The Vital Nutrients Symposium 2025, held in Kassel, Germany, offered an excellent platform to discuss age-related health, emphasizing dietary supplements‘ role in prolonging healthspan.
As the global population ages, there is an increasing focus on living longer and better. The concept of “healthy aging” has gained prominence, encouraging industries to rethink how they support aging populations.
According to the World Health Organization, healthy aging is about maintaining the functional ability that enables well-being in older age. This means more than just extending life—it’s about ensuring people can live fulfilling, independent lives for as long as possible. As a result, industries are seeing an expansion in the market for products that support vitality and long-term health.
Branded Science-Backed Ingredients in the Nutritional Industry
The nutraceutical and supplement sectors have a unique opportunity to lead by offering ingredients and finished products that meet evolving consumer expectations.
Recent surveys show that 57% of supplement users believe branded ingredients work better, and 63% are willing to pay more for products with proven branded ingredients. This is a growing shift toward conscious consumption, leveraging companies such as Gnosis by Lesaffre that have invested in expertise and studies for natural, science-backed ingredients. And the increasing interest in supplements for age-related issues highlights a shift toward preventive health.
Vital Nutrients Symposium was a great initiative: Gnosis representatives Kimmo Makinen and Lorena Carboni talked about effective, ethical, and natural-based dietary ingredient solutions to tackle healthy aging with products that support health and physiological changes in every step of life.
Ingredients like Quatrefolic®, MenaQ7®, and Mycondro® (formerly Mythocondro®), all featured in presentations at the symposium, are becoming go-to solutions for maintaining vitality. Gnosis supports joint health, cognitive function, and overall vitality while emphasizing sustainability and ethical sourcing, and Gnosis is committed to staying ahead of this trend.
Gnosis Flagship Ingredients Highlighted Throughout the Symposium
Quatrefolic®: The active folate form that is not metabolically activated through enzymes, bypassing the potential MTHFR polymorphism (present in 40% of the common population) that can reduce folate availability. It supports cellular and cardiovascular health.. Insufficient active folate can lead to elevated homocysteine, causing aging-related issues.
MenaQ7®: The most clinically studied Vitamin K2 as MK-7 is essential for bone and cardiovascular health because it regulates calcium. Optimal K2 levels are rare without supplementation.
Mythochondro® (newly rebranded MycondroTM): A bioavailable, fermentation-derived chondroitin sulfate unlike anything on the market studied for osteoarthritis support and joint health. Osteoarthritis is a common cause of joint pain and reduced mobility.
Aging Is Inevitable, but How We Age Isn’t
The symposium’s success serves as a powerful reminder that, in a world where aging is inevitable, the choices we make every day can allow us to age healthily, with a good quality of life and vitality.
