Food things you should know

Otsuka Pharmaceutical, a well-known large-scale pharmaceutical company in Japan, has introduced the nutrition monitoring service "Vivoo" developed by the American technology company "VivoSense". Through urine test strips and a dedicated APP, it can quickly help users understand their own nutritional status, and use personalized suggestions to guide them to improve their daily habits and promote a healthy life.

Written by Wu Zhiling

VivoSense, an American company focused on developing innovative health monitoring technologies, used artificial intelligence and image processing technology to launch a nutrition monitoring service "Vivoo" in 2020. It aims to easily measure users' nutritional status through urine and test strips. It has been promoted in more than 100 countries around the world and has approximately 250,000 users. On September 2, 2024, VivoSense cooperated with Otsuka Pharmaceutical, a well-known large Japanese pharmaceutical company, to officially launch this service in Japan .

Fast, affordable, and highly accurate, "Vivoo" perfectly meets modern people's needs for health and time.

To use "Vivoo", you first need to drop urine (midstream urine) on the colored grid area on the test paper for about 1 to 2 seconds, then wait for 90 seconds, and scan the area through the dedicated APP to get the result. The test result can reflect the nutritional status of the past 1 to 3 days.

Since the shooting environment may affect the color of the test paper read by the APP, 2,618 color recognition tests were conducted using artificial urine during research and development to ensure the accuracy of image processing. Of these, 2,292 tests were consistent with the correct test results, which means that even if there is a slight deviation in color, there is still an accuracy rate of 87%. If an error of ±1 is allowed, the consistency rate can reach over 99% (2,608 times).

The colored grid area on the test paper contains substances that can react with urine components. It should also be noted that if the test paper color exceeds 90 seconds, it may still change, resulting in inaccurate results, so you need to pay attention to the time when testing. (Image source: Japan GIZMODO official website)

The measurement items include the following 6 items: water, salt intake, balance of meat and vegetables, vitamin C, minerals related to bone health, and oxidative stress (oxidative stress, also known as oxidative stress, is a series of reactions caused by the imbalance between reactive oxygen components and the antioxidant system, which may cause damage to cells and lead to aging, inflammation or disease). It aims to monitor the impact of daily diet on nutritional status.

The test results will be calculated based on these six indicators and living habits, and the total score of each sub-item and the total score will be evaluated on a 10-point scale. The nutritional excess or deficiency will be visualized in a bar graph at the same time. Users can also compare with the average score of all users (by gender), or select the test results of a specific date in the past to clearly compare the changes in their nutritional status. Based on the test results, the APP will also provide personalized suggestions supervised by the "Japan Sports Nutrition Association" to promote specific behaviors to improve nutritional intake.

The Japanese version of "Vivoo" has a simple and easy-to-use interface , and provides personalized suggestions for nutritional status. "Vivoo" also uses this to obtain some interesting data. For example, in Korea, due to the demand for beauty, the value of vitamin C has attracted special attention. (Photo source: Japan Otsuka Pharmaceutical official website)

The recommended frequency of use is once a week, and the first or second urine after getting up in the morning is used for testing at a fixed time, so that the past and current conditions can be objectively compared. Women can also use it during menstruation, but in order to avoid the large number of red blood cells in the first urine that may affect the test results, it is recommended to use midstream urine; drinking may also affect the results, so it is not recommended to test.

The test strips are currently sold through Otsuka Pharmaceutical's official online store "Otsuka Plus One" in three packages: 4 sticks (2,600 yen, tax included), 8 sticks (5,200 yen, tax included), and 12 sticks (7,800 yen, tax included). Subscribing to regular deliveries is not only more affordable than buying them all at once, but regular monitoring also helps to stabilize or maintain nutritional intake.

"Vivoo" cannot replace regular medical health checkups and is only used as a daily aid

The biggest feature of "Vivoo" is that it can display the results in real time. Mr. Shintaro Kanazawa of the Nutrition and Pharmaceuticals Division of Otsuka Pharmaceutical further explained: "Although it is impossible to fully understand the overall nutritional status based on these six indicators alone, a more comprehensive assessment should be added, such as the calorie intake and the corresponding amount of exercise. However, understanding your nutritional status is an important opportunity to health."

Otsuka Pharmaceutical also specifically reminds users that this service is for healthy people over the age of 18 and is intended to monitor daily nutritional changes. It is not intended to assess long-term excess or deficiency of specific ingredients, nor is it designed for disease diagnosis, treatment or prevention.

As the world pays more and more attention to health and nutrition, the market demand for such products is growing. Whether it is a more obvious health condition such as being overweight, obese, or underweight due to dieting, or a consumer of normal body shape, "Vivoo" can be an opportunity to understand one's own eating habits. It is hoped that through regular measurement of this service, people will be able to have a clearer understanding of their daily nutritional intake and induce behavioral changes, leading to a healthier life.

At a media conference on August 26, 2024, Otsuka Pharmaceutical President Inoue Makoto said: "Many countries, including Japan, are facing the double burden of malnutrition." This means that low nutrition and overnutrition exist at the same time. "Therefore, 'Vivoo' is a very meaningful service as an opportunity to understand your own diet and nutritional status." (Photo source: Japan GIZMODO official website)