Benefit of Miso; Fermented Soy As a Secret of Healthy Japanese People

Anti-aging effect of Miso: the skin beautifying effect and bone strengthening

Miso is a typical Japanese fermented food made by fermenting soybeans. (Primarily famous as Miso soup internationally.) The fermentation with Koji (a fungus having various resolution enzymes) adds far more nutritional value and flavor to soybeans. Recently, they have revealed various health benefits of Miso; it has positive effects on health, beauty, and anti-aging, such as beautifying the skin and strengthening bones.

Nutrients of soybeans

Miso has supported the Japanese diet for 1,300 years. Japanese people have been saying that “miso keeps the doctor away” traditionally. The fermentation process produces abundant nutrients of Miso.

Even before the fermentation, soybeans contain high-quality vegetable protein, linoleic acid, which lowers cholesterol, and isoflavones. The human body absorbs such nutrients through digestion. But digestion capacity is limited depending on the person. The fermentation process will decompose such nutrients externally instead of digesting them and make them easy to absorb.

Nutrients that the fermentation adds to soybeans, as a Japanese fermented food

Furthermore, the fermentation will generate more nutrients, like a large amount of free essential amino acids and vitamins. These are not found in soybeans or are only present in small amounts. But the fermentation produces them in large quantities and brings about umami and sweetness.” Says Professor Yutaka Kashiwagi of the Department of Brewing Science, Faculty of Applied Biological Sciences.

Recently, we have elucidated some health benefits of Miso. They are like the prevention of lifestyle-related diseases, cancer, and osteoporosis. Professor Noritoshi Maeda of the Department of Applied Biology at the Tokyo University of Technology said, “The free linoleic acid produced during the fermentation process from the lipids of soybeans will have the effect of suppressing the production of melanin. Recent research has shown that two bowls of miso soup will provide such an effect. I also learned that drinking Miso soup reduces the spots on my cheeks.”

In addition, melanoidin has an antioxidant effect and is expected to have an anti-aging effect. It is a brown substance produced by the reaction of amino acids and sugars during the fermentation and maturation process.

Miso contains various nutritional components as a Japanese fermented food

Miso contains eight essential amino acids for the human body, vitamins such as B and E vitamins, minerals such as potassium and calcium, fatty acids, dietary fiber, and polyphenols such as soy isoflavones. This Japanese fermented food is reported to be beneficial for metabolic syndrome and breast cancer prevention.

Metabolic syndrome prevention

Soybeans contain ingredients that lower bad cholesterol, such as linoleic acid, soybean lecithin, and saponin. An animal study reports that intake of one cup of Miso soup everyday through 6 months in conversion as a human suppressed the accumulation of triglycerides.

Breast cancer prevention

There is a research report that people who drink a lot of miso soup every day are less likely to get breast cancer. A study of 21,852 women aged 40 to 59 found breast cancer onset rates were lower by 26% in those with two drinks per day and 40% lower in those with three or more drinks per day compared to women with one per day or less.

Take the health essence of Miso through a natural supplement!

Fermented foods are often hard to eat for people of other dietary cultures. But you can take the essence easily through the supplement. Effisoy is the only supplement brand to bring you fermented soy extract outside Japan.

Health and self care campaign

(Continued from “The best region among the high life expectancy in Japan”)  In 1945, Dr. Wakatsuki was assigned to Saku General Hospital, and in 1959, Dr. Yoshizawa was assigned to Kokuho Asama General Hospital in Saku City, Nagano as the director. They walked around from one local community center to another to preach health and self care to farmers. They preached them, “Let’s learn that too much salt is the reason for a stroke, and let’s prevent it.”

In 1980, this activity came to fruition as the “Prefectural Residents’ Salt Reduction Campaign” throughout Nagano Prefecture. As a result of this activity, the amount of salt intake per day was reduced from 15.9g to 11g in 1983.

Dr. Minoru Kamata, the director of Suwa Central Hospital, took over the activity later and continues to this day. The preachers enjoy their long lives on their own. Mr. Wakatsuki is 96 years old, Mr. Yoshizawa is 93, and Mr. Kamata is still active at 72.

“A trace amount of poison” of vegetables is good for the body.

The “Nagano Model” emphasizes improving and enhancing eating habits. Let’s take a look at its features.

The first is the amount of time spent eating. Nagano Prefecture’s average is 104 minutes per day, the third longest in Japan. This means that they are chewing their food well. Chewing well prevents overeating and reduces obesity. As a result, Nagano Prefecture has one of the lowest rates of obesity, which is the cause of illness.

It is also known that dementia increases when the number of chewing decreases. Chewing well is also vital in that sense.

The second is the amount of vegetable intake. Everybody knows that vegetable is good for your health. But even experts vary in their idea of why it is good actually. One of the ideas becoming mainstream nowadays is that a trace amount of poison in the vegetable helps your health.

Nagano Prefecture is the number one producer of Chinese cabbage and lettuce in Japan and is also one of the top producers of cabbage and tomatoes.

At the same time, their intake of vegetables is also the highest in Japan as consumers for both men and women. The Japanese national average daily vegetable intake is 301g, while it is 379g in Nagano Prefecture.

Local food production and consumption

Nagano Prefecture produces red wine with a high proportion of their consumption. Red wine contains polyphenols and is known to be suitable against heart disease, especially arteriosclerosis.

In addition to vegetables and red wine, Nagano Prefecture is the number one producer of other foods in Japan. “Shinshu (Nagano) miso” accounts for about half of Japan’s total miso production. (Miso is fermented soy paste, one of the Japanese staples.)
Nagano’s Mushrooms also account for about one-third of the Japanese national production.

Also, regarding consumption, Nagano Prefecture ranks first in Japan in miso and mushrooms per capita.

One of the reasons why miso and mushrooms are good for the body is because they are rich in substances called polyamines. Recently, it has become clear that this polyamine is good for health and is particularly effective in preventing aging.

Lesson: Take care of your health before getting sick and pursuing the best treatment.

Among various lessons we can learn from the Nagano model, the essential wisdom is what Dr. Yoshizawa preached: to be conscious of protecting your health. It is that each person works proactively for their health.

Ultimately, the essence is that we should take care of our health before getting sick instead of pursuing excellent treatment after getting sick.

Take the essence of fermented soy (miso) through a natural supplement!

Fermented soy is a staple of the Japanese cousin mostly as “miso soup”, and it is one of the secrets of anti-aging of Japanese women and the high life expectancy in Japan. Fermented foods are often hard to eat for people of other dietary cultures. But you can take the essence easily through the supplement.