Assistant Professor Yusuke Tsugawa, who is a faculty member at the UCLA School of Medicine and author of "The Ultimate Scientifically Proven Simple Diet," is currently involved with BASE FOOD® as an advisor. Based on numerous studies conducted thus far, Assistant Professor Tsugawa supports the statement that "BASE FOOD® is good for health." We asked Assistant Professor Tsugawa, who continues to disseminate "healthy eating based on scientific evidence," why he believes BASE FOOD® is beneficial for the body.
There is an abundance of health information circulating in society, but unfortunately, many false pieces of information without scientific evidence are also widely spread. Extreme dietary approaches such as "you can become healthy by consuming only X" tend to attract attention, even if they are based on misinformation. The reality is that many health food products in the market are also formulated in an extreme manner to capture consumers' attention. Even when I was writing the book "The Ultimate Scientifically Proven Simple Diet," which emphasized the importance of health information based on scientific evidence, I was told that "information that is too accurate (and not catchy) doesn't sell well."
However, if you truly want to improve your health, you must incorporate accurate information rather than easily jumping onto sensationalized claims. It is crucial to select information based on scientific evidence.
Throughout my research, I have compiled numerous scientifically reliable pieces of evidence on what constitutes a healthy diet. One of the major issues with the Japanese diet, in my opinion, lies in the category of "staple foods."
Carbohydrates can be classified into two types: refined "white carbohydrates" (considered unhealthy) such as white flour and white rice, and unrefined "brown carbohydrates" (considered healthy) such as whole grains and brown rice. I believe that excessive consumption of these refined "white carbohydrates" is a significant problem in the modern Japanese diet.
It is essential to note that BASE FOOD® contains ingredients such as whole grains, which fall under the category of unrefined "brown carbohydrates." This is a crucial point to consider.
BASE FOOD® utilizes whole wheat flour as the main ingredient.
Due to the recent trend of low-carbohydrate diets, many individuals are concerned about their carbohydrate intake. However, it is not as simple as reducing carbohydrates. Both excessive and inadequate consumption of carbohydrates can be detrimental to health. According to a study conducted by Seidelman in Lancet Public Health (2018), there is a U-shaped relationship between the proportion of carbohydrate intake and the risk of mortality. In other words, both excessive and insufficient carbohydrate intake can increase the risk of death.
Furthermore, there are research findings indicating potential side effects of following a low-carbohydrate diet, including constipation (observed in 68% of individuals on low-carb diets), bad breath (38%), and muscle weakness (25%) (Yancy, Ann Intern Med, 2004).
So, what should be done instead? I recommend replacing "white carbohydrates" with "brown carbohydrates." According to the latest research, individuals who consume unrefined carbohydrates like whole grains have been reported to have lower risks of mortality, myocardial infarction, diabetes, colorectal cancer, and other conditions (Raynolds, Lancet, 2019)."
When it comes to diet, it's more like running a marathon than a sprint.
Whether it's for improving health or achieving weight loss, making long-term changes to our diet is essential. It can be challenging to make drastic changes to our habits, such as cutting out carbohydrates. However, by simply replacing staple foods, for example, switching from regular bread to BASE BREAD®, we can make a change without completely disrupting our current routines. This makes it easier to sustain the dietary change without undue difficulty.
It has been reported that low-carbohydrate diets show effectiveness in shorter periods, around six months, but not beyond one year (Foster, NEJM 2003). The reason behind this is believed to be the difficulty in sustaining a carbohydrate-restricted diet in the long term. Some individuals may have personal experiences with this, as an extremely low-carbohydrate diet can be challenging to maintain over an extended period.
Base food is based on whole wheat flour, so it can moderately reduce carbohydrates and can be continued without difficulty as a replacement for 'staple food,' thus offering potential benefits for health and diet.
Furthermore, the act of replacing 'staple food' itself has a significant impact on changing dietary habits. This is because staple food constitutes a large portion of meals. If you are currently following a diet primarily based on white staples such as white rice and bread, replacing them with 'healthy staple food' means that a significant proportion of your meals will be replaced with 'healthy food'.
Covering Nutrients Not Found in Whole Wheat Flour
BASE FOOD® not only includes whole wheat flour, which is a healthy carbohydrate, but also blends over 10 natural ingredients with high nutritional value, such as kelp, soybeans, and chia seeds. As a result, BASE FOOD® contains a balanced mix of nutrients that are not found in whole wheat flour alone. To achieve a healthy diet, it is beneficial to use healthy ingredients to achieve balance. BASE FOOD® incorporates a variety of ingredients, making the staple food itself a "balanced meal."
Additionally, blending natural ingredients allows for the intake of trace nutrients present in each ingredient. Therefore, there is an advantage to consuming BASE FOOD® rather than relying solely on supplements, as there is a lower risk of deficiencies in lesser-known nutrients.
Furthermore, BASE FOOD® is believed to address two major factors contributing to the unhealthiness of the Japanese population: excessive consumption of white rice and excessive salt intake. BASE FOOD® reduces both carbohydrates and salt while containing potassium, which aids in salt excretion. This can help mitigate the negative effects of excess salt intake from other meals.
(Left) Associate Professor Tsugawa, (Right) BASE FOOD® Representative Hashimoto
We hope that everyone can achieve a healthy diet by effectively utilizing BASE FOOD®.