Latest Research Findings
Menopause is a major challenge for women and there are many who are currently suffering from this condition. Soy isoflavone is useful in alleviating many of the symptoms of menopause.
Soy isoflavones in yellow- and black-soybeans were found to be effective in preventing postmenopausal osteoporosis, and soy isoflavones and anthocyanins in black soybeans were also found to be effective in preventing abdominal obesity.
After submitting experimental and clinical research data for review in 2001, isoflavone was chemically proven to be “beneficial for bone health” and the soy isoflavone effect was recognized by the Japanese government.
This lead to the inclusion of soy isoflavone in the category “Food for Specified Health Use”. By 2009, there were 13 food products approved in this category with soy isoflavone as an active ingredient.
The Foods for Specified Health Use program was established in 1991 as the world's first such program,
under which the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW) grants approval for health claims to foods
recognized as useful in the prevention of lifestylerelated diseases. The system is extremely strict and
requires a variety of experimental data, and only foods that have been "scientifically proven to help maintain and improve health" are granted permission after a strict review of their safety and efficacy by a committee of experts from the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. The labeling of the food with the above mark and the labeling of the effect or efficacy or the labeling of the food with the above mark are permitted.(Currently, the Consumer Affairs Agency is in charge of this committee.)
