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機能性食品、ストレスも緩和 - 日本経済新聞

The growing concern over lifestyle-related diseases is driving health-conscious individuals to focus on dietary solutions for sustaining wellness. Rather than addressing the fundamental issues, those individuals are often guided towards so-called "magic" health foods, or quick-fix supplements recommended by government bodies and corporations. Emphasizing the vital role of human gut microbiome consisting of trillions of microbes in maintaining our health, beverage companies are expanding their hunting ground, tapping into health-related anxieties to broaden their consumer base.

Products marketed under the banner of "Functional Foods" have captivated health-aware individuals accustomed to generalized health-care guidelines, reinforcing the tendency for many consumers to trust health-claims without due diligence or a healthy degree of skepticism. Many beverage companies have been not only providing a broader variety of standardized solutions to customers seeking to figure out what would damage their health below the surface through their dietary means, but also promoting an overly optimistic portrayal of one-size-fits-all products. Those products are leaving the impression of being universally suitable for individuals of all age groups and diverse health statuses, promising potential benefits such as "may help maintain healthy blood pressure" or "may support digestion while improving immunity". That is overlooking the intricate and personalized nature of health care that requires attention to each individual's health condition and the varying compositions of gut flora, which is influenced by factors such as long-standing dietary lifestyles, age, overall health, and antibiotic exposure.

An increasing number of health-aware consumers, particularly those in their twenties and thirties, along with seniors keen to avoid age-related diseases, have been gravitating towards a misleadingly therapeutic image of health-claiming products often masked with a sweet veneer of addictiveness. In a 2022 survey conducted by Dentsu, Japan's largest advertising agency, 30% of female respondents in their sixties and male respondents in their twenties reported regular consumption of “Foods with Function Claims” or “Specified Health Foods”, known as Tokuho in Japan. Following closely, men in their thirties comprised 28.8% of respondents, marking an increased regular intake among males between their twenties and thirties compared with those in the 2021 survey.

The emphasis on the balance of autonomic nerves and gut flora as a critical determinant of overall health is encouraging a growing reliance on health-promoting food products among men in their thirties struggling with stress-induced mental conditions. They are regarding such products as helpful for preserving the symbiotic relationship between the human body and gut microorganisms through a concept known as the gut-brain axis. Cutting-edge research indicates a disbalance in gut microorganisms could disrupt the interplay between the nervous system and the gut, due to the modifications in the chemicals produced and released by the gut flora, acting as neurotransmitters in the brain. Such alternations could set off various health complications including irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), inflammatory bowel disease and various kinds of mental health disorders. Despite the personalized health requirements for maintaining a balanced gut flora, an anxiety-driven mentality is making product labels with health claims issued by manufacturers appear more beguiling and tempting. The mindset overshadows the fundamental fact that each person's journey to achieving the ideal state of symbiosis with their gut flora is unique and should not be generalized.

The beverage industry in Japan has effectively capitalized on the surging demand for health-oriented food products, profiting from the rising awareness of the health risks posed by modern diets laden with harmful substances. Many beverage companies have experienced a spike in sales of health-claiming products, cashing in on the "Food with Function Claims" framework established in 2015. The framework calls for certain health benefits grounded in scientific evidence, principally linked to health maintenance or enhancement, through the consumption of foods as reported by manufacturers to the Consumer Affairs Agency (CAA). According to Fuji Keizai Group, a field research company, the functional food market is more likely to exhibit vast growth potential. From generating sales of 31.3 billion yen in 2015, it saw an impressive 17-fold surge to reach an estimated 546.2 billion yen in 2022. The market is projected to further expand to 600 billion yen in 2023.

Vibrant catchphrases tied to functional food products have been approaching their prey, capturing potential customers’ attention and allowing those products to make a lasting impression on their stress-ridden minds while masking their cost-pass-on-customer strategy. Yakult’s lactic acid bacteria beverage, Yakult 1000, is highly attuned to the modern high-stress lifestyles. Its advertising messages are boasting of therapeutic benefits aimed at improving sleep hygiene and reducing stress, thanks to the specific bacteria strain in the product. With a powerful marketing line, "A sweet splash of immune protection," Kirin Beverage is selling a new product engineered with a specially developed strain of bacterium, known as the Plasma strain, which has been researched by Kirin's team for its potential to boost the body’s natural detox mechanism and promote wound healing, thus supporting immune health. Nissin York’s lactic acid bacteria beverage, Pilkul Miracle Care, is weaving a spell promising fatigue-free mornings after a restful night's sleep. Faith in the potential benefits of lactic acid bacteria is striking a chord with consumers of Asahi Beverage's new product. The product's marketing is emphasizing its capacity to enhance immunity and alleviate sinus discomfort. Despite its higher price, driven by increasing raw material costs, consumers are finding the price justifiable and reasonable, given the health benefits offered.