JP7549407B2 - Information provision system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an information provision system.

In recent years, attention has been focused on the importance of the intestinal environment in health management. The intestinal environment differs from person to person due to lifestyle habits such as diet, and it is becoming clear that the balance of the intestinal flora and metabolic substances derived from the intestinal flora are deeply involved in maintaining health and various diseases. In addition, there are known cases where the effects of ingesting functional substances such as medicines, supplements, and food ingredients differ from person to person due to differences in the person's intestinal environment.

Patent Document 1 discloses that users are classified based on the results of intestinal bacteria tests, and functional ingredients that may suit the user are presented based on the evaluation results of other users who are classified into the same group ingesting the functional ingredients.

Patent No. 6245487

The above-mentioned technologies propose functional ingredients that are suitable for users at the current time, but do not take into account cases where the functional ingredients are not suitable.

Therefore, one objective of the present invention is to provide an information provision system that can lead to the acquisition of compatibility with functional substances by suggesting actions to change intestinal environment patterns, even if a functional substance is not currently compatible with the functional substance.

According to the present invention, an information provision system is obtained that provides behavioral information necessary to acquire responsiveness to specific functional substances according to the user's intestinal environment pattern.

According to the present invention, even if a subject does not currently have a responsiveness to a functional substance, by suggesting an action that has the effect of changing the intestinal environment pattern, the subject can acquire a responsiveness to the functional substance in the future.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a server device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of a server device according to an embodiment of the present invention. 3 shows an example of the configuration of a responsive intestinal environment information storage unit according to an embodiment of the present invention. 4 shows an example of the configuration of a difference list storage unit according to the embodiment of the present invention. 3 shows an example of the configuration of an intestinal environment change information storage unit according to an embodiment of the present invention. 3 shows an example of the configuration of a user information storage unit according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of information processing according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of information presentation according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of information presentation according to an embodiment of the present invention. 3 shows an example of the configuration of an intestinal environment change information storage unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The present invention will be described below with reference to the preferred embodiments.
[Item 1]
An information provision system that provides behavioral information required to acquire responsiveness to specific functional substances according to the user's intestinal environment pattern.
[Item 2]
A comparison unit that compares the intestinal environment pattern of the user with the responsive intestinal environment pattern for the specific functional substance;
a behavior selection unit that selects behavior information for bringing the intestinal environment pattern of the user closer to the responsive intestinal environment pattern based on a result of the comparison;
2. The information providing system according to item 1, further comprising: an information providing unit that provides the behavioral information.
[Item 3]
The information providing system according to item 2, wherein the comparison unit identifies at least one of the following as a difference: the presence or absence, or an excess or deficiency, of a specific intestinal bacteria, the presence or absence, or an excess or deficiency, of a specific metabolic substance, the presence or absence, or an excess or deficiency, of a specific stool protein, and whether or not the stool has a specific characteristic.
[Item 4]
4. The information providing system according to item 3, wherein the behavioral information is a behavior that has the effect of increasing or decreasing at least one of a specific intestinal bacteria, a metabolic substance, and a stool protein related to the difference, or has the effect of changing stool properties.
[Item 5]
5. The information providing system according to any one of items 1 to 4, wherein the behavioral information is related to food intake.
[Item 6]
6. The information providing system according to item 5, further providing dietary information in which the functional substance and food that provides the effect can be ingested.
[Item 7]
The information providing system according to item 2, further characterized in that the information providing unit determines and provides an index of similarity between the user's intestinal environment pattern and the specific responsive environment pattern at two or more points in time.
[Item 8]
The comparison unit performs a comparison for a plurality of the functional substances,
The information providing system according to item 2, wherein the information providing unit provides the behavioral information for functional substances for which the intestinal environment pattern of the user is closer to the specific responsive environment pattern.
[Item 9]
The information providing system according to any one of items 1 to 8, characterized in that the specific functional substance is in the form of a health functional food, a dietary supplement, a functional food, a specific health food, or a special purpose food.

<Details of the embodiment>
Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

＜Overview＞
The present invention is based on the knowledge that the effect of taking functional substances such as medicines, supplements, and food ingredients varies from person to person based on the difference in the intestinal environment pattern of each person. Those who can take such functional substances and get the effect can be defined as "responders" and those who can't get the effect can be defined as "non-responders."

For example, it is known that ingesting barley has a "second meal effect" that suppresses the rise in blood sugar levels caused by the next meal, and there are responders and non-responders to this effect. The difference between responders and non-responders is thought to be related to the ratio of Prevotella bacteria in the intestinal flora, and it is known that responders tend to have a higher ratio of Prevotella bacteria than non-responders. In this case, people with a high ratio of Prevotella bacteria are "responders" who can achieve the second meal effect by ingesting barley, and those with a low ratio are "non-responders" who cannot achieve this effect.

This concept is thought to be universal between ingested foods and other substances, such as probiotics like yogurt and functional foods, and the effects they bring about. The same is true for medicines; for example, it has been reported that the effects of immune checkpoint inhibitors, which have attracted attention in recent years as cancer treatment drugs, depend on the pattern of the patient's intestinal flora, and it is thought that this is because the pattern of the intestinal flora affects the host immune system. Since the intestinal environment differs from person to person, it is unlikely that foods (including foods for specified health uses and foods with functional claims) and medicines that are expected to have beneficial effects will have the same effect in everyone, and it is necessary to recognize that there are responders and non-responders.

On the other hand, some foods, supplements, and medicines are known to have the effect of increasing or decreasing specific intestinal bacteria or metabolic substances derived from intestinal bacteria. For example, probiotics, such as fermented foods and intestinal regulators such as yogurt, pickled vegetables, and natto that contain lactic acid bacteria and bifidobacteria, as well as foods and supplements called prebiotics that contain a lot of dietary fiber and oligosaccharides, are known to change the intestinal environment. In addition, lifestyle habits such as exercise habits, alcohol intake, and stress are also known to change the intestinal environment.

In the present invention, a common intestinal environment pattern is found among people who are responders to a specific functional substance through research and investigation, and this is compiled into a database as a "responsive intestinal environment pattern." Research methods for finding a responsive intestinal environment pattern can be performed by known methods, and can be performed, for example, by the following method.

A number of subjects are asked to take a functional substance for a specified period of time, and surveys and tests are used to investigate whether the expected effects were achieved after intake. The survey results are analyzed using any statistical method as necessary, and those who achieved an effect (responders) are classified into those who did not achieve an effect (non-responders). Stool samples are also collected from the subjects at any time point before or after taking the functional substance, and the intestinal flora or metabolic substances are examined. Then, by measuring intestinal bacteria with significantly different relative abundance ratios or metabolic substances with significantly different stool contents between responders and non-responders, a responsive intestinal environment pattern common to responders can be found.

In the present invention, first, a user's intestinal environment pattern is compared with a responsive intestinal environment pattern common to people who are responders to a specific functional substance, thereby determining whether the user is a responder or non-responder to the functional substance. If the user is a non-responder, behavioral information is proposed to change the user's intestinal environment pattern to a responsive intestinal environment pattern. According to the present invention, even if a person is initially a non-responder to a specific functional substance, he or she can change his or her intestinal environment pattern to a responder by taking a specific behavior. Hereinafter, a responder may be referred to as "responsive" and a non-responder as "non-responsive."

In addition, in this specification, the term "intestinal environment pattern" refers to the presence or absence of specific intestinal bacteria, and the relative abundance ratio, the balance between intestinal bacteria, the presence or absence and content of intestinal metabolites, the balance between metabolites, the presence or absence and content of proteins in the stool, the properties of the stool (e.g., water content, hardness, color, etc.), and combinations thereof. The intestinal bacteria are not limited to bacteria, but include archaea, fungi, and viruses (phages). The intestinal metabolites include metabolites produced by intestinal bacteria, dead bacteria of intestinal bacteria, food residues, and substances secreted by the host, and are mainly detected in the stool, but may be detected from other sources such as intestinal contents. The stool proteins include proteins produced by intestinal bacteria, food residues, and substances secreted by the host (digestive enzymes, immunoglobulins, antibacterial peptides, etc.), and are mainly detected in the stool, but may be detected from other sources such as intestinal contents.

In addition, in this specification, a "functional substance" is a food (including a beverage; the same applies below) that is expected to bring about a predetermined effect when ingested, and its form includes a health functional food, a dietary supplement, a functional food, a specific health food, or a special purpose food. Furthermore, a "functional substance" also includes medicines and supplements. In addition, "food" also includes food ingredients and specific nutrients contained in food ingredients. In addition, "medicine" and "supplement" may be active ingredients (compounds) contained therein. In addition, the predetermined effect of a functional substance may be, for example, weight loss, prevention of weight gain, lowering blood sugar level, improving glucose tolerance, improving bowel movements, improving immunity, improving skin condition, antidepressant effect, or anything that changes the physical and mental state of the ingestor. In addition, the ingestor of the functional substance in this invention is not limited to humans, and can also be applied to animals such as livestock and pets, or industrial animals such as bees and silkworms.

<Configuration>
The system according to the embodiment of the present invention evaluates whether a user is responsive to a specific functional substance based on data on the user's intestinal environment, and if the user is not responsive, provides the user terminal with behavioral information for approaching a responsive intestinal bacteria pattern. As shown in Fig. 1, the system of the present invention includes a server 1 and a user terminal 2 connected to the server 1 via a network such as the Internet. For convenience of explanation, one user terminal 2 is shown in Fig. 1, but multiple terminals can be connected to the network of this system.

<Hardware Configuration>
The server 1 and the user terminal 2 according to this embodiment have the following hardware configuration. Note that the following configuration is an example, and they may have other configurations.

<Server 1>
2, the server 1 constitutes a part of the system by executing information processing through communication with the user terminal 2. The server 1 may be a general-purpose computer such as a workstation or a personal computer, or may be logically realized by cloud computing.

The server 1 comprises at least a processor 10, a memory 11, a storage 12, a transmission/reception unit 13, an input/output unit 14, etc., which are electrically connected to each other via a bus 15.

The processor 10 is a computing device that controls the operation of the entire server 1, controls the transmission and reception of data between each element, and performs information processing necessary for executing applications. For example, the processor 10 is a CPU (Central Processing Unit), and executes programs stored in the storage 12 and deployed in the memory 11 to perform various information processing operations.

The memory 11 includes a main memory configured with a volatile storage device such as a dynamic random access memory (DRAM) and an auxiliary memory configured with a non-volatile storage device such as a flash memory or a hard disk drive (HDD). The memory 11 is used as a work area for the processor 10, and also stores the BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) that is executed when the server 1 is started, various setting information, and the like.

Storage 12 stores various programs such as application programs. A database storing data used for each process may be constructed in storage 12.

The transmission/reception unit 13 connects the server 1 to the network 3. The transmission/reception unit 13 may be equipped with short-range communication interfaces for Bluetooth (registered trademark) and BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy).

The input/output unit 14 includes information input devices such as a keyboard and mouse, and output devices such as a display, which are used as needed.

Bus 15 is commonly connected to each of the above elements and transmits, for example, address signals, data signals and various control signals.

<User Terminal 2>
The user terminal 2 constitutes a part of the information providing system by executing information processing through communication with the server 1. The user terminal 2 may be, for example, a general-purpose computer such as a workstation or a personal computer, or may be a mobile communication device such as a smartphone.

Figure 3 is a diagram showing an example of the software configuration of the server 1 in the system of the present invention. The server 1 can include a data acquisition unit 111, a comparison unit 112, a behavior selection unit 113, an information provision unit 114, a responsive intestinal environment information storage unit 121, a difference list storage unit 122, an intestinal environment change information storage unit 123, and a user information storage unit 124.

The data acquisition unit 111, comparison unit 112, behavior selection unit 113, and information provision unit 114 are realized by the processor 10 of the server reading out a program stored in the storage 12 into the memory 11 and executing it, and the responsive intestinal environment information storage unit 121, difference list storage unit 122, intestinal environment change information storage unit 123, and user information storage unit 124 are realized as part of the storage area provided by at least one of the memory 11 and the storage 12.

The responsive intestinal environment information storage unit 121 includes a combination of a specific functional substance and the characteristics of a responsive intestinal environment pattern that can obtain the effects of the functional substance. In other words, when past research has revealed an intestinal environment pattern common to responders who can obtain the effects of a functional substance, the characteristics of the intestinal environment pattern common to the responders are databased as a "responsive intestinal environment pattern."

Figure 4 is an example of the configuration of responsive intestinal environment information. It can include category information of the functional substance (food, supplement, medicine, etc.), effects obtained by taking the functional substance (relieving constipation, losing weight, improving glucose tolerance, etc.), and responsive intestinal environment pattern information, linked to an ID assigned to each functional substance. The responsive intestinal environment pattern information may be the presence or absence or abundance/relative abundance ratio of a specific intestinal bacterium, the balance between intestinal bacteria (such as the abundance ratio between specific intestinal bacteria), the presence or absence or content of intestinal metabolites, the balance between metabolites, the presence or absence or content of protein in the stool, stool properties (for example, water content, hardness, color, etc.), etc. In addition, the intestinal bacteria can be of any genus (such as Prevotella bacteria) or species (such as Prevotella copri), etc.

In addition, the relative abundance ratio of intestinal bacteria, the balance between intestinal bacteria, the content of metabolic substances, the balance between metabolic substances, etc. can be determined as a responder by a numerical value (threshold). The threshold is a cutoff value for distinguishing between a group in which the functional substance is effective and a group in which it is not effective when taken, and can be set appropriately. The cutoff value may be calculated by appropriately selecting a machine learning algorithm such as a decision tree, random forest, or logistic regression, or may be determined appropriately from the distribution of values of the effective and ineffective groups. More specifically, for example, the relationship between sensitivity and false positive rate (1-specificity) can be determined by ROC analysis.

Sensitivity is, for example, the proportion of predictions of a group in which the true state increases, which is a group that is correctly predicted to increase. Specificity is the proportion of predictions of a group in which the true state does not increase, which is a group that is correctly predicted to not increase. In the ROC analysis, first, the values of sensitivity and false positive rate are obtained when the cutoff value is continuously changed. Then, the obtained values of sensitivity and false positive rate are plotted on a graph with the vertical axis (Y axis) being the sensitivity and the horizontal axis (X axis) being the false positive rate, and a method of selecting a point closest to a point of sensitivity 1 and specificity 0 from the plotted points, that is, a combination of sensitivity and specificity that minimizes (1-sensitivity) ² + false positive rate ² is determined. The cutoff value corresponding to the combination of sensitivity and specificity determined in this way can be set as the final cutoff value. The method of determining the combination of sensitivity and specificity is not limited to the above-mentioned method of determining a combination that minimizes (1-sensitivity) ² + false positive rate ² , but may be, for example, a method of determining a combination that maximizes the product of sensitivity and specificity, or a method of determining a combination that maximizes (sensitivity + specificity)÷2.

The difference list storage unit 122 is information for identifying the difference between the user's intestinal environment pattern and the responsive intestinal environment pattern. FIG. 5 is an example of the configuration of a difference list stored in the difference list storage unit 122. The difference list can include the content of the difference linked to identification information such as a difference ID. The content of the difference can be identified as a deficiency/excess of a specific genus of bacteria, a deficiency/excess of an amount of a specific metabolic substance, a deficiency/excess of a specific stool protein, the absence of a specific stool property (e.g., water content, hardness, color, etc.), etc.

The intestinal environment change information storage unit 123 includes behavioral information that brings about a change in a specific intestinal environment pattern. FIG. 6 is an example of the configuration of intestinal environment change information stored in the intestinal environment change information storage unit 123. As an example, the behavioral information corresponding to the above-mentioned difference ID is stored in association with the difference ID. Each piece of behavioral information may be assigned identification information such as a behavioral information ID. Changes in the intestinal environment pattern include, for example, increasing/reducing specific intestinal bacteria, adjusting the presence ratio between specific intestinal bacteria, increasing/reducing specific metabolic substances, adjusting the presence ratio between specific metabolic substances, etc., or combinations thereof.

The behavioral information is known to bring about a change in a specific intestinal environment pattern, and may include, but is not limited to, dietary behavior related to taking or refraining from taking a specific food, supplement behavior related to taking or refraining from taking a specific supplement, medication behavior related to taking or refraining from taking a specific medicine, and lifestyle behavior related to lifestyle habits such as increasing the amount of exercise, increasing sleep time, refraining from smoking, reducing stress, and refraining from alcohol intake, as long as the behavior has the effect of changing the intestinal environment pattern. A plurality of behavioral information known to be effective for changing a specific intestinal environment pattern may be associated with the behavioral information. The type of behavioral information (eating behavior, supplement behavior, medication behavior, lifestyle behavior, etc.) may also be assigned. The intestinal environment change information may be added at any time for behavior that has been found to be effective in changing a specific intestinal environment pattern.

In addition, weighting information or priority order may be assigned to behavioral information that is expected to be more effective. In this case, it is preferable to include information regarding the past success probability or efficiency for each behavioral information. The past success probability is the probability that the expected change in the intestinal environment pattern occurs when the behavior is performed, and may be the percentage of people who have seen an effect among a population of all people who have performed the behavior, or the percentage of people who have seen an effect among a population of people with an intestinal environment pattern similar to that of the target user.

The intestinal environment patterns being similar can be appropriately set based on any criteria. For example, the UniFrac distance value, which is a value calculated as the distance between the intestinal flora profiles, the correlation coefficient, the Euclidean distance, etc. can be used as an index. In addition, the distance between the intestinal flora data can be calculated based on a statistical method (e.g., Jensen Shannon Divergence, etc.), and then clustering can be performed (e.g., the k-medoid method, etc.) to group people with the same enterotype as similar. Note that enterotypes are classifications based on the ratio of specific bacteria, and it is known that they can be classified into three types: Bacteroides enterotype, which is dominated by Bacteroides, Prevotella enterotype, which is dominated by Prevotella, and Ruminococcus enterotype, which is dominated by Ruminococcus.

The efficiency of change in behavioral information is an index of how much of a change in the intestinal environment pattern is expected for the number of times the behavior is performed, the duration of the behavior, the amount of intake, etc. The amount of change in the intestinal environment pattern can be expressed as the increase/decrease rate of the amount of the target intestinal bacteria, for example, the percentage increase/decrease compared to before the behavior was performed. For example, if the behavioral information is "ingesting 100 g of food A per day," the change in the intestinal environment pattern over a specified period (e.g., one month) during which food A was consumed is measured to calculate the change efficiency per specified period. As with the above, the efficiency of behavioral information may be calculated by taking the average value or the like of all people who performed the behavior as a population, or may be a population of people whose intestinal environment pattern is similar to that of the target user.

Furthermore, an index may be set that combines the above success probability and change efficiency indices. For example, the average of both indices may be taken. Also, each index may be weighted differently by multiplying it by an appropriate coefficient.

The user information storage unit 124 stores user information. FIG. 7 is an example of the configuration of user information stored in the user information storage unit 124. The user information may be linked to a user ID, and may include user basic information and the user's intestinal environment pattern information. The user basic information may include information on attributes such as the user's name, age, sex, address, occupation, and place of origin, information on physical condition such as chronic illnesses, medical history, allergies, constitution (obesity, frailty, etc.), prescription medications, and commonly used medications, and information on lifestyle habits such as diet, drinking, smoking, and exercise habits.

The user's intestinal environment pattern information is the user's intestinal environment pattern information obtained by analyzing the user's stool, and is stored together with the sampling date. If sampling and analysis are performed multiple times, multiple sets of intestinal environment pattern information can be stored. The intestinal environment pattern information may be the presence or absence of specific intestinal bacteria, or the relative abundance ratio, the balance between intestinal bacteria, the presence or absence, content, and balance between metabolites in the intestine, fecal protein, fecal properties (e.g., water content, hardness, color, etc.), or a combination of these, and may also include gene sequence data extracted from the user's fecal sample and the quantitative data itself. In addition, if a responder determination has been performed in the past for a specific functional substance, the result (responder/non-responder) and behavioral information proposed in the case of a non-responder can also be stored.

Data on enterobacteria can be quantified by extracting all DNA from fecal samples provided by users, reading their sequences, and quantification based on the sequences and a gene database (e.g., KEGG). Quantification of microorganisms can be performed, for example, by extracting all DNA from fecal samples, reading their sequences, and comparing the sequences with base sequences registered in a 16S ribosomal RNA database (e.g., SILVA). If the total DNA amount is 4, the DNA amount of a certain genus A is 3, and the DNA amount of a certain genus B is 1, the relative abundance ratio of enterobacteria is 0.75 and the relative abundance ratio of genus B is 0.25. After extracting all DNA, only the 16S ribosomal RNA gene may be amplified by PCR and the sequences may be read. Alternatively, after extracting all DNA, the gene of a specific microorganism may be amplified by quantitative PCR to obtain a relative quantitative value or absolute quantitative value of the specific microorganism. Alternatively, the amount of microorganisms may be quantified using an antibody that binds to a specific microorganism (or a protein thereof, etc.), or the amount of microorganisms may be measured using a selective medium in which only a specific microorganism can grow.

The data on metabolites or proteins is data on metabolites or proteins in the intestinal environment of the user, and includes the type of each compound in the intestinal environment and their quantitative data. Metabolites can be comprehensively quantified from the user's fecal sample, for example, by using an analytical device equipped with a mass spectrometer such as CE-MS, LC-MS, or GC-MS. The amount of metabolites or proteins may be determined by the content in a predetermined amount of stool sample, or may be a relative value between multiple stool samples. An analytical device without a mass spectrometer, such as HPLC, may also be used, and the amount of metabolites or proteins may be determined by an ELISA method using an antibody against a specific substance, or a colorimetric method based on an enzyme reaction with a specific substance.

The data acquisition unit 111 acquires data regarding the user's intestinal environment pattern. The data acquisition unit 111 may acquire analyzed intestinal bacteria pattern information from the user terminal 2 or the server 1, or via a separate data server.

The comparison unit 112 compares the acquired intestinal environment pattern of the user with the responsive intestinal environment pattern of a specific functional substance. The comparison unit 112 may read out and compare the corresponding responsive intestinal environment pattern for the functional substance specified by the user, or may read out and compare the corresponding responsive intestinal environment patterns of all functional substances. If the user's intestinal environment pattern matches the responsive intestinal environment pattern of a specific functional substance, the comparison unit 112 can determine that the user is responsive (responder) to the functional substance. On the other hand, if the pattern does not match the responsive intestinal environment pattern, the comparison unit 112 determines that the user is non-responsive (non-responder) and further extracts the difference.

For example, if the responsive intestinal environment pattern of a certain functional substance is a pattern in which the relative abundance ratio of intestinal bacteria of genus A is 0.5 or more and the relative abundance ratio of intestinal bacteria of genus B is 0.2 or more, and the relative abundance ratio of intestinal bacteria of genus A in the user's intestinal environment pattern is 0.55 and the relative abundance ratio of intestinal bacteria of genus B is 0.1, then the intestinal environment pattern of the user satisfies the condition for genus A but does not satisfy the condition for genus B. Therefore, the comparison unit 112 finds the difference to be a lack of the relative abundance ratio of bacteria of genus B. In addition, if the responsive intestinal environment pattern is a pattern in which the ratio of intestinal bacteria of genus A to intestinal bacteria of genus B is 1:1 to 1:2, and the ratio of intestinal bacteria of genus A to intestinal bacteria of genus B in the user's intestinal environment pattern is 1:3, the difference is found to be that the relative abundance ratio of intestinal bacteria of genus A is insufficient and/or that the intestinal bacteria of genus B is excessive in the user's intestinal environment pattern.

The comparison unit 112 selects a difference ID corresponding to the difference extracted as a result of the comparison from the difference list storage unit 122. For example, in the first example above, if the difference is that the relative abundance ratio of genus B bacteria is insufficient, 00003 is selected as the difference ID. Also, in the second example above, if the difference is that the relative abundance ratio of genus A enterobacteria is insufficient and/or that genus B enterobacteria is excessive, 00001 and/or 00004 are selected as the difference ID. The comparison unit 112 communicates the extracted difference to the behavior selection unit 113.

The behavior selection unit 113 selects behaviors for bringing the user's intestinal environment pattern closer to the responsive intestinal environment pattern based on the extracted difference. When a difference is selected as the difference ID, it is possible to select behavior information linked to the difference ID. When multiple pieces of behavior information are registered for one difference ID or when multiple difference IDs are extracted, it is possible to select two or more pieces of behavior information. In addition, the number of selectable pieces of behavior information is set in advance, and when more pieces of behavior information than the set number are found, it is also possible to narrow down the number of pieces of behavior information so that they are equal to or less than the set number. In this case, the behavior information is ranked according to a predetermined priority, and the set number of pieces of behavior information can be selected starting from those with the highest priority.

The behavior selection unit 113 may select from among those with a high probability of success or those with a high efficiency of change. Alternatively, the selection may be based on an index that combines the success probability and the efficiency of change. Furthermore, when a user or the like specifies a specific type of behavioral information (e.g., dietary behavior, supplement behavior, medication behavior, lifestyle behavior, etc.), only behavioral information that corresponds to the specified type is selected. For example, when a user specifies "dietary behavior", "supplement behavior", "medication behavior", and "lifestyle behavior" are not selected. The behavior selection unit 113 communicates the selected behavioral information to the information provision unit 114.

The information providing unit 114 provides the user terminal 2 with the result of the responsiveness judgment (responder or non-responder) to a specific functional substance and, in the case of a non-responder, the behavior information selected by the behavior selecting unit 113. Additional information may be added to each behavior information as necessary. For example, in the case of a dietary behavior, food containing the ingredient, recipe information using the ingredient, restaurant information, etc. may be added. Furthermore, a link to an EC site where these ingredients and foods can be purchased may be included. In addition, in the case of a supplement behavior or a medication behavior, the information may include precautions for use such as dosage and usage of the supplement or medicine, and a link to an EC site where the supplement or medicine can be purchased. In the case of a lifestyle behavior, information such as an introduction to an app that supports smoking cessation, an introduction to recommended types of exercise and sports gyms, useful information for improving sleep quality, and tips for continuing the lifestyle may be provided.

<Operation flow>
The operation flow of the server 1 in the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG.

First, the data acquisition unit 111 acquires intestinal environment data of the user (S101). The intestinal environment data may be acquired by newly sampling and analyzing the user's stool, or may be acquired from data already held by the user or the server.

The comparison unit 112 compares the user's intestinal environment pattern with the responsive intestinal environment pattern for a specific functional substance (S102). If the user's intestinal environment pattern corresponds to the responsive intestinal environment pattern (S103 = No), the comparison unit 112 determines that the user is a responder to the functional substance, outputs information to that effect to the user terminal 2 as necessary, and terminates the process. On the other hand, if the user's intestinal environment pattern does not correspond to the responsive intestinal environment pattern (S103 = Yes), the comparison unit 112 extracts the difference. The difference may be identified as a difference ID in the difference list.

The behavior selection unit 113 selects appropriate behavior information from the intestinal environment change information storage unit 123 based on the extracted difference (S104). That is, behavior information associated with the difference ID can be selected. The information provision unit 114 provides the behavior information selected by the behavior selection unit 113 to the user terminal 2 (S105). It is preferable to add additional information related to the behavior information as necessary.

The above is a basic explanation of the information provision system of the present invention. According to the present invention, it is possible to determine whether or not a user is a responder who can obtain the effects of a specific functional substance based on the user's intestinal environment data, and even if the user is a non-responder, it is possible to provide the user with behavioral information to approach becoming a responder. By adopting and continuing the presented behavior, the user can change their own intestinal environment pattern and become a responder in the future.

<Modification 1: Meal recommendation function>
This modified example has the same configuration as the above, except that the server 1 further includes a meal selection unit.

In this modified example, when the specific functional substance is a food and the suggested behavioral information is an eating behavior to ingest the specific food, recipe information including both foods is further provided. In other words, a recipe can be presented that allows for simultaneous ingestion of the functional substance and a food that will become a responder to the functional substance.

The meal selection unit searches for recipes that include a specific functional substance and a food specified by the proposed eating behavior by any method. For example, a recipe information site provided on the Internet may be accessed to search for recipes that include a specific food as an ingredient. Also, a memory unit that stores recipe information that includes a specific functional substance or food included in the eating behavior may be prepared in advance in the server 1 and used for searching. The meal selection unit can suggest recipes, menus, course menus, etc. as meal information. In other words, a recipe may be selected in which both the food that is the functional substance and the food that is the proposed eating behavior can be ingested in one dish, or a combination of dishes in which these foods can be ingested in a menu consisting of multiple dishes.

The information providing unit 114 can add the meal information selected by the meal selection unit to the behavioral information and provide it to the user.

<Modification 2: Changes in non-responder degree judgment>
This modified example has the same configuration as the above, except that the server 1 further includes a non-responder degree determination unit.

The non-responder degree determination unit evaluates how close the user's intestinal bacteria pattern is to the responsive intestinal bacteria pattern of a specific functional substance, and can determine the degree of non-responder by an index called non-responder degree, for example. There are no particular limitations on the method of determining the degree of non-responder, but it may be expressed by a number such as a percentage, or by any index such as low, medium, or high. In addition, the higher the number or index, the closer the user is to a responder (for example, a number of 100 indicates a responder), or the higher the number or index, the closer the user is to a non-responder (for example, a number of 0 indicates a responder).

The evaluation of the non-responder degree can be appropriately performed by any method. For example, when the "relative abundance ratio of bacteria of genus A" is a threshold for determining a responder, if the "relative abundance ratio 80" is 80 or more, it is a responder, and if it is lower than 80, it is a non-responder), the non-responder degree may be a percentage with 80 as the maximum (for example, if the relative abundance ratio is 40, the non-responder degree is 50%, and if the relative abundance ratio is 20, the non-responder degree is 25%). In addition, similar to the threshold for distinguishing between responders and non-responders, the non-responder degree may be defined by setting several further thresholds within the non-responder. For example, intermediate values such as 50 and 30 may be set as the threshold for determining the non-responder degree, and a stepwise evaluation may be performed with 50 to 79 being a high non-responder degree, 30 to 49 being a medium non-responder degree, and 0 to 29 being a low non-responder degree.

In addition, when the responsive intestinal bacteria pattern is defined by multiple conditions (such as the relative abundance ratio of bacteria of genus A and the relative abundance ratio of bacteria of genus B, and the amount of metabolic substance C), the non-responder degree may be evaluated by the number of items that satisfy the conditions. In other words, if two out of three conditions are satisfied, the non-responder degree may be 66%, for example. The respective non-responder degrees may also be averaged.

The non-responder degree can be determined when the comparison unit 112 compares with the responsive intestinal bacteria pattern. In this modified example, it is preferable to store the non-responder degree determination result and the provided behavioral information in the user information storage unit 124 as appropriate. Therefore, for each sampling of a stool sample, the non-responder degree determination result for a specified functional substance and the behavioral information proposed in this system are stored together with the intestinal environment pattern information.

In addition, in this modified example, it is preferable that the information providing unit 114 also outputs to the user terminal 2 the progress of past non-responder degree judgment results. Figure 9 is an example of a display output to the user terminal 2. As shown in the figure, by displaying the non-responder degree as a numerical value or graph along with the sampling dates of past stool samples, the user can clearly understand that he or she is getting closer to becoming a responder, and can also realize the effect of the proposed behavioral information. Note that the past stool samples may only be those included in an arbitrary period specified by the user, or may be all samples stored in the user information storage unit 124.

<Modification 3: Comparison of non-responder degrees>
This modification is another modification in which the server 1 includes a non-responder degree determination unit.
In this modified example, among functional substances that were non-responders, those that are likely to become responders can be selected based on the above-mentioned degree of non-responder. First, functional substances of the same type may be grouped. In terms of grouping, for example, the functional substances may be grouped based on the following criteria: they have a common or similar effect (a common effect of weight loss, a common effect of improving bowel movements, a common effect of improving immunity, etc.), they are biologically or chemically close (for example, Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus bulgaricus, and Lactobacillus helveticus are grouped as a "lactic acid bacteria" group, etc.), they are in the same category when foods are appropriately categorized (categories such as "cereals" and "fruits" or categories such as "staple foods" and "desserts"), or the functional substances are provided by the same manufacturer, seller, or other provider.

The comparison unit 112 performs responder judgment for multiple functional substances, and further judges the non-responder degree for multiple functional substances that were non-responders. Then, the non-responder degree can be compared within the same group, and the functional substance with the highest non-responder degree (closest to a responder) can be selected. The behavior selection unit 113 selects behavior based on the difference corresponding to the functional substance selected based on the non-responder degree. The user can receive behavior information for the functional substance most likely to become a responder from the same group. The behavior selection unit 113 can also select behavior information for all functional substances in the group, and the information provision unit 114 can provide the non-responder degree for each functional substance together with the behavior information. The user can select functional substances that are likely to become responders from the group using the non-responder degree as a guide.

Figure 10 is an example of a screen display on a user terminal in this modified example. As an example, a case where the non-responder degree is determined for multiple lactic acid bacteria is described. The level of non-responder degree for each of lactic acid bacteria A, B, and C is displayed as a recommendation degree (number of stars). In addition, it is displayed that lactic acid bacteria B has the highest non-responder degree, and behavioral information for becoming a responder to lactic acid bacteria B, "Try to actively consume XX," is displayed. Note that screen display examples are not limited to this.

<Modification 4: Modification of Action Selection>
In this modified example, the behavior selection unit 113 can select the behavior information that is most effective for the user from among a plurality of pieces of behavior information, based on the user's intestinal environment pattern.

In this modified example, as shown in FIG. 11, the intestinal environment change information storage unit 123 further stores a second responsive intestinal environment pattern that can obtain the expected effect for each behavior. That is, the intestinal environment pattern common to people who can obtain (or are likely to obtain) the effect of "increasing A genus bacteria" by the behavior of "eating XX" is associated as the "second responsive intestinal environment pattern." As described above, the second responsive intestinal environment pattern may be the presence or absence of specific intestinal bacteria, the relative abundance ratio, the balance between intestinal bacteria, the presence or absence, the amount of metabolic substances derived from intestinal bacteria, the balance between metabolic substances, and combinations thereof.

When selecting an action corresponding to the difference 00001 "increasing bacteria of genus A", the action selection unit 113 reads out the second responsive intestinal environment pattern related to the multiple action information "eating XX" and "increasing the amount of exercise". Then, the user's intestinal environment pattern is compared with the second responsive intestinal environment pattern. If the user's intestinal environment pattern matches the second responsive intestinal environment pattern of specific action information, it can be determined that the user is likely to obtain the effect of the action information. On the other hand, if it does not match the second responsive intestinal environment pattern, it is determined that the effect is unlikely to be obtained. Then, the action selection unit 113 can select the action information that is determined to be likely to obtain the effect based on the intestinal environment pattern from the multiple action information.

According to this modified example, it becomes possible to narrow down multiple pieces of behavioral information based on the user's intestinal environment pattern, allowing suggestions to be made that are more suited to the user's constitution.

The above-described embodiment is merely an example for facilitating understanding of the present invention, and is not intended to limit the present invention. The present invention can be modified and improved without departing from the spirit of the invention, and it goes without saying that the present invention includes equivalents.

1 Server 2 User terminal 3 Network

Claims (9)

An information providing system that provides behavioral information required for acquiring responsiveness to a specific functional substance according to a user's intestinal environment pattern,
An intestinal environment change information storage unit that stores behavior information that brings about a change in a specific intestinal environment pattern,
A comparison unit that compares the intestinal environment pattern of the user with the responsive intestinal environment pattern for the specific functional substance and extracts a difference;
a behavior selection unit that selects behavior information for bringing the intestinal environment pattern of the user closer to the responsive intestinal environment pattern from the intestinal environment change information storage unit based on a result of the comparison; and
an information providing unit for providing the behavioral information;
An information provision system comprising: The comparison unit specifies, as the difference, at least one of the presence or absence, excess or deficiency of a specific intestinal bacterium, the presence or absence, excess or deficiency of a specific metabolic substance, the presence or absence, excess or deficiency of a specific stool protein, and whether or not the stool has a specific property.
The information providing system according to claim 1 . The behavioral information is a behavior that has an effect of increasing or decreasing at least one of the specific intestinal bacteria, metabolic substances, and fecal proteins related to the difference, or an effect of changing the stool properties.
The information providing system according to claim 2 . The behavioral information is related to food intake,
The information providing unit provides dietary information that allows the intake of both the functional substance and the food.
The information providing system according to claim 1 . The information providing unit further determines and provides an index of similarity between the intestinal environment pattern of the user and the specific responsive intestinal environment pattern at two or more timings.
The information providing system according to claim 1 . The comparison unit performs a comparison for a plurality of the functional substances,
The information providing unit provides the behavioral information for the functional substance that is closer to the intestinal environment pattern of the user and the specific responsive intestinal environment pattern among the plurality of functional substances.
The information providing system according to claim 1 . A comparison unit that compares the intestinal environment pattern of the user with the responsive intestinal environment patterns for a plurality of specific functional substances;
a determination unit that determines a degree of similarity between the intestinal environment pattern of the user and the responsive intestinal environment pattern of the specific functional substance based on a result of the comparison;
an information providing unit for providing information regarding the degree;
An information provision system comprising: 1. A method for providing information on behavior required for acquiring responsiveness to a specific functional substance with respect to a specific intestinal environment pattern , comprising:
an intestinal environment change information storage unit that stores behavior information that brings about a change in a predetermined intestinal environment pattern;
A step of comparing the specific intestinal environment pattern with the responsive intestinal environment pattern for the specific functional substance and extracting a difference;
selecting, based on a result of the comparison, from the intestinal environment change information storage unit, behavioral information for bringing the specific intestinal environment pattern closer to the responsive intestinal environment pattern;
providing said behavioral information;
An information providing method comprising: The behavioral information is related to food intake,
The step of providing the behavioral information provides dietary information that allows the intake of both the functional substance and the food.
The information providing method according to claim 8 .

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