Extract of Lentinula edodes mycelia (LEM) reportedly maintains and improves the quality of life (QOL) of patients with cancer who undergo chemotherapy. We investigated the influence of LEM extract on the QOL of 73 Japanese patients with different backgrounds and stages of cancer who were undergoing various types of therapy at 16 institutions. All patients were orally administered with LEM (1200 mg/day) for four weeks. We compared changes in their QOL before and after taking LEM using the EORTC-QLQ-C30. The QOL scores for emotional function and fatigue were significantly improved after LEM intake. Global QOL and physical function scores improved only in patients with cancer at stages III and IV. These findings suggest that oral LEM intake improves the QOL of patients with advanced cancer.

The safety and immune potential function of Fucoidan from Cladosiphon okamuranus mixed with mushroom extracts from Grifola frondosa, Phellinus linteus and Cordyceps sinensis were evaluated. Five cancer patients and five elderly people in their 70s ingested the mixed extract for a period of 4 weeks. Results showed significant LDL-C decrease and Th1/2 increase. Moreover, Quality of Life(QOL) related to facialand extremity skin, anxiety, fatigue, cold tolerance and appetite improved significantly. Finally, the clinical test supported the safety of this mixed extracts.

Folic acid contained in potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) tubers is concentrated in potato chips by dehydration during frying. It is a vitamin recommended to young women which helps protect fetus from congenital disease. Additionally, folic acid can lower plasma homocysteine concentrations, a known independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease. This study was designed to determine whether the dietary consumption of potato chips affect serum folic acid concentration and plasma homocysteine concentration in human subjects. Results showed a significant increase in serum concentrations of folate 1, 3, and 6 hours after ingestion. Vitamin B₆, on the other hand, increased significantly after 3 hours of intake. In contrast, plasma homocysteine concentration decreased significantly 6 hours after ingestion. These results suggest that potato chips would be a good dietary source of folic acid for humans.

Japanese version of the Constitution in Chinese Medicine Questionnaire (CCMQ-J) in Chinese consists of 60 items for 9 sub-scales called Gentleness, Qi-deficiency, Yang-deficiency, Yin-deficiency, Phlegm-wetness, Wet-heat, Blood-stasis, Qi-depression, and Special diathesis. Each question is answered by choosing one form 5 grades of a Likert scale where the grades from 1 to 5 corresponding to Never, Rarely, Sometimes, Often and Always, respectively. In the present study, we examined the relationship of scores based on 597 respondents to 60 items. We tentatively classified 60 items into 12 groups by utilizing the Ward’s hierarchical clustering method and discussed similarity of items and 9 body conditions. Body Mass Index (BMI) and age can be explained by the score of 60 items by partial least square model. Significantly high correlation coefficients between real and estimated values were obtained for BMI (0.81 for male and 0.82 for female) and age (0.82 for male and 0.83 for female). Those results indicate that the answers to the 60 items can reflect aging and BMI properties and CCMQ-J can be used to assess the situation of health for evaluating the actual aging conditions in human.