2. The observation that no recommendation to make the population healthier has been made by public health as a means of preventing the impacts of this pandemic.

It is in times of crisis that we see the impact of our true values. It would have been easy to try, even just a little, to encourage people to be healthier so as to reduce their risk of developing the severe form of the virus. All of the healthy lifestyle habits could have been put to good use. They all have an impact on the efficiency of the immune system and on inflammatory processes; two crucial aspects to avoid the worst outcome. In addition to giving the population another tool to reduce the risks, we could have emerged from the pandemic with a population that would have better lifestyles overall. We must take advantage of our challenges to emerge as a grown society. We will possibly retain greater flexibility in the face of teleworking, which should help fight global warming. Maintaining better lifestyle habits would have reduced the pressure of the annual increase in health care costs while allowing the population to enjoy life for longer. We therefore consider this to be a missed opportunity.

5. Looking into the future

In Quebec, we are starting to market in natural food stores, still offering specialized training in the use of Vitoli products. You can now request our products at your favorite points of sale.

We also translated the equivalent of 2 books of Vitoli’s blog content in English, the entire content, to prepare for our expansion to the rest of Canada as well as internationally. We are happy to announce that we are now present in 4 Canadian provinces. We have come to an agreement with the PharmaChoice banner (more than 880 pharmacies across Canada) to develop their branches as a priority.

We will continue to be there for you with new initiatives to serve you better.

The Vitoli Team.