It has been said for a long time that Japanese people are taking in too much salt. According to the 2019 National Health and Nutrition Survey, the average daily salt intake for people aged 20 and over is 10.1g. This salt intake of 10.1g is more than double the World Health Organization’s (WHO) recommended amount (5.0g). Heart disease and cancer are issues facing the Japanese. Hypertension is a precursor to heart disease. People with persistently high blood pressure are said to damage blood vessels and be more likely to develop cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. A maximum blood pressure of 140 or higher or a minimum blood pressure of 90 or higher is considered to be hypertension. Excessive salt intake is said to be one of the causes of hypertension.
But salt makes food taste good. Saltiness is an essential part of Japanese food culture. People who are accustomed to a delicious food culture do not seem to be able to change their habits easily. An interesting study on salt intake, which is said to be bad for cardiovascular disease, compares Fukushima Prefecture and Akita Prefecture. Both prefectures are in the top five for salt intake. Normally, both prefectures would be ranked among the prefectures with the highest rates of cardiovascular disease. As expected, Fukushima women ranked among the top in the country for cardiovascular disease. But what about women in Akita? They were ranked at the bottom. The reason for their low ranking is seaweed. It was due to the amount of seaweed they consumed called akamoku. This seaweed is known for its high potassium content. Potassium has the function of excreting urine. And potassium also has the function of excreting salt (sodium). When excreting urine, the same amount of salt as potassium is excreted.
Professor Masayoshi Yamaguchi of Shizuoka University discovered that akamoku extract has the effect of promoting bone formation and inhibiting bone breakage. One company has established a specialized department to research this new material. The company has also introduced manufacturing equipment and is developing akamoku into a new pillar of revenue. The new field is racehorses. Racehorses have issues such as bone abnormalities. Fractures in racehorses can occur during training or races, and are particularly common in the front legs. With the cooperation of Professor Sasaki Naoki of Yamaguchi University Joint Veterinary School, we developed a supplement that has bone repair properties for horses. Akamoku is rich in minerals and has been found to have the effect of promoting bone regeneration. According to a report by the JRA, the incidence of serious fractures is also on the decline. This may be due in part to the use of Akamoku supplements.
