Cooking Experience Leads to Behavioral Change? Shoku no Okusuri x Fujita Health University Announce Pilot Study Suggesting HbA1c Improvement in Diabetes Patients through Experiential Program

Shoku no Okusuri Co., Ltd. (Representative Director: Kokoro Sano, hereinafter 'the Company'), in collaboration with Fujita Health University, conducted a study to verify the impact of 'experiential nutrition guidance incorporating cooking classes' on Type 2 diabetes patients. This study confirmed a significant improvement in HbA1c through nutrition guidance accompanied by cooking experiences. The research was conducted as a pilot study, and its findings were published in the international academic journal 'Nutrients'. Research Overview In diabetes treatment, diet therapy is one of the crucial pillars. However, a common challenge in practice is that 'patients understand but struggle to maintain implementation,' and traditional lecture-based nutrition guidance often fails to lead to behavioral change. To address this, a new approach called 'Teaching Kitchen,' which incorporates cooking experiences, has recently garnered attention. A Teaching Kitchen is a program that, in addition to providing nutritional knowledge, aims to establish eating habits applicable to daily life through actual cooking and tasting. Particularly in the United States, its adoption is progressing mainly in medical institutions and universities, with reported effects on improving patients' eating behaviors and health indicators. In this study, 19 Type 2 diabetes patients participated in a program combining the following: * Individualized nutrition guidance by a registered dietitian * Cooking classes (practical cooking sessions focused on side dishes) Changes in dietary content, blood data, and body composition were evaluated before and after approximately two months of intervention. Research Flow ■ Main Results 1. Significant Improvement in HbA1c After the cooking class intervention, HbA1c significantly decreased, confirming an improvement in blood sugar control. This suggests the possibility that nutrition guidance accompanied by cooking experiences can influence actual treatment indicators. 2. Changes in Eating Behavior Changes in daily eating habits were observed, including a decrease in carbohydrate intake and a tendency to increase protein ratios. This suggests the possibility of behavioral change through 'experience' rather than 'knowledge'. 3. New Insights Regarding Body Composition On the other hand, an increase in body fat percentage and a tendency for muscle mass reduction were also observed. This outcome may be influenced by the fact that the study participants were primarily elderly, with an average age of approximately 70 years, a group susceptible to age-related metabolic changes and physical activity levels. Furthermore, this study was a small-scale pilot study involving 19 participants, and interpreting the results requires careful consideration of factors such as the influence of pharmacotherapy (e.g., insulin) and individual differences. Additionally, this program primarily focused on improving dietary content, and interventions for exercise and muscle maintenance were insufficient. Therefore, it is possible that changes in body composition occurred concurrently with improvements in blood sugar control. These results suggest the importance of designing comprehensive intervention in diabetes nutrition guidance that includes not only 'blood sugar improvement' but also 'maintenance of muscle mass and preservation of physical function'. Moving forward, validation through a combination with exercise interventions and larger-scale clinical studies is required. ■ Positioning of This Research This research is a small-scale pilot study and requires further validation. However, we believe that the findings are socially significant in demonstrating the potential for everyday experiences like cooking classes to become a new approach to nutrition guidance in the medical field. ■ Future Outlook Based on the results of this study, the Company will proceed with: * Program development in collaboration with medical institutions * Expansion into corporate health management and well-being initiatives * Application in food education and educational fields We aim to strengthen evidence through the implementation of larger-scale studies in the future. ■ Paper Information Journal: Nutrients (2026) Title: An Exploratory Prospective Intervention Study on Dietary Content and HbA1c in Experiential Nutrition Guidance for Patients with Type 2 Diabetes ■ Company Overview [Shoku no Okusuri Co., Ltd.] — Getting healthy through food — Through an everyday approach called 'food', we contribute to people's health promotion and well-being improvement. And we contribute to solving societal issues ahead. https://shokuno-okusuri.com/ About Healthy Kitchen For your body 10 years from now. This is a kitchen studio operated by Shoku no Okusuri Co., Ltd. where you can condition your body by eating. We offer various services such as cooking classes, nutrition lectures, and personalized support from health experts.