We're here to add healthy years to your life.
Longevity Institute is a Danish longevity-science institute founded by Ulrik Ditlev Seemann Eriksen. Our work is simple: translate the world's best longevity research into something you can actually do tomorrow morning.
Ulrik Ditlev Seemann Eriksen · Founder
We build on what works.
A Harvard School of Public Health study of 120,000 participants found that five lifestyle factors were associated with 14 extra years of life expectancy, a 72% lower risk of cardiovascular disease and a 52% lower risk of cancer. That is the foundation for everything we do — the five pillars of healthy longevity: sleep, nutrition, movement, stress and social connection.
We are not anti-medicine. We work with risk factors, not just symptoms. We build on research from Harvard, Stanford, NEJM, The Lancet and BMJ — and we cite our sources. Every time.
Ulrik studied psychology at the University of Copenhagen and lifestyle medicine at Harvard Medical School, and trained as a stress coach with Bjarne Toftegaard. He is the author of The Art of Longevity.
Only around 7% of how long and how well we live is determined by our genes — the rest comes down to lifestyle and environment. That is why our work is focused on the factors people can actually influence.
120,000
study participants behind the foundation
50+
peer-reviewed references
14 years
extra healthy years (Harvard)
~7%
of life expectancy is determined by genes
Longevity Institute & Vila Health
Longevity Institute is the evidence-focused institute. It works to help people live better, healthier and longer — sharing knowledge and evidence, recommending tools, publishing the book and articles, giving talks, and taking part in research and development collaborations.
Vila Health is the operating company that builds the tools — the app, Stack, brain training and more — runs the coach platform, and delivers programs for companies and municipalities.
Two organisations, two websites: longevityinstitute.dk and vila.health.
Four principles. No exceptions.
01
Evidence over hype
We cite Harvard, Stanford, NEJM, The Lancet, BMJ. If a study can't be reproduced, we take it out.
02
Risk reduction over repair
We are not anti-medicine. We work with risk factors, not just symptoms. Many chronic health challenges are shaped by decisions made 20 years earlier.
03
Protocols over preferences
Feelings are poor health advisers. We build steady protocols you can live with for 30 years.
04
Numbers over stories
Blood pressure, LDL/ApoB, HbA1c/fasting glucose, waist/BMI, resting heart rate, VO2max. What isn't measured can't be improved.
Four steps, in this order.
01
Screening of key risk factors
We start with a lifestyle and risk-factor screening across the markers that matter most.
02
Prioritising what matters most
Not everything at once. We identify the two or three changes that will move the needle for you.
03
Realistic goal setting in everyday life
Goals that fit your actual life — work, family, energy — not an idealised version of it.
04
Ongoing support to sustain it
Change that lasts needs follow-up. We stay with you through coaching, tools and community.
Want to work with us?
Start free with Vila, read the book, or take the 2-minute quiz.
Important
Longevity Institute and Vila Health provide health guidance based on lifestyle science. We are not a medical device, and we do not diagnose, treat or cure medical conditions. Always consult qualified health professionals about medical concerns. Our aim is to supplement — not replace — professional care.
Correlation is not causation. The figures cited come from large observational studies and randomised trials as referenced; individual results vary. Scores are a marker of progress — not a diagnosis.