introduction
The new coronavirus infection, so-called covid-19, that has been raging around the world for the past three years has finally come to an end, and human society appears to have returned to its pre-coronavirus normal life. However, this situation does not mean that this infectious disease has been eradicated; it means that in the future, this virus is likely to mutate again and a second or third pandemic will occur. . In other words, we have entered the pandemic era and must recognize and prepare for the possibility of a similar pandemic occurring again. [1]. Countermeasures such as mask-wearing, social distancing, urban lockdowns, and vaccinations have proven to be moderately successful during the COVID-19 pandemic. It has also become clear that people suffering from habitual diseases are also affected. (LRD), such as diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and atherosclerosis, increase the risk of severe disease and death 5•, 6, 7. Impact of the upcoming pandemic. From this perspective, human society has high expectations for the role of functional foods (FF) for preventing and mitigating LRD. In this review, we first discuss the problems associated with the conventional FF development process using animal experiments as an example, and then explain the “human intestinal flora model” constructed at Kobe University to solve these problems. , Finally, we will introduce some representative examples. Its use will contribute to the efficient development of FFs effective in humans.
