TOKYO - Kirin Holdings Company, Limited and Kao Corporation will participate in the Wakayama Health Promotion Study, a cohort study 2 led by Wakayama Medical University and organized by the Health Promotion Research Center (HPRC), a non-profit organization.

Kao and Kirin Holdings conducted a joint study from November 2022 to investigate the relationship between visceral fat and the plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDC3) activity 4, which are the command center for immunity.

In recent years, attention has focused on the relationship between obesity and immunity, as it has been reported that obesity leads to more severe viral infections5. This study was the first in Japan1 to investigate the relationship between visceral fat and immune activity and confirm that high visceral fat levels are associated with low pDC activity (low immune function) and that high visceral fat levels and low pDC activity are associated with a high risk of contracting novel coronavirus infection and influenza. These findings have not yet been reported in any paper in the world6. The results will be presented at the 44th Annual Meeting of the Japan Society for the Study of Obesity and the 41st Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society for Treatment of Obesity, which will be held in Miyagi Prefecture, on November 25 (Sat.) and 26 (Sun.), 2023.

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 CSV9, 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.

About Kao Corporation

Kao creates high-value-added products and services that provide care and enrichment for the life of all people and the planet. Through its portfolio of over 20 leading brands such as Attack, Biore, Goldwell, Jergens, John Frieda, Kanebo, Laurier, Merries, and Molton Brown, Kao is part of the everyday lives of people in Asia, Oceania, North America, and Europe. Combined with its chemical business, which contributes to a wide range of industries, Kao generates about 1,420 billion yen in annual sales. Kao employs about 33,500 people worldwide and has 135 years of history in innovation.

Kao established its ESG strategy, the Kirei Lifestyle Plan in April 2019. From 2021, Kao is promoting its Midterm Plan which declares 'protecting future lives' and promoting 'sustainability as the only path' as its vision. Kao will continue to integrate ESG perspectives into its company management, aiming to develop its business and provide better products and services to consumers and society, and work toward its purpose, 'To Realize a Kirei World in Which All Life Lives in Harmony.'

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