In 1879, Achille Bertelli embarked on a journey from Italy with the ambitious project of formulating products for people’s well-being. His goal was to utilize the natural molecules with physiological effects found in plants characteristic of the Mediterranean Diet, concentrating them effectively to prevent diseases. Establishing the first laboratory in San Francisco, he became known for “Bertelli’s Catramin Pills,” a product based on natural molecules, particularly effective in preventing seasonal disorders.

Since then, research on natural molecules in the Mediterranean Diet has continued to progress. In 2006, Dr. Matteo Bertelli founded a spin-off company dedicated to researching the preventive effects of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) associated with the Mediterranean diet.

Scientific literature confirms that the Mediterranean diet can prevent most NCDs, and the WHO has published guidelines recommending the consumption of at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables (400 g), along with hipocaloric and balanced diet and regular physical activity per day, to achieve these preventive effects.

The inspiration to scientifically investigate the reasons behind these preventive effects led to a series of studies and research conducted since 2006. These efforts materialized in the development of genomic, metabolomic, and proteomic tests, aimed at identifying biochemical pathways in the body subject to alterations and in need of modulation. In this context, the crucial role that natural molecules from the Mediterranean diet, present in our scientific-based dietary supplements, can play in this process is highlighted.