Many dietary supplement legacy companies were founded based on holistic health wisdoms, but fewer have incorporated rigorous science within their founding principles. Wakunaga of America has incorporated both the former and the latter. From its earliest days, the company sought to walk a fine line between ancient traditions and modern science-based products and ingredients. It has proven a winning combination for the company, which expanded from its Japanese roots as Wakunaga Pharmaceutical Company to enter the United States as Wakunaga of America Co. Ltd., in 1972.
While the primary goal of the 47-year-old U.S.-based company has always been to help consumers take control of their long-term health through good lifestyle choices with diet and supplements, science was and continues to be an important principle for validating and documenting the performance and safety of Wakunaga products, said Michael Modjeski, vice president, sales and marketing for the company. “As a result of decades of investment in research, we have incredible volumes of data supporting the efficacies of our products and demonstrating benefits in the areas of: cardiovascular, cholesterol, inflammation, microbiome enrichment and circulation – just to name a few. In practice though, the challenge with marketing dietary supplements such as ours is being able to utilize the studies and research to inform consumers and thereby empower them to make choices on how they may be able to improve their health for the long term.”
When the company was founded in 1955 in Japan, there was a real need to provide nutrition to local people in its post-nuclear recovery. “The company’s ethos at the time (which still continues today), was to make high-quality, scientifically-studied products available for all people in order to help them realize a better long-term health condition,” Modjeski said. “There were numerous studies on our Aged Garlic Extract that were conducted during those formative years and beyond, which provided substantial efficacy and safety evidence.”
The Kyolic Aged Garlic Extract (AGE) was at the root of the product portfolio and is a key illustration of the Wakunaga approach. The name Kyolic is derived from from the Japanese word “kyo” meaning strong, or powerful. While garlic has been used medicinally for thousands of years, Wakunaga recognized that it had some limitations, despite modern studies showing its support for cardiovascular health. For example, the volume of raw garlic needed to attain health benefits can be quite large and cause digestive discomfort, and the odor of raw garlic is unacceptable for many people.
Wakunaga devised a proprietary process to create Kyolic AGE to address these issues. It begins with garlic grown on certified organic farmland under strictly controlled conditions without the use of chemical fertilizers, herbicides or pesticides. Crops are then rotated to prevent depletion of the soil, preserving the land for future agriculture. The raw garlic is harvested and then aged, without heating, for up to 20 months in sealed stainless steel tanks. The unique aging process makes AGE much more gentle on the stomach, eliminates the garlic odor and results in safe, stable, bioavailable compounds found only in Kyolic AGE products.
Over the years, Wakunaga has developed additional science-backed products. The company manufactures and markets an assortment of probiotics products branded as Kyo-Dophilus®; a line of green superfood powdered drink mixes, Kyo-Green®; and a unique immune balancing product called Moducare®.
A thorough commitment
Needless to say, staying on top of ever-changing scientific developments takes extensive engagement within the organization. “The commitments are considerable in terms of internal staff, affiliations with researchers and on-going investments that have been made for over 60 years,” Modjeski noted. “Over the decades, we have learned more about applications – where and how our products can be effective, which then leads to further research. In addition, laboratory and medical detection technologies have evolved substantially, enabling faster and more detailed insight in the field of research and informing new developments.”
Wakunaga continues to fund important studies to validate the efficacy of its products. Its Kyolic® Aged Garlic Extract™, and its constituents, for example, have been the subject of more than 870 peer reviewed, published papers showing abilities to support proper cholesterol, normalize blood pressure, slow coronary plaque formation, reduce oxidative stress, enhance immune health and enrich gut microflora. One of the more recent studies, published in Frontiers of Nutrition, Karin Ried, Ph.D., of the National Institute of Integrative Medicine in Melbourne, Australia and her team, documented that Kyolic AGE significantly reduced blood pressure in hypertensive patients similar to first-line standard antihypertensive medications. The researchers were also surprised to observe that the Kyolic AGE patient group experienced positive changes in pulse wave velocity, arterial stiffness, inflammatory markers and gut microbiota.
The company is also committed to continual improvement in its equipment, processes and personnel training, practices that drive quality and support consumer trust. Wakunaga has been recognized for good manufacturing practices (GMPs), being one of the first in the U.S. to meet GMP compliance as well as international standards, such as Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) certification. In 2018, the facilities and organization were further recognized with an upgrade in its ISO certifications to the ISO 9001;2015 standard and also with a newly awarded German Drug GMP certificate. “The German Drug GMP certificate was particularly challenging to obtain,” Modjeski explained. “Thanks to our team’s focus and efforts, we succeeded in receiving the certificate. In simple terms, the issuance of the German Drug GMP certificate indicates that all products being produced in our facilities are done so at medicine-level pharmaceutical standards. This represents a step-up from where we had been, and further ensures to consumers that our products are very high quality.”
In looking ahead, Wakunaga will continue to develop new products that empower its customers to live a “Kyo” life. One of its initiatives for 2020 is to expand its reach to consumers of all ages. “We believe our products lend themselves to contributing to a long-term quality of life and well-being,” Modjeski said. “Our research shows very positive impacts of our products in our ‘normal’ demographic (being generally 50 years old or more). Just imagine the long-term benefits for consumers who start supplementing at a younger age.”
A commitment to science
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The company’s ethos [is] to make high-quality, scientifically-studied products available for all people in order to help them realize a better long-term health condition.”
Michael Modjeski, Vice President,
Sales and Marketing, Wakunaga
The commitments are considerable in terms of internal staff, affiliations with researchers and on-going investments that have been made for over 60 years.”
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Michael Modjeski, Vice President,
Sales and Marketing, Wakunaga
Connect with Wakunaga
Wakunaga is a proud partner of Inside the Bottle—a New Hope Network and Natural Products Insider initiative dedicated to supporting quality and transparency in the supplement industry.
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Wakunaga is empowering consumers to take control of their health with efficacious, safe, science-based products.
Wakunaga is empowering consumers to take control of their health with efficacious, safe, science-based products.
Wakunaga is empowering consumers to take control of their health with efficacious, safe, science-based products.