The Toon Health Study is a prospective cohort study launched in 2009. The aim is to investigate the association between lifestyle (for example dietary habits), and health outcomes( for example diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and cognitive impairments).

The following are our findings from this cohort study:

• The impact of masticatory ability as evaluated by salivary flow rates on obesity in Japanese: The Toon Health Study (Obesity. 2015;23:1296-1302)
• Associations of serum β-carotene and retinol concentrations with insulin resistance: the Toon Health Study. (Nutrition. 2015;975-980)
• Association of Fish and Omega-3 Fatty Acid Intake with Carotid Intima-Media Thickness in Middle-Aged to Elderly Japanese Men and Women: The Toon Health Study. (Nutrients. 2022;14:3644.)

Cardiovascular disease is the second leading cause of death and one of the most expensive medical treatments in Japan. Various measures have been put in place to reduce the impact of the disease.
We are providing evidence for preventing cardiovascular diseases by utilizing data from a large-scale cohort (CIRCS, JPHC-NEXT etc.).

The aim of this study is to evaluate the functions of high-amylose rice for the treatment of diabetes.

The following are our findings:

• Examination of the Glycemic Index for the High-Amylose Rice Variety “Hoshinishiki” Grown in Ehime Prefecture（J Jpn Soc Nutr Food Sci. 2019;72: 85-89）(in Japanese with English abstract）

The aim of these studies is to evaluate the effects of commercial functional foods in relation to the health and wellbeing of the population.

Followings are our findings:

• Association between vitamin B group supplementation with changes in % flow-mediated dilatation and plasma homocysteine levels: a randomized controlled trial (J. Clin. Biochem. Nutr. 2019; 64: 243–249)
• The effects of OLL1073R-1 yogurt intake on influenza incidence and immunological markers among women healthcare workers: a randomized controlled trial (Food Funct. 2019;10:8129-8136)
• The effects of dietary licorice flavonoid oil supplementation on body balance control in healthy middle-aged and older Japanese women undergoing a physical exercise intervention: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. (Aging Clin Exp Res. in press)

Poor eating behavior is related to obesity and other health problems. It is widely investigated in Japan especially during health checkups. On the other hand, eating behavior depends on psychological factors. Currently, there are few epidemiological studies in Japan that take in to account such psychological viewpoint related to eating behavior. Therefore, we analyze the relationship between eating behavior and health by integrating baseline data of intervention studies and data from observational and intervention studies that assessed eating behavior.