Japanese Journal of Complementary and Alternative Medicine
Online ISSN : 1348-7930
Print ISSN : 1348-7922
ISSN-L : 1348-7922
Volume 2, Issue 2
Displaying 1-6 of 6 articles from this issue
Review
  • Toshio SHIMIZU
    2005 Volume 2 Issue 2 Pages 81-89
    Published: 2005
    Released on J-STAGE: September 13, 2005
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    The Japanese regulatory system of "Foods for Specified Health Use (FOSHU)" was set up to approve the statements made on food labels concerning the effect of the food on the human body in 1991 and that of "Foods with Nutrient Function Claims (FNFC)" standardized the nutrient function claims of vitamins and minerals in 2001. The International guideline of the Nutrient Function Claim, the Other Functional Claim and the Disease Risk Reduction Claims were adopted by the Codex Committee in 2004. The Structure/Function Claim, which is similar to the Other Function Claim, was enacted by the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act in the U.S in 1994. Most of the statements of the Japanese FOSHU are close to the category of Structure/Function Claims in the U.S. or the Other function claim in Codex. The health claim on foods should always be based on scientific evidence and be in harmony with international standards.
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  • Takuji TANAKA, Rikako SUZUKI
    2005 Volume 2 Issue 2 Pages 91-100
    Published: 2005
    Released on J-STAGE: September 13, 2005
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    Cancer chemoprevention utilizing food components is attracted because of its easily availability in humans. Bitter melon (Momordica charantia) (BMO) and pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) (PGO) seed oils contain a large amount of conjugated linolenic acid (CLN). In the first we demonstrated that BMO inhibits the development of azoxymethane (AOM)-induced putative precursor lesions for colonic adenocarcinoma in rats. Subsequently, we investigated the modifying effects of dietary administration of BMO or PGO on the development of colonic neoplasms using an animal colon carcinogenesis model initiated with a colon carcinogen AOM. Male F344 rats were given two weekly subcutaneous injections of AOM (20 mg/kg body weight) to induce colonic neoplasms. They were fed with the diets containing 0.01%, 0.1% and 1% BMO or PGO during the entire experimental period (for 32 weeks), starting one week before the first dosing of AOM. At the end of the study, the incidence and multiplicity of colonic adenocarcinoma were reduced in the "AOM+BMO" and "AOM+PGO" groups, when compared with the "gAOM alone" group. The contents of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA: 9c,11t-18:2) in the liver and colonic mucosa of rats fed BMO or PGO were elevated in a dose-dependent manner. Also, dietary BMO or PGO enhanced expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)γ protein in the colonic mucosa. These findings may suggest that BMO or PGO rich in CLN can suppress AOM-induced colon carcinogenesis through the modification of lipid composition in the colon and liver and/or increased expression of PPARγ protein level in the colon mucosa. Our results might provide scientific evidence of an effective dietary chemopreventive approach using BMO and PGO seed oils rich in CLN to cancer chemoprevention, especially colon cancer development.
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  • Shaw WATANABE, Kyou-Kou TAKU
    2005 Volume 2 Issue 2 Pages 101-111
    Published: 2005
    Released on J-STAGE: September 13, 2005
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    Health effects of functional food factors has prompted paradigm change in nutritional science. Randomized clinical trials with beta-carotene as a supplement, however, ended in the unexpected results. We tried to find a breakthrough for nutrional epidemiology, and made a database for calculating all phytochemicals consumed based upon the dietary survey. Application of FFF database to the field study made it possible to calculate intake of more than 50 phytochemicals, and correlation analysis between intake of certain phytochemicals and biochemical markers revealed both favorable and unfavorable effects. Such new approach could contribute to estimate safety of phytochemicals, and safety of isoflavones was considered from such approach.
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  • Takeo NAKAYAMA
    2005 Volume 2 Issue 2 Pages 113-125
    Published: 2005
    Released on J-STAGE: September 13, 2005
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    Evidence-based approach to the development of clinical practice guidelines has attracted significant attention from medical groups as well as from the public. According to the U.S. Institute of Medicine, clinical practice guidelines are defined as the systematically developed statements to assist practitioner and patient decisions about appropriate health care for specific clinical circumstances. However, the role and importance of clinical practice guidelines are not fully understood by stakeholders in Japan. This review aims to introduce real movements related with clinical practice guidelines in Japan, problems and future prospects of them.
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Original Article
  • Kazuyoshi TAKEDA, Takafumi OHSHIRO, Toshio OHSHIRO, Ko OKUMURA
    2005 Volume 2 Issue 2 Pages 127-133
    Published: 2005
    Released on J-STAGE: September 13, 2005
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    Natural killer (NK) cells specifically lyse cancer cells or infected cells and play important roles in immune surveillance against tumor and infection. Probiotics, live bacteria and their metabolic products beneficial to humans, are reported to modulate NK cell activity and result in the prevention of tumor development. In this study, we examined the effect of metabolic products of strain Bacillus subtilis AK, selective strain from Bacillus subtilis natto, (EMBSAK) on NK cell activity. NK cell activity in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) was enhanced in 50% of the rats orally inoculated with EMBSAK. In the experiments using EMBSAK-containing product, SARABAGAN, increasing frequency of NK cell activation was observed in volunteers as dose depending manner. These results suggested that supplemental intake of EMBSAK enhanced NK cell activity and indicated the possible utility of EMBSAK as complementary and alternative medicine, although susceptibility is individually various.
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Current Views
  • Yoichi NAGAMURA
    2005 Volume 2 Issue 2 Pages 135-140
    Published: 2005
    Released on J-STAGE: September 13, 2005
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    The role that food plays in prevention and the treatment of the disease is very important. However, it is quite serious for the commonalty to choose which functional food must be used in a lot of such food appeared on the market. In these circumstances, The Functional Food Consultant Certification Institute (FFCCI) was constituted. This institute identifies only the person who received a severe biochemical education as a Functional Food Consultant. These Functional Food Consultants are expected to contribute to develop the alternative medicine in the future.
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