Shaw Watanabe

Life Science Promoting Association, Japan · Integrative Medicine

In many countries, rice contributes to better health by supplying dietary energy, proteins, fat, and various micronutrients. Many different rice species are cultivated in Japan and other rice-producing countries, in which we expect some varieties to prevent many diseases. In particular, the health effects of brown rice are apparent. In particular,...

Low protein rice can be part of a nutritionally adequate dietary pattern in the prevention of chronic kidney disease. We developed a low protein fermented genmai (brown rice) LPFG) to improve chronic kidney disease (CKD) management. The principal functional features of brown rice are retained in LPFG, lessening the negative spiral of gut-kidney ass...

The number of chronic kidney disease patients (CKD) is increasing worldwide. The low protein diet was a traditional treatment to decrease proteinuria, and it was the only method until the 1960s' when hemodialysis was implemented. Since the 1980s, development of anti-hypertensive, anti-diabetic, diuretic drugs and recent SGL-2 inhibitors ignores the...

Unpolished brown rice (genmai) has many health benefits, such as making a lean body, aiding good intestinal movement, and a low prevalence of lifestyle-related diseases. The functional ingredients of genmai, however, have not been well clarified. We collected 54 different genmai species at the Genmai Taste Grand Prix and measured their functional i...

The epidemiology of chronic kidney disease (CKD) shows increasing trends in prevalence and mortality and has become the leading health problem worldwide. Reducing the amount of proteins ingested from rice is an easy way to control the total intake of proteins, saving energy sources, particularly in rice-eating countries. In Japan, low-protein white...

Aims: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is increasing in prevalence worldwide, not only as a complication of diabetes and end-stage glomerulonephritis but also as a typical degenerative process in the elderly. A low-protein diet is essential for the prevention and delay of CKD. As rice is the leading staple food in many countries, low-protein rice sho...

Background: The health effects of brown rice are still in debate. From September to December 2019, 30 employees in the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries conducted the pilot intervention study on bowel movement, intestinal microbiota, fecal short-chain fatty acids, and inflammatory biomarkers to see the health effects.

The relationship between diet and health is a field that requires more research in an ultra-aging society. A questionnaire survey was conducted, to compare groups of brown rice and natural foods eaters, with residential population to clarify the relationship between the brown rice eaters and obese people. The total number of respondents was 7183. T...

Incidence and mortality of COVID-19 varied significantly by country. No clear hypothesis has been proposed to explain such anenormous difference. We found that annual rice consumption by country inversely correlated well to the cumulative number ofCOVID-19/million by compiling data from 17 major countries of G20. The negative correlation coefficien...

Pandemics have shaped humanity over and over again, but the coronavirus outbreak of 2019-2020 is in a world at the tipping point of catastrophic climate change. Its origins and distinction derive from over-population with inequity and an industrial revolution since the 17th century which has exploited fossil fuels as a globalised energy source, a p...

The relationship between rice consumption and the cumulative number of COVID-19/1000000 at June 6, 2020 was examined after compilation of data from 19 major countries on 5 continents. A strong negative correlation with a coefficient of determination of 0.59 was found. On the contrary, wheat consumption showed the positive correlation. This suggests...

The relationship between food and health has long been discussed since the Greek era and ancient times in China. In the latter half of the 19th century, the relationship between nutrient deficiency and disease began to be linked, and in the latter half of the 20th century, excessive intake of fat and meat to cause obesity, and pandemic increase of...

Hay fever is an increasing disease in Japan, and the prevalence of cedar pollinosis exceeds 20% nationwide. More than 50 kinds of pollen have been reported so far in Japan. Pollinosis often complicated other allergic conditions. Since patients with allergic diseases have lower s-IgA levels than healthy subjects, patients with hay fever have less we...

Special fertilizer, the BrownBio powder was elaborated by mixinga special complex of soil fungi and okara and rice bran. Mixture of fungi contained proteolytic bacteria count; 6 × 105 ~ 2.4 × 107 cells /g dry weight, starch-degrading bacteria count; 1 × 105 ~ 4.6 × 106 cells /g dry weight, and oil-degrading bacteria count; 2 × 104 ~ 3.7 × 106 cells...

To clarify the risk factors for Helicobacter pylori infection, which is considered to play an etiologic role in atrophic gastritis, duodenal ulcer and gastric cancer, various parameters including diet and socioeconomic characteristics were compared between H. pylori-infected and non-infected men. In a cross-sectional study of 634 men aged 40 to 49...

Purpose Metabolic syndrome is a preceding risk of diabetes, hypertension and/or dyslipidemia, so the diagnosis of metabolic syndrome is important for further treatment. In 2005, the international diabetes foundation (IDF) reported a new diagnostic criterion of metabolic syndrome, making abdominal obesity an essential factor required in the diagnosi...

New rice processing to peel off waxy layer of brown rice produces a wax free brown rice (WFBR) with palatability of white rice and nutrients rich bran layer. It made it possible to extract protein from WFBR and yield low protein brown rice (LPBR). CKD patients have a necessity to reduce phosphorus and potassium intake in addition to decrease protei...

Purpose: Brown rice eaters are healthy and have good bowel movement, which suggests a good intestinal environment and good composition of microbiota. However, knowledge about the normal variation of the intestinal microbiota of these people still remain limited. Subjects and Methods: A nested study on the intestinal microbiota was carried out among...

In many countries, rice contributes to overall better health by supplying dietary energy, proteins, fat and various micronutrients. Many different species of rice have been developed in Japan and other rice producing countries. Some varieties are expected to prevent many types of diseases, or to be used for dietary therapy. The health effects of br...

In many countries, rice contributes to overall better health by supplying dietary energy, proteins, fat and various micronutrients. Many different species of rice have been developed in Japan and other rice producing countries. Some varieties are expected to prevent many types of diseases, or to be used for dietary therapy. The health effects of br...

Soy foods were first consumed in China more than a millennia ago. In Japan, soybeans have been cultivated since the Yayoi era, 2000 years ago, and in Heian era (eighteenth century) seasoning connected to the present, such as miso, soy sauce, etc., was made. At present, nearly 850,000 tons of soybean are consumed as raw material for food in Japan, o...

Background and objectives: Limited information is available on how weight loss intervention programs affect skeletal muscle mass especially in trunk. Methods and study design: A total of 235 overweight Japanese men and women aged 40-64 years with a body mass index of 28.0 to 44.8 kg/m2 participated in this randomized controlled intervention stud...

WFBR (wax free brown rice) had the same nutritional values with brown rice. The palatability was comparable to polished white rice. Its protein depleted rice decreased 70 % rice protein, two third phosphate and almost all potassium that were toxic for chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients, so LPBR (low protein brown rice ) could be available for pa...

The standardization of diagnostic criteria is important to compare the efficacy of intervention and prevention of diseases. It could be conclusive that the WC of Japanese criteria is appropriate avoiding both over-diagnosis and under-diagnosis. WC reflects both visceral fat and subcutaneous fat of the abdominal wall, women in middle age usually hav...

Newly-made protein extracted wax free brown rice (LPBR) could be expected to have wide usage in clinical nutrition. CKD patients have a necessity to reduce phosphorus and potassium intake in addition to decrease protein intake. At the same time, there is a need to ensure the patient takes in enough energy source. LPBR meets all these requirements a...

The concept of metabolic syndrome was proposed by several committees, although there had considerable disagreement over the definition and diagnostic criteria. The use of the definitions to conduct research into the metabolic syndrome resulted in wide ranging prevalence rates, inconsistencies and confusion, and spurred on the vigorous debate regard...

hydrobutyrate (BHB), one of representative ketone bodies, increases by fasting. Fasting endogenously produces ketone bodies in the liver, kidney and astrocytes in the brain. We reported the case in whom increased BHB would come from intestinal microbiota by Koda's fasting diet. Relationship between plasma BHB and intestinal microbiota has not well...

Brown rice contains functional ingredients, such as dietary fibres, ferulic acids, GABA, and antioxidants. They keep a good balance of the bacterial flora and of the immune system. Considering that obesity is associated with various diseases, it is important to consider brown rice among interventions to control obesity. 31 references.

Introduction: Removal of wax layer from brown rice keeping nutrients rich bran layer was necessary for improving palatability of brown rice. Further removal of rice protein yielded low protein brown rice which is beneficial for chronic kidney disease patients. Methods: Removal of wax layer was elaborated by the new machine. Extraction of protein fr...

The prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) is estimated to be 8–16% worldwide, and it is increasing. CKD is a risk factor for heart attack and stroke, and it can progress to kidney failure requiring dialysis or transplantation. Recently, diabetic nephropathy has become the most common cause of CKD. In Japan, the cumulative probability of requir...

Recently, hyperketonemia induced by fasting or ketogenic diet calls attention because of the possibilities for various clinical applications. Animal species comparisons and biochemical data show that all fetuses can develop by using ketogenic energy through a pathway which seems to have been maintained. We hypothesized that 3-β-hydroxybutyrate (β-H...

Background: Quantitative evaluation of visceral fat mass and skeletal muscle mass is important for health promotion. Recently, some studies suggested the existence of adipocyte-myocyte negative crosstalk. If so, abdominal skeletal muscles may easily and negatively affected not only by the age but also the visceral fat because age-related reduction...

Objectives The aim of this study was to examine the association between the number of neighborhood facilities that were assessed according to postal code and objectively measured physical activity by using an accelerometer in community-dwelling Japanese people.Methods The participants included 1,274 Japanese people aged 30-84 years from the Saku co...

Since ancient times, fasting has been performed for religious reasons or as a cure of illnesses. Mitsuo Koda developed fasting dietary therapy and confirmed beneficial effects for many patients with intractable diseases. About 900-1000 kcal/day by unpolished brown rice, green vegetable paste and tofu constitute the basic regimen of Koda's therapy....

Background-objective: No study has focused on the difference in efficacy of maintenance therapy between patients with new-onset and recurrent gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). The aim of this study is to reveal this point. Methods: Endoscopically proven GERD patients who had completed 8-week initial therapy were sequentially randomized to...

The association of diverticula with bowel habits is unclear. We therefore analyzed the association between diverticula and bowel habits in over 1000 Japanese individuals. Japanese subjects who underwent total colonoscopies at seven centers in Japan from June to September 2013 were analyzed. Bowel habits were evaluated using the Gastrointestinal Sym...

Background/objectives: This cross-sectional study aimed to estimate total antioxidant capacity (TAC) intake from food and beverages in a Japanese population from 7-day seasonal dietary records. Subjects/methods: The 7-day weighed dietary records of 390 subjects over four seasons between 1996 and 1998 were used. The TAC values (μmol trolox equiva...

Objective To evaluate the association between adiponectin complexes (high-molecular-weight [HMW], middle-molecular-weight [MMW], and low-molecular-weight [LMW] adiponectin) and diabetes. Design and Methods We conducted a case-control study, based on a cohort in Saku, Japan. Among 2565 participants, 300 participants with diabetes and 300 matched con...

Objective: To investigate the age differences in the risk of diabetes incidence according to body mass index (BMI). Methods: For an average of 10.3 years, this study prospectively followed a cohort of 4725 women aged 30-69 years without diabetes at a baseline health check-up conducted between April 1990 and March 1992. Diabetes onset was identif...

Aims/IntroductionThe inverse association between soybean intake and type 2 diabetes mellitus has been reported. We investigated the effects of soybean product intake on the incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus considering fasting and postload hyperglycemia. Materials and Methods The present 4-year, cohort study included 1,738 men and 1,301 women,...

Objective: To establish body mass index (BMI) percentile curves for adults and to compare these in 1980 with those in 2005 among Japanese men and women. Methods: Participants included 8080 community residents aged 20-79 years who had a health check-up in 1980 and 5616 community residents aged 20-79 years who had a health check-up in 2005. Sex-sp...

The efficacy of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) for treating functional dyspepsia (FD) is not well established. This study, named the SAMURAI study, aimed to assess the efficacy and dose-response relationship of rabeprazole in Japanese patients with FD in a multicentre, double-blinded, randomised, placebo-controlled trial. Investigated FD was diagnos...

Background: Diabetes is an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease, certain types of cancer, and death, and self-reports are one of the most convenient methods for ascertaining diabetes status. We evaluated the validity of diabetes self-reports among Japanese who participated in a health checkup. Methods: Self-reported diabetes was cros...