The Science Behind The Vitality Stack

Biohacking won’t do you a lot of good unless it really works. That was the guiding idea behind Vitality Stack – to make a product that brings some of the best science together to improve how we function holistically day to day. It works.

During Elite Academy Kansas City, we sat down with several experts to discuss what makes Vitality Stack so effective. We were joined by Dr. Rebecca Glasser, Dr. Brett Brimhall, Dr. Niki Elsing, and Debbie Zito. Here’s what they had to say.

WHAT EXACTLY IS BIOHACKING?

“Biohacking is creating the best self possible. This is the little things that we do every day, like our diets, exercising, or taking supplements that we use to activate our bodies.” –Dr. Glasser

What’s the difference between biohacking and being hijacked?
“That’s a great question. We’re constantly being exposed to toxins in our environment. Pollution, sun, smoke – all of these produce free radicals that aren’t great for us. Even good things we do in life like exercise and the act of breathing can cause free radicals.” –Dr. Glasser

“WE TALK A LOT ABOUT ANTIOXIDANTS. WHAT ARE THEY AND HOW DO THEY COMBAT FREE RADICALS?

A lot of the things that we eat combat free radicals, like kale, Vitamin C, and green tea. These are great, but ultimately they’re very inefficient. Think of it as one and done – I ingest an antioxidant, it combats one free radical, both are destroyed, and then the process is over. The problem is that we’re producing millions of free radicals every day, so direct antioxidants just aren’t enough. It’s like bringing a tiny Dixie cup to a giant fire. Ideally, you want to bring the entire fire department.” –Dr. Glasser

PROTANDIM NRF2 IS AN INDIRECT ANTIOXIDANT. HOW DOES THIS WORK DIFFERENTLY THAN A DIRECT ANTIOXIDANT?

“Protandim NRF2 activates a pathway called the NRF2 Pathway. Essentially what this does it activates the body in such a way that it promotes the production of a set of genes called your survival genes. These genes include antioxidant enzymes. Think about antioxidants like little Pac Men. They’re going around gobbling up free radicals over the course of a week. So instead of one and done, our bodies are working a million times over. It’s a much more efficient system.”* –Dr. Glasser

WE’VE TALKED A LOT ABOUT OXIDATIVE STRESS, BUT WHAT IS IT EXACTLY?

“Oxidative stress is a lot like rust. Essentially it’s the body rusting from the inside out. It’s a lot like leaving a piece of metal outside. It’s going to eventually rust. It’s the body’s reaction to being exposed to oxygen. This has long-lasting implications for maintaining our health. That’s what makes the first study on Protandim so incredible. It showed that Protandim reduces oxidative stress by an average of 40% in 30 days. It’s so important for maintaining cellular health.”* –Dr. Glasser

HOW IS ACTIVATING THE NRF1 PATHWAY DIFFERENT THAN JUST SUPPLEMENTING WITH NUTRITION FOR MITOCHONDRIA HEALTH?

“This is what’s so fascinating about biohacking. Right now we’re beginning to understand these different pathways. Right now, is a reflection of your cellular health. When you’re healthy, your cells are healthy. By opening up the NRF1 pathway instead of just supplementing, we’re allowing our bodies to function optimally. I don’t want to supplement my children’s finances forever – I want to activate those finances so they can take care of themselves. It’s the same with our cells. When we activate our cells by opening up the NRF1 pathway, we’re essentially helping our bodies do what they were designed to do.”* – Dr. Brimhall.

SO WHAT ARE THE MITOCHONDRIA AND WHY ARE THEY SO IMPORTANT?

“The mitochondria are your powerhouses. They’re responsible for producing 95% of your body’s energy. That’s energy your body uses to support the natural repair and building processes, and to function day to day. The mitochondria convert your food into energy, and by activating the NRF1 pathway, Protandim allows your mitochondria to function properly so they can become more efficient and produce better energy.”* – Dr. Brimhall.

And is this what makes Protandim NRF1 so effective

“Absolutely. Simply, Protandim NRF1 helps our cells make more mitochondria. By producing more mitochondria and protecting those powerhouses, you’re able to eliminate a lot of those free radicals that cause oxidative stress. This gives you improved energy, improved brain function – I need a lot of that – and improved heart health. It also works hand in hand with Protandim NRF2 to get rid of all the waste produced by free radicals.”* – Debbie Zito

NIKKI, AS A REGISTERED DIETICIAN, WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF FISH OIL, AND WHAT SETS LIFEVANTAGE OMEGA SO DIFFERENT?

“I’m a huge fan of fish oils, especially working in a cardiovascular hospital – I see first hand what a healthy heart can do for you. But it’s important to understand there’s a difference between high quality and just your average fish oil. It’s definitely worth your money to invest in the high-quality version. The combination of DHA and EPA that LifeVantage puts into its fish oil is amazing. These include the Omega 3 fats and Vitamin D3. It’s the perfect combination.* Plus, it’s 100% traceable from boat to bottle. All of this together – in my opinion – makes Omega a far superior fish oil.” – Niki Elsing

The fourth product in the Vitality Stack is Probiotic, which is so important to addressing gut health. But why is gut health so important?

“Our gut is so important is so important in so many ways. Over 70% of our immune cells live in our gut. So if you want a healthy immune system, you want a healthy gut. We often refer to the gut as our second brain because it’s tied to our moods. Unfortunately, we eat the wrong foods. Eating fast food or soda is a big part of our diet. Stress can also change the microbiome. Plus, we’re getting prescribed antibiotics, which can cause an imbalance in the gut.”* –Dr. Glasser

WHAT DIFFERENTIATES LIFEVANTAGE PROBIOTICS FROM OTHERS AVAILABLE ELSEWHERE?

“The delivery system is what makes it so unique. Most probiotics are destroyed in the stomach. In fact, only about 6% of the probiotics you take actually make it to the gut. Our probiotic is encapsulated and it’s time-released over 10-12 hours, so you get a 50 – 60% absorption rate into the large intestine where those probiotics can get to work.”* –Dr. Glasser

LET’S SWITCH GEARS A LITTLE. HOW DO PEOPLE WITH SO MANY DIFFERENT SYMPTOMS SEEM TO BENEFIT FROM AXIO? AND WHAT IS BRAIN FATIGUE?

“People are tired because they’re mentally tired – not physically tired. When our brains are tired, we feel overwhelmed or we lack focus. AXIO isn’t a drink for adults or kids. It’s a drink for everyone. In our society, we’re no longer being asked to do physical tasks. Our jobs are mental. AXIO is a very underutilized product, but the effects are cumulative. What you feel now is drastically different than what you’ll feel 6 months or a year from now.”* – Dr. Brimhall.

WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY CUMULATIVE?

“When we take in information, decide what it means, and get it back out – decision fatigue can affect that process. By cumulative, I mean that it’s the little things we do today that are going to add up. Think of the things that we do today as soil. We want good soil. If you want a cumulative effect on your brain for tomorrow, you need to start taking care of it today, so it doesn’t become depleted.” – Dr. Brimhal