Intestinal Immunology Research Institute and NEC Solution Innovators Launch Exploratory Study on Changes in Health-Related Indicators Before and After Chiropractic Treatment, with Cooperation from Factory Japan Group

Overview:

Intestinal Immunology Research Institute Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Tsuchiura City, Ibaraki Prefecture, hereinafter referred to as Intestinal Immunology Research Institute) has commenced a joint research project with NEC Solution Innovators, Ltd. (Headquarters: Koto City, Tokyo, hereinafter referred to as NEC Solution Innovators) to explore whether changes in health status before and after chiropractic treatment can be visualized using multiple health-related indicators. This research will quantitatively analyze changes observed before and after chiropractic treatment by measuring subjective questionnaires, saliva components, and body temperature of research participants. Based on the acquired data, the potential for utilizing these as reference indicators for understanding changes related to health status will be examined.

Factory Japan Group Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Chiyoda City, Tokyo, hereinafter referred to as Factory Japan Group) will cooperate in the chiropractic treatment sessions.

Background and Social Significance of This Research:

In modern society, physical and mental discomfort due to chronic stress and irregular lifestyles are significant challenges faced by many people. While expectations are high for the healthcare and health promotion fields as solutions, methods to comprehensively and simply grasp "how health approaches actually affect the mind and body" are not established.

A person's health status is not a binary choice between "healthy" or "sick," but rather constantly fluctuates between these states, including "half-healthy (including pre-illness states)." When this "fluctuation between health and half-health" becomes large and irreversible, it eventually leads to illness. To truly enhance well-being (happiness) and prevent illness in modern society, it is extremely important to grasp these daily "fluctuating states" early and objectively.

Body care services, including chiropractic, have been widely used as accessible means to adjust the autonomic nervous system and condition the mind and body, thereby regulating these fluctuations towards a favorable state. However, changes before and after treatment have largely relied on individual subjective sensations, and examples of visualization as quantitative biological indicators have been limited.

Role of Intestinal Immunology Research Institute and Academic Perspective on This Research:

Recent research has drawn attention to the intestines not just as a digestive organ, but as a "crucial organ governing overall health" that handles a large portion of the body's immune function and is closely linked with autonomic nervous system and brain function. It is becoming clear that stress and daily condition changes are reflected in various biological indicators such as saliva components and autonomic nervous system activity through this intestinal-centered biological network.

Intestinal Immunology Research Institute has long been engaged in research to decipher "the mechanisms of health that spread from the intestines throughout the body" at the biomolecular level. In this joint research, based on our expertise in biomolecules and biomarkers that form the foundation of homeostasis, we will be responsible for the overall research design and advanced data analysis, scientifically unraveling the impact of chiropractic treatment on "fluctuations in health-related indicators."

By integrating the strengths of our knowledge, NEC Solution Innovators' advanced sensing technology and data acquisition/analysis platform, and Factory Japan Group's real-world treatment sites with over 300 stores, we aim for a new approach to capture the effects of chiropractic treatment, which has so far remained in the realm of subjectivity, as quantitative data.

We are confident that establishing indicators to scientifically visualize the impact of daily conditioning on the mind and body will go beyond mere refreshment and contribute to the realization of a "sustainable healthcare society" where individuals can appropriately control their own conditions, balancing disease prevention with the improvement of happiness.

Roles of Each Company in This Joint Research:

Organization (Role)

Main Role/Research Content

Intestinal Immunology Research Institute Co., Ltd.

(Research Lead Organization)

Overall research supervision and advanced data analysis, leveraging expertise in research on health indicators and biomarkers that spread from the intestines throughout the body.

NEC Solution Innovators, Ltd.

(Joint Research Organization)

Provision of measurement and analysis systems for indicators related to health status, utilizing proprietary sensing technology for simple measurement of biomolecules.

Factory Japan Group Co., Ltd.

(Cooperating Organization)

Implementation of chiropractic treatment focusing on the neck and pelvis based on techniques cultivated through the operation of the chiropractic salon "Karada Factory," and cooperation in collecting real-world data.

Comment from the Representative Researcher at Intestinal Immunology Research Institute:

Our institute's mission is to scientifically elucidate, starting from research on biomolecules and biomarkers related to the intestines, how various daily health behaviors such as "diet," "exercise," and "sleep" affect the mind and body.

This joint research is an advanced initiative that comprehensively captures chiropractic treatment, a daily conditioning activity, not only through subjective evaluation but also through objective indicators such as biomolecules in saliva and body temperature. By quantitatively clarifying how daily conditioning affects the "fluctuations" of the mind and body, we expect to present a new scientific framework for half-healthy states and health concerns, including the pre-illness domain.

As the research lead organization, we will contribute to the construction of meaningful evidence in this field by closely collaborating with NEC Solution Innovators' cutting-edge sensing technology and Factory Japan Group's extensive treatment sites.

(Noriko Tsuji, Intestinal Immunology Research Institute Co., Ltd.)

Future Outlook:

Through this research, we will accumulate knowledge for grasping changes in indicators related to health status and examine the potential for utilizing health-related indicators in the healthcare field.

In the future, we aim to establish a new evaluation axis that scientifically visualizes the effects of conditioning, which has so far depended on subjectivity, at the biomolecular level. Furthermore, by developing objective indicators in the "half-healthy (including pre-illness states)" domain advocated by Intestinal Immunology Research Institute, we will contribute to the realization of a sustainable healthcare society where everyone can choose evidence-based optimal health support.

We will provide further information on the results and future developments of this research at a later date.

Research Lead Organization

Intestinal Immunology Research Institute Co., Ltd.

Location: 161-11 Arakawaoki, Tsuchiura City, Ibaraki Prefecture

Business Activities: Research on health indicators and biomarkers that spread from the intestines throughout the body; research and development related to the functionality of foods.

Joint Research Organization

NEC Solution Innovators, Ltd.

Location: 1-18-7 Shinkiba, Koto City, Tokyo

Business Activities: System integration business, service business, platform software development business, equipment sales. In the healthcare field, we develop services that promote behavioral change through proposals tailored to an individual's condition and lifestyle, by analyzing and simulating with ICT, AI, and biotechnology.

Cooperating Organization

Factory Japan Group Co., Ltd.

Location: 1-9 Kanda-Suda-cho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo

Business Activities: Health-related business centered on the operation of the chiropractic salon "Karada Factory."

Inquiries Regarding This Matter

Intestinal Immunology Research Institute Co., Ltd.

E-mail: [email protected]

* The information contained herein is current as of the date of announcement and is subject to change without notice.

* The content of this release is at the research stage and does not guarantee that results will be obtained.