Chokatsu- Improving Gut Health - Japanology Plus

Oh Our bodies are home to trillions of invisible life forms They are known as intestinal bacteria Recent research has revealed that these bacteria play a role in everything from immunity and metabolism to our very state of mind. Today, one health practice centered on living in harmony with bacteria is gaining global momentum. In fact, it's a health practice that people in Japan have been following for over 1,000 years without even realizing it. It's said that Japan's approach to living with bacteria is one factor supporting its world-leading life expectancy. Miso, natto, rice bran pickles. Japanese meals include an abundance of fermented foods and fiber-rich ingredients. In recent years, more and more cafes, restaurants and shops are branding themselves around gut health. Supermarket shelves are lined with all kinds of health-focused yogurt, while new services are emerging that allow customers to analyze their own gut bacteria. Today's episode focuses on gut-related activities, known in Japan as chōkatsu. We explore a burgeoning wellness standard based on living in harmony with our gut bacteria. Hello and welcome to Japanology Plus, I'm Peter Parrikar. A lot of Japanese words end in katsu, and I know a lot of people are going to be thinking tonkatsu, which is the breaded, deep-fried pork cutlets, which are extremely popular with residents and visitors alike, but we're talking about a different kind of katsu today. This is short for katsudō, which means activity, and it's often attached to words which indicate social trends. Now today we're going to be talking about chōkatsu, and chō refers to the intestines and guts for short. So chōkatsu is activities related to the intestines. We'll find out what it's all about in a minute. Benno-san. Hi, it's nice to meet you. That's me. Nice to meet you. You too. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu. It's great to meet you. Our guest is Benno Yoshimi, a leading authority on intestinal bacteria research. He came up with the term chōkatsu. I understand that you're actually the inventor of the term chōkatsu. Thirty years ago, I coined various Japanese terms related to the gut, including chōkatsu. The reason I created these words was to make everyone in Japan think about managing their own gut environment. The public's awareness of the importance of the gut was very low at the time. The gut was becoming a source of illness, and colorectal diseases were also on the rise. Learning how to control this was the key. Chōkatsu is all about turning the large intestine from a source of illness into a source of health. So how does one actually go about doing chōkatsu? Firstly, the important thing is to eat three proper meals. You should also be eating things that are high in dietary fiber, like seaweeds, beans, and mushrooms, all of which are common in the Japanese diet. Then there's fermented foods. You need to incorporate those. Another thing is relaxation. You need to create an environment where you can relax, free of constant mental stress. Also sleep. Getting enough of it. These are the important aspects commonly associated with chōkatsu. Do you do any chōkatsu yourself? Well, from what you were just saying, I do try to get as much sleep as I can. I do try to get exercise. I walk 45 minutes every morning. And I do eat quite a lot of things that have roughage in them. That's excellent. Just make sure to relax and be mindful of what you eat, and you'll be able to build a healthy gut environment. You know, in our daily lives, we don't really spend too much time thinking about our intestines, do we? I began my research in the 1970s. But as we entered the 21st century, it became clear that gut bacteria can play a role in high blood pressure, diabetes, and even brain function. From around 2010 in particular, there's been research related to conditions like dementia and autism. It's only this century that people have started calling the gut our second brain. Miso. Soy sauce. Natto. Pickles. Japan has a long history of fermentation. Techniques to ferment and preserve grains and fish date back more than 1,000 years. Preserved foods were made using fermentation, including narezushi, in which fish and rice were fermented together. Between the 8th and the 12th centuries, koji-making techniques were brought over from China and spread across Japan, leading to the creation of fermented seasonings such as miso and soy sauce. By the 17th century, fermentation had become central to Japan's food culture. Towns across Japan made their own miso and soy sauce, and storehouses lined the streets. Natto and pickles became staples for the masses, and Japan's unique culture of fermentation began to take shape. At a time when global life expectancy averaged around 40 years, some Japanese historical figures such as Shogun Pokugawa Ieyasu and artist Katsushika Hokusai lived remarkably long lives. Fermentation was thought to hold the secret. The mechanisms behind this process were gradually uncovered thanks to advances in modern science. From koji mold and natto bacteria to our own gut microbiome, we now understand that microorganisms are deeply involved with human health. Our first stop is a specialty store that stocks unique fermented foods and seasonings from around the world. Whoa, look at all these. These are all fermented foods. It's amazing to see so many different types of things, and they're all fermented. I mean, when you're in Japan, the topic of fermented foods comes up really often, and I don't recall people talking about it elsewhere. Why do you think that is? Japan is hot and humid, and many regions have their own traditional fermented foods. I think this is now one of Japan's emerging charms. Sake, for example, is a product of fermentation. Really? Absolutely. I suppose that's because wine is also fermented. For wine, grapes are fermented using yeast. Japanese sake, meanwhile, employs a unique three-stage fermentation process using lactic acid bacteria, koji, and yeast. Japan's tradition of fermentation is reflected in sake's versatility. It can be enjoyed warmed or chilled. The products here all share that potential. They're fermented foods crafted to bring out umami. There's a lot of things I've never seen elsewhere. They actually look pretty good. This mirin is a perfect example. Right, right. Pure rice vinegar is another. Vinegar, yes, of course. And people weren't necessarily aware of the scientific benefits of it. It's just something that had always been in the culture, I suppose. Exactly. That's what's so remarkable. Even today, we might encounter these foods and think, wow, that stinks. But within that pungency is the immense power of fermentation. This process of making food last longer while also bringing out umami is a trait unique to Japan and neighboring countries in Southeast Asia and East Asia. One thing to note is that these foods are high in sodium, so I think we need to be mindful not to overindulge. Come to think of it, where I grew up in England, they have a thing called marmite. Do you know that? No. I think that's also a fermented, not dish, fermented food, I suppose. It's incredibly salty. We used to just dab a little bit on toast, but more than that was a bit too much. Chokatsu, the practice of improving physical condition by optimizing your intestinal environment. The concept is beginning to take hold as a modern health practice, and more and more people are thinking about their gut health in their everyday lives. I tend to have constipation, so I take Yakult and lactobacillus every day. I also massage my stomach when I'm not feeling well. I've heard that seaweed is good for you. So I try to add more seaweed to my diet. Do you feel like you've lost weight? I like konnyaku, so I try to eat a lot of konnyaku. Is there a big difference? Yes, there is. I can tell the difference between when I eat konnyaku and when I don't. One key pillar of fermented Japanese foods is koji mold, considered Japan's national microbe and essential to miso and soy sauce. Awareness of lactic acid bacteria, meanwhile, arrived in Japan through yogurt. As Japan underwent a period of westernization around the turn of the 20th century, yogurt was introduced to the country. However, at the time, it wasn't a common food, even in the West. It was a Russian microbiologist at the Pasteur Institute in Paris who first focused on its benefits. Ilya Mechnikov observed that Bulgarians who ate plenty of yogurt lived exceptionally long lives. He theorized that there could be a link between the bacteria in yogurt and the gut environment and pioneered the study of yogurt's health benefits. The 1970 World Expo in Osaka helped spread awareness of yogurt across Japan. The display of authentic yogurt at the Bulgaria Pavilion proved so popular that it triggered a sudden surge in Japanese interest. Japanese food manufacturers started researching lactic acid bacteria and developed all kinds of health-focused yogurts and probiotic drinks. Today, Japan is recognized as a global leader in the field of lactic acid bacteria research. Our next stop is the research laboratory of a major dairy manufacturer. Hello. Konnichiwa. Nice to meet you. I'm glad to see you. Tsuchihashi Hanae is an expert in lactic acid bacteria. Can you explain a little bit about the kind of research that you're doing here? We primarily do research on lactic acid bacteria and product development research on fermented foods like cheese and yogurt. This is one of the strains we are currently researching. That's lactic acid bacteria? Yes. And each one of these is a piece of bacteria? That's right. Can I actually have a look inside the microscope? Yes. Thank you. Oh, that's really pretty. And it looks quite different from this. And this is blown up how many times? These two together provide 1,000 times magnification. Okay. So they're really, really tiny. Yes. Okay. The term lactic acid bacteria isn't actually a scientific name. It's a general term for bacteria that produce large amounts of lactic acid. In terms of classification, over 700 species of lactic acid bacteria have been documented so far. Wow. How long have you been doing this research? I've been involved in this research for about 25 years. Is it fun? Oh, yes. Ever since I first began researching lactic acid bacteria, I've always loved seeing the results of each experiment. It's so exciting every time. Oh, that's good. They call her the lactic acid bacteria hunter. Whoa. How do you go about hunting them? Lactic acid bacteria are everywhere. You find them not only in fermented foods but also in grass, trees, vegetables, and flowers. There have even been salt-tolerant strains found in seawater. They also live in the intestines of animals and, of course, humans. They've been found inside both the mouth and the gut. We collect samples from all of these sources, verify that they really are lactic acid bacteria, and store each of them. This is the process that we call hunting, gathering samples from all different places, isolating the different lactic acid bacteria, and archiving them. So lactic acid has not necessarily anything to do with milk. Pickles and kimchi, for instance, are fermented using lactic acid bacteria. Cheese and yogurt, too. By consuming such foods and other fiber-rich ingredients like cacao, we can improve our gut health. Cacao is actually fermented after harvest. So that means chocolate can be considered a fermented food. Wow. I didn't know that. Japanese supermarkets offer an incredible variety of yogurts. Some boast specific strains of lactic acid bacteria and their benefits. Others are low in fat or sugar. There are even ones with a particular focus on gut health. The number of yogurt products is growing every year. These days you go to the supermarket and there are numerous different types of yogurt. So what's going on there? The benefits of each yogurt vary depending on the specific characteristics of the lactic acid bacteria used to make it. For example, strains that support gastric health, strains that boost the immune system, and strains that inhibit the absorption of purines. Those have all been uncovered through our research. Yogurts that contain these kinds of strains are known as functional yogurts. It's not about curing illness, but preventing it. You could say lactic acid bacteria are at the very forefront of that effort. So as this research progresses, the possibilities of preventive medicine expand quite dramatically, I would imagine. We are moving from an era of rushing to the hospital for medicine to an era focused on maintaining and improving our own health. One important part of this is to incorporate foods that utilize microorganisms into your diet. Because Japanese people have such a long tradition of fermentation, they have no problem consuming live bacteria. That's one trait that sets Japan apart from the West. We head to where these hunted bacteria are preserved. It's one of the world's largest microbial libraries, home to over 6,500 species of lactic acid and other bacteria. This is the lactic acid bacteria library. Can we go in? I'm afraid you can't. Oh, what a shame. To prevent contamination, access is strictly limited. Inside the securely managed vault, the temperature is kept at minus 80 degrees Celsius. This is O-L-L-S. God, she's got a whole bunch in there. And each one of those is different? That's correct. This is the bacteria we saw under the microscope. So to make the yogurt, do you have to take samples out of here? We need much larger volumes, so we scale it up at the factory and store it in canisters. This is what we use for our daily yogurt production. Here we make what are called starters, or seed cultures. They guarantee a reliable supply of lactic acid bacteria. It's like, I guess it's like when you make yogurt at home, you have some live yogurt and you use that to make the new one and then you keep some of it and then keep... Right. Though you'd have a tough time replicating the flavour at home. Yeah, absolutely. Today, research into gut bacteria is advancing at a breathtaking pace. Beyond maintaining health, microbes in our gut are being utilised more and more in the treatment of disease. This research facility is considered to be at the global forefront of gut bacteria studies. Professor Yamada Takuji of the School of Life Science and Technology at the Institute of Science Tokyo is using cutting-edge technology to unlock the mysteries of the gut environment. So what kind of research are you doing here? In this lab, we test how different foods affect the gut. We add food samples to faecal cultures derived from human intestinal environments and monitor what changes occur. OK. So how is that then applied? Well, one ingredient might affect one person but not another. Our research provides the foundation for foods and medicines tailored to each person's specific gut environment. It sounds like a really new field of research. How far along is it progressing now? It's called personalised nutrition and it's already on the market. We've partnered with major food companies to analyse a person's gut environment and provide ingredients that are most compatible. One medical application of gut bacteria research is a procedure called a faecal microbiota transplant. The idea is to restore a disrupted gut environment by transplanting bacteria from a healthy donor. This treatment, a direct result of advancements in gut bacteria research, is being studied worldwide as a groundbreaking new form of medicine. That sounds really radical. Have you already started experimenting with that? One major journal reported in 2013 that this method was significantly more effective than existing treatments. This dramatic potential has sparked global interest and there are trials and research taking place worldwide. And are there big differences from person to person? There is considerable variation. Even twins have been shown to have different gut environments, confirming that these can vary despite the same genetic background. Just how much variation is there? This chart shows the types and proportions of bacteria for a group of healthy people. Each bar represents a single person. These are gut microbiome profiles from healthy individuals in Oita Prefecture. Each bar is one subject and the different colours indicate specific bacteria. Even within a group of healthy individuals, there's a striking amount of diversity. There's a lot of difference, yeah. Everybody has a lot of green and quite a lot of blue. Some people have more purple, some people have more orange. It's interesting, they're so different just from person to person. The key takeaway is that some foods only benefit individuals with specific types of bacteria. In this case, the orange bacteria. Many foods and medicines depend on the presence of such bacteria. So we analyse the microbiome to provide what works for each person or tailor it to their needs or recommend the best options. Everyone should know about their own gut health and we're working to spread that idea. Wow, weird but interesting. We're currently working to apply this to ulcerative colitis. Parkinson's disease is another. We're working every day to expand the range of conditions this can treat. So in the future, Parkinson's disease may be treatable as well. Japan has a long history of research into gut bacteria. But particularly since around 2016, our ability to comprehensively analyse the human microbiome has advanced tremendously. As a researcher, I feel that many previously incurable diseases were only considered incurable because we lacked the means to see what was happening inside the gut. Are there other diseases that are thought to be untreatable that could be treatable through this process? Among the research results we have seen so far, some have pointed to effectiveness in treating conditions such as autism or diseases thought to be closely linked to brain-gut interaction. One example would be irritable bowel syndrome. There is a possibility that faecal microbiota transplants could be effective there. We don't have definitive quantitative data just yet. That said, I do believe that there is significant potential for treating a wide range of other microbiome-related diseases. Wow, so it's really a new approach to medicine in a way. As the deep connections between gut bacteria and the brain are uncovered, expectations are high around the world for further breakthroughs in this field. How does this state-of-the-art research relate to your chokatsu? Today, we understand the gut environment in much greater detail than before. In the future, I can imagine something like a chokatsu log that tells you exactly how to eat, how to exercise and how to live based on your individual profile. Understanding your gut environment is useful for chokatsu. I think the very first step is just getting to know your own gut environment. What did you think of today? It was a whole new world to me. I really don't know very much about science. On the other hand, going way, way back, people often said, you are what you eat. And I very much feel that that's a correct way of looking at things. The idea that the state of health of our intestines has a lot to do with our general state of health and the fact that it also connects very much with our brains was very interesting. In reality, we are all sustained by our gut bacteria. They keep us alive. And I believe we are about to enter an era where we must consider how we can actively utilize these bacteria. Japan is known for its longevity and long healthy life expectancy. But the focus is shifting from simply eating for pleasure to eating with purpose. Being mindful of our gut, what we put in and what we put out. I believe this is the key to chokatsu as a means to extend our healthy years. One other thing. I was really glad to know that sake is fermented.