著者

Ayaka NAKASHIMA Koji YAMADA Osamu IWATA Ryota SUGIMOTO Kohei ATSUJI Taro OGAWA Naoko ISHIBASHI-OHGO Kengo SUZUKI

出版者

Center for Academic Publications Japan

雑誌

Journal of Nutritional Science and Vitaminology (ISSN:03014800)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.64, no.1, pp.8-17, 2018 (Released:2018-02-28)

参考文献数

84

被引用文献数

137

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β-Glucans are a class of polysaccharides consisting of D-glucose units that are polymerized primarily via the β-1,3 glycosidic bonds, in addition to the β-1,4 and/or β-1,6 bonds. They are present in various food products such as cereals, mushrooms, and seaweeds and are known for their numerous effects on the human body, depending on their structures, which are diverse. The major physicochemical properties of β-glucans include their antioxidant property, which is responsible for the scavenging of reactive oxygen species, and their role as dietary fiber for preventing the absorption of cholesterol, for promoting egestion, and for producing short-chain fatty acids in the intestine. Dietary β-glucans also exert immunostimulatory and antitumor effects by activation of cells of the mucosal immune system via β-glucan receptors, such as dectin-1. In this review, we elaborate upon the diversity of the structures and functions of β-glucans present in food, along with discussing their proposed mechanisms of action. In addition to the traditional β-glucan-containing foods, recent progress in the commercial mass cultivation and supply of an algal species, Euglena gracilis, as a food material is briefly described. Mass production has enabled consumption of paramylon, a Euglena-specific novel β-glucan source. The biological effects of paramylon are discussed and compared with those of other β-glucans.

著者

Noriko HAYASHI Tetsuo IIDA Takako YAMADA Kazuhiro OKUMA Isao TAKEHARA Takashi YAMAMOTO Koji YAMADA Masaaki TOKUDA

出版者

Japan Society for Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Agrochemistry

雑誌

Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Biochemistry (ISSN:09168451)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.74, no.3, pp.510-519, 2010-03-23 (Released:2010-03-23)

参考文献数

36

被引用文献数

139

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This clinical study was conducted to investigate the safety and effect of D-psicose on postprandial blood glucose levels in adult men and women, including borderline diabetes patients. A randomized double-blind placebo-controlled crossover experiment of single ingestion was conducted on 26 subjects who consumed zero or 5 g of D-psicose in tea with a standard meal. The blood glucose levels at fasting and 30, 60, 90, and 120 min after the meal were compared. The blood glucose level was significantly lower 30 and 60 min after the meal with D-psicose (p<0.01, p<0.05), and a significant decrease was also shown in the area under the curve (p<0.01). The results suggest that D-psicose had an effect to suppress the postprandial blood glucose elevation mainly in borderline diabetes cases. A randomized double-blind placebo-controlled parallel-group experiment of long-term ingestion was conducted on 17 normal subjects who took 5 g of D-psicose or D-glucose with meals three times a day for 12 continuous weeks. Neither any abnormal effects nor clinical problems caused by the continuous ingestion of D-psicose were found.

著者

Koji YAMADA

出版者

グローバルビジネスリサーチセンター・東京大学MERC

雑誌

Annals of Business Administrative Science (ISSN:13474464)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.13, no.4, pp.199-214, 2014-08-15 (Released:2014-08-15)

参考文献数

23

被引用文献数

2 2

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It is common knowledge that expansion in the scale of production leads to economies of scale. A correlation between economies and scale does exist. However, the reality on the shop floor, in Japanese, “gemba,” in actual manufacturing is that productivity increases and that there is expansion of production volumes through “flow creation” for the entire production process. Previous studies demonstrated how flow creation has led to increased productivity and expansion of production volumes even in relation to the production system for the Model T Ford, which is considered as a typical example of a large range cost reduction (i.e., an increase in productivity that was achieved through mass production). For example, expansion of production volumes occurs simultaneously as productivity increases due to a succession of standardizations such as the standardization of components, production processes, and operations. That is, there is highly likely a spurious correlation between productivity and production volumes. Increased production does not guarantee increased productivity. In fact, that was the case with the Model T Ford.