Kirin iMUSE Immune Care and Healthya Visceral Fat Down will go on sale on Tuesday, November 28!

TOKYO, November 27, 2023 -Kirin Holdings Company, Limited will launch a dual-care functional food supplement Kirin iMUSE Immune Care and Healthya Visceral Fat Down on November 28 (Tuesday). This product is a collaboration between Kirin iMUSE, Japan’s first*1 immune care brand, and Kao Healthya, Japan’s first*1 body fat care beverage brand from Kao Corporation, and will be sold at drugstores nationwide and through Kirin Kyowa Hakko Bio mail order. On Saturday, December 2, Kao will also release “Healthya Green Tea Plus Immune Care” in limited quantities at select drugstores.
※1. Kirin iMUSE is Japan’s first immunological care brand in the field of functional foods (based on our research through a search for information on registered functional foods).
Kao Healthya is Japan’s first body fat care green tea brand in the category of Foods for Specified Health Uses (having obtained approval for labeling as a Food for Specified Health Uses containing tea catechins based on Kao research).

Efforts by Both Companies to Address Health Challenges

Kirin’s Research on Immunology

Immunity is the body’s defense system that fights external enemies to maintain health and can be called the “foundation of health.” While a breakdown of the immune system can lead to various health issues, immunity is difficult for individuals to monitor, so delays in taking countermeasures against it are a major social issue.
In the course of more than 35 years of research on immunity, Kirin discovered “Lactococcus lactis strain Plasma” for the first time in the world.*2 It acts directly on plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs), which are the command post of immunity. By accumulating solid research results on Lactococcus lactis strain Plasma, the “iMUSE” brand became the first in Japan*3 to be accepted for notification to the Consumer Affairs Agency in 2020 as a food with functional claims for immune functions.
We are developing a broad lineup of functional food products with immune function claims to help customers solve their health issues. With the launch of this supplement and "Healthya Green Tea Plus Immune Care," the number of partner companies and the number of foods with functional claims total 57 products.
※2. Lactococcus lactis strain Plasma, which acts on pDCs in humans, was reported for the first time in the world (based on information published in PubMed and the Japan Medical Abstracts Society website).
※3. First brand in Japan to be publicly reported as a food with substantiated immune function claims.

Kao’s Research on Lipid Metabolism

Fat accumulates due to imbalances in physical activity, including daily eating habits and exercise routines. In particular, the accumulation of visceral fat is a major health challenge for the Japanese, and improvement in eating habits and establishment of exercise habits are considered essential measures.
Kao has been conducting metabolic research on body fat and visceral fat for about 30 years, starting in the 1990s with the discovery that two polyphenols, tea catechins in green tea and the chlorogenic acids abundant in coffee beans, are effective in reducing visceral fat. Kao has continued its research and development of food products utilizing tea catechins, and in 2003 launched “Healthya Green Tea,” Japan’s first body fat care beverage brand, as a Food for Specified Health Use (Tokuho). By successfully developing a beverage that is easy to drink daily, Kao has supported the improvement of daily lifestyle habits, including eating habits, thereby contributing to the maintenance of people’s health so that they can live healthily into their hundreds.

Background to the Joint Development

By combining Kirin’s immunological research with Kao’s knowledge of fat metabolism research, the two companies realized that we could offer even greater health value to our customers, and so in November 2022 we joined the “Wakayama Health Promotion Study” to begin joint research on immunology and visceral fat.
“Kirin iMUSE Immune Care and Healthya Visceral Fat Down,” which is about to go on sale, is a product born from the joint research project. This combination of the two companies’ leading brands will enable a broad approach to customers with health needs related to visceral fat and immunity, and will lead to further growth of both the Kirin iMUSE brand and the Healthya brand.

1. Product name	Kirin iMUSE Immune Care/Healthya Visceral Fat Down
2. Content volume	①7-day supply (42 capsules) ②15-day supply (90 capsules)　※6 capsules per day
3. Area of sale	1) Drugstores nationwide 2) Kirin Kyowa Hakko Bio Mail Order (https://kirin-kyowahakko-bio.kirin.co.jp/) (TEL: 0120-80-7733, FAX: 0120-80-2227)
4. Release date	Tuesday, November 28, 2023
5. Price (Suggested retail price without consumption tax)	(1) 7-day supply: 1,780 yen　(2) 15-day supply: 3,685 yen
6. Sold by	Kirin Holdings Company, Limited
7. Notification number	I208

About Kirin Holdings

Kirin Holdings Company, Limited is an international company that operates in the Food & Beverages domain (Food & Beverages businesses), Pharmaceuticals domain (Pharmaceuticals businesses), and Health Science domain (Health Science business), both in Japan and across the globe.

Kirin Holdings can trace its roots to Japan Brewery which was established in 1885. Japan Brewery became Kirin Brewery in 1907. Since then, the company expanded its business with fermentation and biotechnology as its core technologies, and entered the pharmaceutical business in the 1980s, all of which continue to be global growth centers. In 2007, Kirin Holdings was established as a pure holding company and is currently focusing on boosting its Health Science domain.

Under the Kirin Group Vision 2027 (KV 2027), a long-term management plan launched in 2019, the Kirin Group aims to become A global leader in CSV*, creating value across our world of Food & Beverages to Pharmaceuticals. Going forward, the Kirin Group will continue to leverage its strengths to create both social and economic value through its businesses, with the aim of achieving sustainable growth in corporate value.

※ Creating Shared Value: combined added value for consumers as well as for society at large.

GALLERY