Let's Japan.org Debunking Eikaiwa and Ramblings in Japan

Who knew breakfast was good for you? Here's a good example of advertising masquerading as news, a news-mercial if you will. In a poorly translated piece of screed from the Mainichi Shimbun:

A well-balanced, nutritious breakfast is important to help people concentrate on work and increase their productivity, an experiment conducted by a leading pharmaceutical company has shown.

Tokyo-based Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co. announced the results at the 61st research session of the Japanese Society of Nutrition and Food Science held in Kyoto in mid-May.

"It's important to have food with well-balanced nutrition that includes not only sugar but also protein and fat for breakfast," an Otsuka Pharmaceutical official said.

Well-balanced nutrition is important? Thank heaven for companies that shamelessly flog their products that look out for what's best for us.

The study:

The 20 [men] ate four different types of breakfasts for a week each -- 1) bread, eggs, ham, salad and yogurt that contain a large amount of protein; 2) nutritional products containing much fat; 3) riceballs with a high sugar content; and 4) nothing.

"Nutritional products containing much fat?" Donuts? No, to find out you have to read the Japanese version which clearly says "CalorieMate." The English version fudges this fact. Guess who makes CalorieMate? Otsuka Pharmaceutical. This study couldn't possibly be biased, could it?

And what on earth are "riceballs with high sugar content?" Rice balls rolled in sugar? Maybe they were made from mochi rice? Again, the Japanese article is more specific: a rice ball without any filling. The "high sugar content" is not made clear, but maybe it's just that rice is naturally high in starch.

The results?

Their body temperatures were higher, and they felt less hunger and fatigue when they ate the first type of breakfast compared to when they skipped breakfast.

That wouldn't be because your body is digesting food and converting it into energy, would it?

When they ate nutritional products containing much fat, their body temperatures were higher, and they felt less hunger and fatigue, plus their efficiency of mental calculations proved better.

Their blood sugar counts were higher when they ate riceballs with a high sugar content, but this type of breakfast did not affect their body temperatures, fatigue, concentration and calculation efficiency.

Notice how a Western diet is good, eating the rice balls does nothing for your mental acuity, but eating CalorieMate not only fills you up, it also makes you more mentally alert.

Their conclusion:

Even though it has been pointed out that people should take food with a high sugar content for breakfast, the results of the experiment suggest that sugar intake alone is not sufficient in improving the efficiency of intellectual labor in the morning.

It's no coincidence that the Otsuka Pharmaceutical website has a page touting the latest research showing how CalorieMate is an important part of a balanced breakfast（最新研究レポート　栄養バランスのとれた朝食の重要性）.

So there you have it, a breakfast isn't complete without something made by Otsuka Pharmaceutical.