Founder & Chairman Emeritus, USANA HEALTH SCIENCES INC
Dr. Myron Wentz: El legado científico de toda una vida (es)
About USANA: Founded in 1992 by Dr. Myron Wentz, USANA Health Sciences is a U.S.-based company that manufactures ...
About Myron Wentz
Dr. Myron Wentz, founder and chairman emeritus of USANA Health Sciences, delivered a keynote speech at the 2025 USANA Live convention in which he described the cell as "the fundamental unit of life" and stated that health begins at the cellular level. He said that nourishing, protecting, and feeding cells with the right nutrients allows them to repair themselves, providing health and longevity. Wentz criticized most nutritional products available as inadequate for supplying the needs of the cell and protecting against environmental toxins. He introduced Dr. Katherine Armstrong as the company's new Chief Scientific Officer, saying she is there to strengthen USANA's foundation with "science-based evidence, rigor, and integrity." Wentz also said USANA should be "educators, advocates, protectors" and that the company will always be a cellular nutrition company. In a separate biographical video released in 2025, Wentz recounted his early career, including founding Gull Laboratories in 1974 and developing more than 30 FDA-approved diagnostic tests, most prominently the Epstein-Barr virus test. He said that after reading the label of a nutritional supplement, he concluded that the ingredients would not sustain cells in his laboratory, which led him to found USANA in 1992 to produce science-backed nutritional products made in a pharmaceutical-grade facility. Wentz stated that his vision for USANA was to "develop the highest quality science-based nutritional products possible." He also said he believes the role he was given in life "will not and should not end when my life ends" and that the mission must be carried on.
Transcript (12 segments)
✨ AI-enhanced transcript with speaker attribution
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Narrator0:00
Within these walls, some of the world's finest health products are researched, developed, and manufactured. For more than 30 years, USANA Health Sciences has been the world leader in cellular nutrition, driven by a relentless vision of creating the healthiest family on Earth. One man's unwavering dedication to science paved the way for a new era of health. Standing on the shoulders of giants before him, he devoted a lifetime to unlocking the secrets of cellular health, creating a legacy that continues to inspire and empower millions all over the world.
Born in 1940, Myron Wentz was the son of immigrant parents. His father, a farmer and businessman, instilled a spirit of industriousness in Myron at a young age. He grew up very interested in sports, playing most all the sports that he could play in school, but he was also deeply interested in music. When he was just 17 years old, his father tragically passed away from heart disease. I think when his father passed away, it was definitely a moment that helped him to reflect on what he wanted to focus on in his life, and he chose education versus being a farmer. So I knew what I needed to do in life. I needed to use my talents and abilities to make a difference in the health of people in the world.
During high school, Myron discovered the work of Dr. Linus Pauling, a two-time Nobel Prize winner who made groundbreaking discoveries in chemistry, quantum mechanics, and molecular biology. He didn't know then, but these discoveries would be the foundation for his life's work. He began his studies in the premed program at North Central in Illinois, where he cultivated his desire to create the tools and solutions for medicine rather than solely practice as a medical doctor. He took a job for the State Health Department as a microbiologist studying immunology and infectious diseases. His desire to master the skills of his job led him to the University of Utah, where he received his doctorate in microbiology and immunology. I realized early on that in the laboratory we were handicapped with the unavailability of test systems to identify viral infections, and it was after three years of dealing and being frustrated with this that I decided to try my hand at it.
In 1974, Dr. Wentz sold everything he owned to establish Gull Labs, driven by a singular mission to revolutionize the availability of viral diagnostic kits. At the time, only two such tests existed, leaving a critical gap in medical diagnostics that he was determined to fill. After two and a half years, he was able to get several tests approved by the FDA, the most prominent of which was for the Epstein-Barr virus, which quickly became the gold standard for that test. The magic of Gull Laboratories was their ability to grow healthy cells. The healthier the cell, the more accurate the diagnostics could become. So really, what set Gull apart from other laboratories around the world was their ability to take a cell culture and maintain it in a healthy state for decades, and they used those cells for their diagnostics. And they were able to accomplish what other multi-billion multinational corporations were never able to accomplish. And actually to this day, some of those same diagnostic tests are still utilized in hospitals globally. Gull Labs went on to develop more than 30 diagnostic tests.
The rapid growth in needs of the company began to take a toll on Dr. Wentz's health. In his quest to provide health to others, he had lost sight of his own. He knew he had to make a change. He asked a pharmacist friend of his to recommend a vitamin supplement that he could take to help supplement his own health. And when his friend brought in those supplements, he looked at the label and he said, 'I can't believe this is what they're feeding to humans. If we fed these same nutrients to the cells in our laboratory, we'd be out of business.' When I think back to all those years in which I was doing cell culture, in which I became so focused on the importance of nutrition, I never connected nutrition of cells in culture with nutrition of the whole body. I didn't have a question in my mind as to what I needed to be doing as quickly as I could.
In 1992, he sold Gull Labs to found USANA Health Sciences, now fully dedicated to solving the problems of cellular nutrition by transitioning his efforts from diagnostics to maintaining health. You know, 30 years ago we were in Europe with some scientist at a lab where he was helping fund, and they were questioning why would a world-renowned scientist stake his reputation in the nutritional world, because back then nobody believed in it. The American Medical Association took years and years for them to even recognize the need for nutritional supplementation. And for someone like that to switch, to put their reputation on the line, especially financially when they didn't need to. You can always tell when someone's doing something to what end. He didn't need to do this. He didn't need to head in this space, but he knew that he needed to because of the knowledge that he'd been given. And Gull was just a stepping stone to his lifeline goal of making an impact to the health and wellness of mankind.
He was now focused on bridging the gap between optimizing cellular nutrition in the lab and providing that same level of precise essential nourishment to the human body. Back in the early '90s, I think the supplement market was dominated by the supermarket brands, and Dr. Wentz's vision was to develop the highest quality, science-based nutritional products possible that would move the needle on the supplement industry. Drawing on his expertise in biology, immunology, and cell culture, Dr. Wentz developed a groundbreaking pipeline that set new standards for the supplement industry. Producing a supplement according to the standards at the time weren't enough for him. He wanted to take again this pharmaceutical approach, which really required a far higher bar for quality assurance and quality control. Collaborating with a team of top scientists, he optimized the formulations of the nutrients once used to sustain his cell cultures, transforming them into bioavailable supplements. For the first time, people had access to a science-backed formulation made in a pharmaceutical-grade facility with the combined purity, potency, and bioavailability that was unmatched in the market.
USANA's innovation did not stop with supplementation. Decades of work has brought about breakthroughs in formulations for various health needs, including the ability to unlock our cells' innate health with targeted nutrition. Science played a critical role in the evolution of this company, and that wouldn't have been the case if Dr. Wentz hadn't been willing from the start to pour resources into research and development. Despite USANA's global success in providing the best cellular nutrition products, he felt a growing restlessness. While the company had made remarkable strides in maintaining the health of millions of people, he knew that there was more to be done in expanding his vision. Driven by his unwavering commitment to advancing health, he decided it was time to channel his knowledge and expertise into the realm of treatment. In the year 2000, he founded the Sanoviv Medical Institute, a holistic healing and wellness facility that would provide the most advanced treatments available. Where USANA provided options for various nutritional deficiencies and fighting against oxidative damage, Sanoviv would build upon those principles using cutting-edge methods of detection to create a whole new world of therapeutic opportunities.
He wanted to create an atmosphere almost like a laboratory where there were no toxins, where people could come who needed to have their health improved and could receive through a natural way the best opportunity to maintain or regain their health. And it's one of the premier facilities in the world. Just as Gull Labs and USANA were ahead of the curve when they were founded, he was determined Sanoviv would go a step further, ensuring the facility was free from all known environmental toxins and pollutants. All building materials, from the soil to the fabric in the furniture, were tested for toxicity. He started ordering in special glue for the tile that was non-toxic and everything you can imagine. It's 100% as clean of an environment as possible so that the body has the opportunity to perform at its most optimal level. The Institute became a pioneer in using state-of-the-art diagnostic and therapeutic methods to treat patients with complex health conditions, creating full regimens that were designed to aid in the healing process in all aspects of a person's life. This achievement represented the culmination of Dr. Wentz's medical journey, seamlessly integrating his expertise in diagnostics and nutrition into a comprehensive approach to healthcare.
You know, in some respects, Sanoviv could be viewed as sort of the pinnacle of his vision towards health and healing. He began with Gull Laboratories providing diagnostic tests for physicians. He moved on to USANA, giving all of us the nutritional tools we need to take charge of our health. Then he moved on to treatment through Sanoviv, providing people with a place where they can go to get the finest in alternative medicine, functional medicine, nutritional medicine to address specific health issues that they had and take their health to the next stage. Dr. Wentz's vision for health has continued beyond the lab, empowering communities worldwide to live healthier, more fulfilling lives. From funding medical research and education programs to supporting underprivileged communities with medical facilities and essential health resources, reflecting his unyielding vision of creating a world free from pain and suffering. I've had the opportunity to travel the world with Dr. Wentz, and in the early days with the Children's Hunger Fund, I remember being in the Ukraine and in Romania and walking into an orphanage, and the kids didn't have proper beds. And before we left, Dr. Wentz was making arrangements to have new beds. Walking with him in Africa, seeing villages where malnutrition is just rampant, and watching him out of his own pocket build a hospital. I've seen literally with my own eyes the effect of his desire to help humanity, and nobody really knows the extent of where he has made an influence in the world. And it's all for his desire to make an impact, and he cares about people.
Dr. Myron Wentz's journey is a testament to what can be achieved when passion meets purpose. His relentless pursuit of scientific excellence, uncompromising dedication to health, and passion for improving lives have shaped USANA into what it is today. As we look to the future, these principles are the foundation of our mission. Every product we create, every breakthrough we achieve, and every life we touch carries forward the legacy Dr. Wentz instilled. His vision is not just part of our history, it's the blueprint for our future. We believe the best is yet to come. I love the quote from Albert Einstein. It says most people believe it takes intellect to be a great scientist. Einstein said, 'I beg to differ. It takes character.' And his character is what drives me and drives our entire team. That's the foundation of who we are and the decisions we make. When you look at the values of our company of integrity, of community, of health, when you look at all of these elements, they're all part of how Dr. Wentz has modeled and lived his life. I think the consistency of his vision from Gull Laboratories through USANA and now through Sanoviv provides not only a rock-solid foundation but a springboard that will launch that vision decades into the future.
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Myron Wentz14:17
I believe the role that I was given in this life will not and should not end when my life ends. That the mission must be carried on. And I thank the USANA family for allowing that to happen.