In this issue of HealthQuest, we are celebrating 110 years of the continual evolution of the world’s very FIRST multi-vitamin [1] Vita-Lea, when Vitalized Minerals was created in 1915 by the chiropractic genius, nutritionist, humanitarian, philosopher and leader, Dr. Forrest C. Shaklee. Others (in the late 20s and 30s) make that same claim, but Dr. Shaklee was already distributing his vitamin tonic before 1920 to his chiropractic patients.

But first, let us get started by reviewing 2 new amazing products,
designed for our faces.

The first new product is the YOUTH Ageless™ Sculpting Wand for Face & Neck. [2] This product has only been available to the Shaklee Field for a month now, but the many pictures I have seen posted on the Sharing Shaklee FaceBook page and the lower portion of Shaklee’s product page all look very promising!

Shaklee describes the product: “An Age-Defying Formula and Instant Lifting Wand in One”. Formulated with our Power8 Peptide Blend, this treatment wand is clinically tested to instantly relax the appearance of expression lines with ingredients to support collagen synthesis over time, with continued daily use for smoother, firmer, more lifted-looking skin on the face, neck, and décolletage.”

This is accomplished by a unique combination of ingredients:

Power8 Peptide Blend: A blend of 8 clinically tested peptides makes up 25% of the formula. Peptides are short chains of amino acids that are the building blocks of proteins needed by the skin, that includes collagen and elastin.

In August 2021, Shaklee released Collagen-9, and we reviewed that in the September 2021 HQ (issue 37–5), so you should remember this sketch of our skin, as it reveals the role of collagen and elastin in supporting the skin layer.

The central, or dermal portion of skin contains a cell line called fibroblasts. Those cells synthesize collagen and elastin, the 2 important structural components that provide the “scaffolding” that supports the external, or epidermal layer of our skin.

These 2 proteins (collagen and elastin) are necessary for skin health because they provide both structural support and elasticity to our skin, like the ability to return to its original shape after being stretched by motions like smiling. [3]

Skin issues develop as we age, because of UV exposure, toxins absorbed by our skin, and insufficient antioxidant intake to protect our fibroblasts. [4]

As with collagen, elastin is also affected by age and the elements. Reduced levels of these proteins cause our skin to begin to sag, and that sagging is what causes wrinkles and deepening lines .

The Sculpting Wand contains an all-natural combination of ingredients to transport essential peptides into the dermal layer of our skin, to repair and support regions (such as our smile lines) that develop as our skin begins to sag from exposure to UV-induced photoaging [5] and insufficient phytonutrients in our diet. [6]

Our old friend Youth Complex helps protect and repair cellular DNA within our skin cells, while slowing the breakdown of collagen and elastin. Youth Complex includes muscadine grape, apple cell extract, Lotus japonicus and Schisandra chinensis extract, ingredients we reviewed in our YOUTH 2017 issue (issue 33–5).

Our other old friend Vital Repair+® Complex was also reviewed in issue 33–5. [7] Vital Repair+® is a patented mixture of 7 ingredients: Vitamin E, C, and A, along with Panthenol (pro-vitamin B5), Grape Seed Extract, Superoxide Dismutase, and Beta Glucan. These combined ingredients will reduce UV radiation damage, while protecting cellular DNA from UV-related damage.

The Patent-Pending Polyphenol Blend should also remind us of Vivix the Anti-aging Tonic, because it contains a potent polyphenol blend shown to help slow the breakdown of collagen and elastin, to provide us with firmer-looking skin.

Shaklee mastered a double-patented, natural process that concentrates specific antioxidant-rich polyphenols from the muscadine grape. The Sculpting Wand provides an effective vehicle to deliver these healing nutrients directly into our skin.

The Wand also contains Snow Mushroom (Tremella fuciformis). Studies have demonstrated the role this extract plays in skin anti-aging, photoprotection, wound healing, and barrier protection. [8] The mushroom is naturally rich in fatty acids and high in enzymatic, collagen-boosting polysaccharides. [9] An extensive review of this mushroom found that Tremella polysaccharide can regulate the expression of Sirtuin protein in cancer cells, and participates in fatty acid oxidation, aging, inflammation, and other life processes. The Tremella polysaccharide also protects human skin fibroblasts, thus protecting the breakdown of dermal support structures. [10]

I find that last statement fascinating because these polysaccharides achieve their effects via stimulating the Sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) cellular defense mechanism [11] which is also stimulated by the Vivix polyphenol complex. When Vivix was released in 2008 I reviewed all the research I could find to understand that mechanism [12] and at that time there was no mention of any other sirtuin-activating compounds (STACs) besides the polyphenols.

Once I had created the Polyphenols page [12] , I occasionally added updated articles, when I found one during down-time periods. This is what impresses me the most about Shaklee. They maintain a group of researchers who continually sift through the peer-reviewed literature looking for breakthroughs in nutritional research, and when they find a preponderance of material supporting a particular ingredient, they hunt for a supply, and then test it for purity and activity.

In the case of the muscadine grape, no one had ever taken the time to develop a method to capture those delicate natural compounds to create a full spectrum extract. That is WHY Shaklee spent more than 2 years working together with scientists at the University of Georgia to develop the perfect combination of Muscadine species (Vivix includes 12 different varieties), and to develop an extraction method that contains the optimum ratio of 12 different amazing polyphenols. (NOTE: The 2023 updated Vivix now contains 15 different polyphenols!) (Refer to issue 39#6 Welcome to Ageless)

Their level of competence and commitment to purity and efficacy is what we have come to expect from Shaklee, and they have never let us down!

The next YOUTH ingredient is Guava Ferment. As Shaklee states: This Amazonian botanical has been used for centuries for numerous purposes, including topically for skin and hair health. It boasts an impressive tannin and flavonoid profile and is especially rich in quercetin, phenols, carotenoids, vitamins, and essential oils to protect and retain moisture, to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.