Dare to dream of a world where our children hardly fall sick? This is the dream that every small Yakult bottle holds. The brand’s dedication towards promoting overall health and showing concern toward others is very much present in the DNA and culture of the company.
Humble Beginnings
Over at Yakult Central Institute holds the brand’s history and the philosophy on which Yakult has been centred. Dr Minoru Shirota, the founder of Yakult, was born in 1899 in Western Nagano, Japan. At the time of his youth, the nation was far from prosperous, and the unsanitary conditions meant that many children passed away from infectious diseases. Seeing this, Dr Shirota was motivated to research preventive medicine, as he strongly believed that prevention was better than cure.
Dr Shirota saw the fruits of his labour in 1930, when he became the first in the world to successfully cultivate a strengthened strain of lactic acid bacteria, now named Lactobacillus casei strain Shirota (LcS) after him. LcS is beneficial to our health, and can be found in every bottle of Yakult that is distributed in more than 38 countries and regions today.
Did You Know?
Yakult is not only rich in probiotics, it is a fermented milk drink which provides multiple health benefits by delivering the Lactobacillus casei strain Shirota (LcS) to the intestines.
Research has shown that a regular intake of LcS positively influences NK-cell activity. NK cells are Natural Killer cells which protect the body from foreign pathogens, viruses, and even cancer, and the intensity of their activity is recognised as one of the measures of immunity today. On top of that, LcS reduces the risk of bladder, colon, and breast cancer, and helps to prevent infectious diseases that tend to stem from the intestines.
Daily consumption of Yakult has also been shown to promote intestinal health by stimulating intestinal activity and enhancing bowel movement.
Encouraging A Healthy Culture
Did You Know?
At Shibuya Honmachi Gakuen (Elementary and Junior High School), Food and nutrition education is incorporated in the school’s programme for the students’ benefits. Lunch meals are planned by dietitians, and are then prepared and distributed to all classes, along with a bottle of Yakult for every student.
Sustainable Health For The Future
Over at Yakult Fuji-Susono Plant, it produces 1.2 million products per day. A spotless and well-maintained factory, the Fuji- Susono plant puts Yakult’s concern for the environment into practice through the cleaning up of their waste water so it can support living things before returning the water back to the river.
While not a miracle cure-all, the daily intake of Yakult contributes to our good health by providing a source of a strong probiotic that can reach our intestines alive. It is a product made possible by the dedication and research of one man, a legacy that has since passed to many. So, the next time you pick up a pack of Yakult from a store, remember that big dreams are found in the small bottles in your hands.
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