Studying Lifestyle-related Diseases through a Primary Prevention Approach

Primary prevention as well as clinical treatment are recognized widely in medicine today as key factors in the decrease of disease and the promotion of good health. Primary prevention is the preferred way to handle certain lifestyle-related diseases. Chronic ailments like diabetes that are largely influenced by lifestyle choices are thought to be preventable through the improvement of daily lifestyle habits.

Lifestyle-related diseases are the main target of Kao’s activities in the new field of health science, which harnesses the most advanced forms of biological science. Through links with universities and other research institutions, we continue to acquire new knowledge concerning the onset, prevention, and cure of lifestyle-related diseases. At the same time, we search for materials and technologies and develop new products that contribute to the improvement of daily lifestyle habits, with a particular focus on people’s diets.

Obesity is a root cause of lifestyle-related diseases that currently affect 1.2 billion people around the world. To understand the nature of obesity, we have conducted extensive research on the metabolism of fats and energy, as well as performed work in the field of nutrition. Based on our findings, we developed cooking oils containing diacylglycerol (DAG), which prevents body fat accumulation, as a main ingredient.

Also, by combining the knowledge we acquired through our DAG research with findings from our polyphenol research, we discovered that catechins in tea and chlorogenic acids in coffee are effective in reducing body fat and in promoting the burning of fat. These findings led to the development of products that are rich in these polyphenols, such as Healthya Green Tea and Healthya Coffee.