We previously reported the effect of chronic feeding with chicken breast extract (CBEX) containing the histidine-related peptides anserine and carnosine on improvement of swimming endurance in mice. The present paper describes the immediate accumulation of carnosine in muscles (M. quadriceps femoris and M. gastrocnemius) and enhanced recovery from exhaustion in mice after a single oral administration of carnosine and CBEX. Swimming endurance times (ET1 and ET2) of mice were determined in an adjustable-current pool: ET1 is the period until exhaustion during the first session of swimming, and ET2 is that during the second session of swimming after a single oral administration of carnosine, CBEX, or physiological saline as a control and a 15-min break after the first swimming session. The ET2/ET1 value was regarded as a recovery index. The index for control mice (56.9±3.4%) was lower than that for mice administered carnosine (79.9±6.4%, significant at p<0.01) and mice administered CBEX (70.9±9.0%, p=0.09). In the carnosine-administered mice, increases in carnosine concentration and pH of the quadriceps femoris and gastrocnemius muscles were observed at 15min after administration. These results suggest that carnosine may enhance recovery from exhaustion due to its buffering capacity and that CBEX may be an effective source of carnosine.

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The antihyperlipidemic effect of DHA-enriched Chlorella vulgaris CK22 (D-CVP) has been studied in a rat model. The hyperlipidemic diet used was based on the AIN93 formula, where the lipid is lard instead of soybean oil. Added to this diet was 1% cholesterol and 0.5% cholate, together with either 0%, 5%, 10% or 20% D-CVP, 20% CVP, or 0.9% DHA oil. After 4 weeks, serum T-CHO and TG levels were elevated in the group administered the hypercholesterolemic diet. The strongest anti-hyperlipidemic effect was shown in the D-CVP group, and the prevention of serum T-CHO elevation was due to the diet's lowering effect on LDL-C. HDL-C was not influenced by these diet treatments. D-CVP showed a very strong preventative effect on not only liver T-CHO and TG elevation but also visceral fat pad weight. However, D-CVP and CVP were equally effective in protecting against increases in liver weight and liver lipid content. The anti-hyperlipidemic effects of D-CVP may be represented by a supplementary correlation between its DHA and CVP components. D-CVP lowered the serum LPO level, and therefore appears to be a promising candidate for prevention of lifestyle-related diseases that afflict the elderly.

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The Japanese government's “Dietary Guidelines” for 2000 suggested re-evaluating dietary habits according to eating preferences cultivated by regional characteristics such as climate and geography. In this paper, I discuss the characteristic preferences of the Kansai area. The Japanese diet originated in the Yayoi Period. In the Asuka-Nara Period, a wide variety of foods were eaten, and most of these are still readily available. The taste of traditional classic Japanese dishes is characterized by the fish and seaweed stock (dashi) commonly used. In order to evaluate local eating preferences, we examined udon dashi-jiru (the soup used for Japanese wheat noodles) in twelve cities along the Tokaido (one of the traditional transportation routes from Kobe to Tokyo). The soup in the Kansai area was significantly lighter in taste and color than that used in the Kanto area. This preference for lighter tasting and lighter colored dishes may have originated from the eating habits prevalent in the old capital (Kyoto) during the Heian Period. At this time, the Kyoto area had a rich supply of vegetables but a poor supply of meat and fish. Therefore, cooking methods were developed to maximize the flavors and colors of vegetables, resulting in lighter tasting and lighter colored dishes. These cooking methods, along with the local preference for lightly seasoned dishes, have been inherited and are still seen today in the Kansai region.

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Food allergy is becoming a serious nutritional problem in Japan, since the incidence of allergic diseases seems to have been increasing in recent years. This report describes the relationship between the Japanese daily diet and the incidence of food allergy, the food constituents eliciting food allergy, development of the production of hypoallergenic foods, and a strategy for preventing the risk of food allergy.

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Rice is a main staple food for more than three billion people worldwide. Rice has maintained the national health of the Japanese people with its abundance of starch and high-quality protein and fat, and its utilization in a variety of foods such as traditional cakes and sake has given the Japanese a sensitive preference for foods and led to the development of food science and technology as well as cookery techniques. With the increased import of various foods, foodstuffs and food culture to Japan, rice consumption has been decreasing and unease about health has been increasing. Japan's self-sufficiency rate for a calorific supply base has decreased significantly, and cultivation of rice needs to be maintained. A national consensus is needed to build up a system of rice famine reserves. Studies to identify the yet unknown functional properties of rice are still ongoing. Rice will remain the major component of a healthy diet in the 21st century if an understanding of rice as a traditional food of great value is passed on to the next generation.

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On gel-filtration, the major food allergen ovomucoid (28kDa) in human breast milk was eluted only in the fractions corresponding to a molecular weight of about 450kDa. A similar elution profile as that for ovomucoid was obtained for its immune complex with sIgA. Similar results, suggesting the occurrence of food allergens as immune complexes with sIgAs, have also been obtained for other food allergens in breast milk. The relationship between the presence of allergens in mother's milk and allergic symptoms in their babies needs to be discussed with reference to not only the level but also the molecular features of the allergens.

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