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Ana María Lajusticia · 1924 - 2024

A life devoted to science and wellbeing

1924

A childhood between the kitchen and science

Ana María Lajusticia Bergasa was born in Bilbao on 26 July 1924, the daughter of Jesús Lajusticia Alonso and Delfina Bergasa Goyenechea. Among her childhood memories, those related to traditional food and to making the most of ingredients, both animal and plant-based, which have gradually disappeared from today's cuisine, stand out. The old way of growing vegetables, extracting collagen from the joints of meat and long cooking processes were everyday elements that she would later seek to revive in a unique way. She describes having had a happy childhood that was cut short by the upheavals of the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939).

1937

The move to Madrid and a calling for chemistry

After her father's death in 1937, she began to experience night-time palpitations linked to the pressure of being a good student so that she could contribute to the family finances, which a maternal uncle had by then taken charge of. At the age of 15, she moved with her family to Madrid. She completed her secondary education and, in the 1941–1942 academic year, influenced by her grandmother Felicidad Goyenechea Artaza, she enrolled in the Faculty of Chemical Sciences at the Complutense University of Madrid.

1947

Head of laboratory at just 24

In 1947 she was one of the few women who managed not only to complete her degree, but to do so with distinction. She attributed her success to perseverance, discipline and curiosity. That same year, at just 24, she was appointed Head of the MINERSA Laboratories, manufacturers of hydrochloric acid in Lejona (Biscay). In 1948 she completed a work placement at the Osor mines (Girona), supervising the extraction of fluorite by flotation.

1955

Twenty-one years in a boned corset

"I spent 21 years in a boned corset; I know what it is to be ill, and I know what it is to be well," Ana María would say of the medical prescription she was given in 1955 and followed to the letter until 1973. At the age of 43 she was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, which gave no hint of the extraordinary longevity she would go on to enjoy. Drawing on her training as a chemist, she researched until she found the problem: her diet was deficient and high in carbohydrates, and her breakfasts contained neither protein nor foods rich in vitamin C.

1976

The discovery that changed her life

Through a change in diet and a significant increase in her magnesium intake, her life changed. At 52 she stopped wearing the corset and had to face the consequences of the muscle atony that this artificial scaffolding had caused in her back. Her own recovery, discovering first-hand just how much good a corrected, well-balanced diet can do, turned this Basque woman into a great champion of magnesium and of other elements that do so much good for our health.

1980

The Ana Maria Lajusticia® brand is born

Ana María Lajusticia created her own brand of food supplements bearing her name and image, with the aim of bringing to everyone the nutrients so essential for caring for and maintaining health. She moved to Barcelona in 1973 and opened a herbalist's shop at Calle Laforja 63; it was in 1980 that she registered her own brand. Throughout her life she worked tirelessly to share her extensive knowledge of dietetics and nutrition.

RESEARCHER, AUTHOR AND SPEAKER

Twelve books that changed the way we understand nutrition

Her extensive theoretical and practical knowledge led Ana María Lajusticia to write her first work, "Balanced Nutrition in Modern Life", which was an extraordinary success. She published twelve books, notably "Magnesium, the Key to Health", "Osteoarthritis and Its Solution", "Diets à la Carte", "Adult Health Problems", "Nutrition and Intellectual Performance" and "Cholesterol and Triglycerides".

Among her published books, her first book, released in 1979, stands out: "Magnesium, the Key to Health", a bestseller of its time that went through 7 editions that same year.

In 2000 she signed with the publisher EDAF, writing her first work for them: "Overcoming Osteoporosis". This was followed by updated editions of her earlier books and, later, two new works: "The Answer Lies in Collagen" in 2006 and "Magnesium in Sport" in 2014. Her early works have been translated into French, German, Dutch, Polish, Czech, English and Chinese.

12

Books
Published

7

Languages
Translated

7

Editions
In 1979

More than 700,000 people followed her every week

An energetic, entrepreneurial woman, she moved to Barcelona in 1973 and opened a herbalist's shop at Calle Laforja 63. It was in 1980 that she registered her own brand, Ana Maria Lajusticia®. Today, the family business Distribuciones Feliu S.L. promotes and distributes her products, in whose formulation she was personally involved until the final years of her life.

Until the age of 97 she remained very active in sharing her knowledge through social media, building a community of more than 700,000 followers on the brand's YouTube channel, with weekly posts and health-related content. This channel, together with her talks, workshops and interviews, was the way Ana Maria Lajusticia kept in touch with her loyal followers.

At 98, she decided to step back from the media and pass the baton as Brand Ambassador to her granddaughter, Lara Feliu. The mini-series Simplemente Ana María features intimate conversations between the two, which can be watched on the brand's YouTube channel.

Her legacy, driven by her tireless dedication and commitment to helping improve people's quality of life, lives on after her death on 8 November 2024.