Udaipur : Having carved a niche for itself in the functional food space, Probiotic Giant Yakult Danone India Pvt. Ltd. conducted an informative session on their globally acclaimed Probiotic drink Yakult in Jaipur. The media briefing was held by Mr Minoru Shimada, Managing Director Yakult Danone India Pvt. Ltd. and Dr Neerja Hajela, General Manager – Science and Regulatory Affairs, Yakult Danone India Pvt. Ltd.
It is an undisputed fact thatconsumers are grappling with lifestyle disorder due to erratic and sedentary lifestyle, poor nutrition and lack of adequate sleep. Therefore,there is an urgent need for finding solutions to counter this growing threat. It is a startling fact that the largest immune organ of our body i.e. the INTESTINE is vital in determining our state of health because it contains about 70% of the immune cells of the human body which improve our overall immunity and keep us protected.
According to Dr Neerja Hajela, General Manager – Science and Regulatory Affairs, Yakult Danone India Pvt. Ltd., “While we all take care of our organs such as heart, kidney, liver etc., we tend to ignore the intestine which has been proven to be one of the most important organs for determining our immunity and keeping us protected from infections. The intestine also harbours 100 trillion organisms(intestinal flora) which weigh almost 1.5 kg and function like a virtual organ. These organisms play a very important role in helping proper digestion of food, absorption of nutrients, building immunity and producing essential vitamins like Vitamin B and K and keeping you protected. The balance of the intestinal flora is very important and often gets disturbed by several factors like unbalanced diet,stress, unhygienic conditions, use of antibiotics, pollution and ageing. This imbalance can negatively influenceboth our digestion and immunity making us prone to infections.
Commenting on global studies, Dr Hajela said, “Scientific evidence has shown that Probiotics can improve the balance of the intestinal flora by increasing the beneficial bacteria that play an important role in strengthening the digestive system, building immunity and preventing infections. In fact studies across the globe suggest that probiotics may prevent diarrhoea, constipation, common cold and cough and even reduce the risk of cancers.
Detailing consumer health in Rajasthan, Dr Hajela said, “Recent studies have shown that people in urban Rajasthan are inflicted with digestive disorders and critical illnesses such as hypertension, diabetes, besides other health disorders. Of late, there are many cases of arthritis amongst women which are coming to light. It is clear that if you have weak immunity, your likelihood of being prone to these diseases is high. Good intestinal heath is critical to ward off diseases and keep the bad bacteria in control.”
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Minoru Shimada, Managing Director, Yakult Danone India Pvt. Ltd. remarked, “While India is at a cusp of change, health issues today are a grave concern. Globally very well established, the concept of Functional Foods that provide health benefits besides basic nutrition is becoming increasingly important in India.”
Elaborating further, Mr Shimada said, “The concept of functional foods was introduced in Japan in the early 1900’s, when Japan was an economically weak country, people were dying due to disease and heath care costs were very high. The Functional Food concept focuses on prevention of disease through foods rather than treatment with medicine. Our Founder, Dr. Minoru Shirota, a Microbiologist from the Kyoto University in Japan, firmly believed that a healthy intestine was key to a long disease free life. He successfully isolated a probiotic bacteriaLactobacillus casei strain Shirota (LcS)that significantly improved intestinal health and immunity. He introduced it in a fermented milk drink called Yakult which was launched in Japan in 1935. The introduction of Yakult was very useful in improving the health of people in Japan who were suffering from diarrhea, dysentery and other infectious diseases. Currently, more than 3.5 crore bottles of Yakult are being drunk every day in 33 countries and regions.
In India, Yakult is being manufactured in a state of the art production facility in Sonepat Haryana. While Yakult is the most iconic brand in Japan, China and Indonesia, India is a challenging market for us because of limited awareness about the benefits of probiotics.Our focus has therefore been on education and we are pleased to see that more and more Indian consumers are making Yakult a part of their daily diet for its health benefits. We operate through our Retail route and unique Home Delivery system with about 260 Yakult Ladies in India. Globally this is a very well established system with more than 80,000 Yakult ladies whom we also call our ambassadors of good health. This system is not just about selling our product but a reflection of the company’s objective of promoting good health to one and all and empowering young women.”
Probiotic benefits are strain specific and it is important that every probiotic is backed by its own scientific studies. Lactobacillus casei strain Shirota, the probiotic bacteria in Yakult is backed by more than 80 years of scientific heritage with more than 100 human studies to validate its safety and health benefits, Mr Shimada added,”
So, go ahead and grab your daily dose of Yakult to keep your immune strong!
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