This study was conducted clarify the usage of health foods, supplements, and functional health foods in conjunction with the level of awareness of their interaction with pharmaceuticals. The data ...consisted of responses from a questionnaire survey of people who visited an insurance pharmacy and of measurements of the calcium content of health foods commonly available via online sales that are likely to be used in combination with pharmaceuticals. Based on this information, we considered the issues involved. The survey was completed by 189 respondents, 58 (30.7%) of whom used health food products. Although more than half (52.9%) of the respondents (100 people) were aware of health food-drug interactions, none of them understood the specific details. About half of the respondents obtained information on health food-drug interactions from the Internet, magazines, newspapers, and other media, while only a small number of respondents obtained information from physicians, pharmacists, and other health-care specialists. Among the survey respondents, 10 (5.3%) were osteoporosis patients, 7 of whom were taking vitamin D3 preparations as medicines, with 3 of the 7 using health foods. The calcium content in health foods sold on the market differs depending on the manufacturer in terms of purity and composition of the raw materials used, even if the products may have similar name. Some products contained calcium even though the product name did not indicate calcium or minerals. The use of multiple types of health food products could unintentionally cause hypercalcemia due to interactions with pharmaceuticals. We concluded that sufficient awareness of health food-drug interactions is lacking and should be addressed as a health-care issue.
In recent years, the use of health foods has grown, and along with this, health hazards associated with the consumption of health foods have been reported. To collect the relevant information and use ...it to prevent the spread of health hazards, it is necessary to establish a unified collecting system that picks up adverse events from the stage when the causal relationship is not clear and to establish a causal relationship evaluation method. We have already developed a unified standardized reporting format and causal-relation estimation algorithm for the collection of information on the adverse events associated with the consumption of health foods and evaluated the feasibility of its use by medical staff. In this study, we explored the practicality of the partially modified standardized reporting format and algorithm for health food manufacturers and sellers, who are likely to receive consumption claims on adverse events as well as medical staff, using fictitious cases. The match rate for each item by the raters and the match rate between the estimates by specialists and the raters were calculated.Evaluations were requested from 90 companies belonging to the Japan Health and Nutrition Food Association, which deals with health foods, and were obtained from 33 companies（37％）and 59 raters. The rate of agreement among the raters was generally high for many items in the reporting format and the algorithm sheet（6 items: More than 70％), but a low agreement was observed for some items. There was a possibility of having a certain level of reliability and validity for the causal relationship in the algorithm. In this study, for health food manufacturers and sellers, as for the medical staff, the potential for practicality in the collection of adverse events information was suggested, but some items had issues and needed to be improved.
Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic progressive systemic disease caused by a metabolic disorder. In recent years, a large number of studies have shown that certain traditional Chinese medicines and ...their bioactive ingredients have obvious hypoglycemic effects. This literature review focuses on medicine food homology (MFH) and medicinal health food (MHF) species used in China with a hypoglycemic function and emphasizes the bioactive ingredients and their pharmacological effects. The bioactive ingredients of MFH and MHF have been divided into six categories: saponins, flavonoids, terpenoids, alkaloids, polysaccharides, and others; and their sources, models, efficacy, and mechanisms of action have been described. It is noteworthy that the mechanisms of the bioactive ingredients of MFH and MHF with hypoglycemic effects have been summarized as follows: a) insulin-mimetic effects and restoration of the damaged pancreas; b) effect on glucose metabolism; c) increased insulin sensitivity and improved insulin resistance; and d) regulation of intestinal flora. We conclude that this review provides useful data and information to support the further investigation and application of MFH and MHF to treat DM.
An aging society is coming in China with more and more serious problems such as osteoporosis and osteoarthritis. Glucosamine is one of important components from proteoglycan in human articular ...cartilage matrix, which can improve articular cartilage metabolism and promote bone and joint health. Commercially available glucosamine usually exists in the form of glucosamine hydrochloride, glucosamine sulfate and their double salts, and produced through acid and enzymatic hydrolysis and fermentation. Clinical studies have shown that it has high safety with no serious adverse reactions found and exhibits the health functions of promoting bone and joint health, antioxidation, regulating immunity, resisting bacteria and inflammation, etc. In health food, research in glucosamine is often focused on promoting bone health. In this article, the health functions, preparation techniques, safety and use of glucosamine are reviewed, while suggestions are given to improve the quality standard and production techniques due to n
The crude drug “Sensoutou” is derived from a whole plant of the toothed clubmoss (Huperzia serrata). In 2021, “Sensoutou” wasclassified as “raw materials used as non-pharmaceuticals” in Japan and ...health food products, such as dietary supplements derivedfrom toothed clubmoss, are sold commercially. Huperzine A, an alkaloid isolated from H. serrata, inhibits acetylcholinesteraseand is expected to be a therapeutic agent for Alzheimer’s disease. However, there have been reports of health problems caused byfoods containing Huperzine A. This study conducted qualitative and quantitative analyses using UHPLC-PDA-MS on 13 healthfood products related to toothed clubmoss. Qualitative analysis showed that Huperzine A was detected in 10 of the 13 samples. Themaximum daily intake of Huperzine A calculated from the results of the quantitative study was between 7.83 and 691.68 μg/day.These products derived from toothed clubmoss may have health risks because the acceptable daily intake of Huperzine A calculatedfrom a previous toxicity study was 3.03 μg/day. Incidentally, in Japan, “Sensoutou” was reclassified from “raw materials used as nonpharmaceuticals”to “raw materials exclusively used as pharmaceuticals” on February 25, 2022.
Lonicera japonica has been used for thousands of years in China. Now, more than 140 chemical compounds have been isolated; and studies show Lonicera japonica possesses wide pharmacological actions. ...Meanwhile, it could be used as healthy food, ornamental groundcover, etc.
Lonicera japonica Thunb. (Caprifoliaceae), a widely used traditional Chinese medicine, was known as Jin Yin Hua (Chinese: ▪), Ren Dong and Japanese honeysuckle. It was taken to treat the exopathogenic wind-heat, epidemic febrile diseases, sores, carbuncles and some infectious diseases. At the same time, Lonicera japonica could be used as healthy food, cosmetics, ornamental groundcover, and so on.
The present paper reviewed the ethnopharmacology, the biological activities, toxicology and phytochemistry of Lonicera japonica.
Information on Lonicera japonica was gathered via the Internet (using Google Scholar, Baidu Scholar, Elsevier, ACS, Medline Plus, CNKI and Web of Science) and libraries. Additionally, information also was obtained from some local books and brilliant scholars on ethnopharmacology.
More than 140 chemical compounds have been isolated, and the main compositions are essential oils, organic acids and flavones, etc. Lonicera japonica and its active principles possess wide pharmacological actions, such as anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antiviral, antioxidative and hepatoprotective activities.
As an important traditional Chinese medicine, further studies on Lonicera japonica can lead to the development of new drugs and therapeutics for various diseases, and how to utilize it better should be paid more attentions.
Since the regulation of health food management in China in 1996， a series of changes have taken place in the functions of health food which were allowed to apply for and approve/register in the past ...26 years. The expression and interpretation of function terms/claims have been gradually improved and been more reasonable， which laid a solid foundation for further supervision and market regulation， and reserved space and possibility for the development of new health functions. This paper briefly introduced and reviewd the development and change process of the functions of health food in China， and made some suggestions for the development of new health functions.
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