Tohoku University

Teruo Miyazawa

I was born and raised near the port in Otaru, Hokkaido. In the port near by house were always lots of wood from Russia and I used to dive underneath them when I was little to collect scallops. The town was relatively calm and laidback, and I played tennis all through high school with the dream of making the national championships. My father analyzed and assessed the quality of coal at a research lab for Mitsubishi Mining, so within arm's reach there were always chemicals like mercury, but I recall my father always getting mad at me if I touched anything. My parents owned a mountain and a plowed field nearby and I enjoyed picking the tomatoes and strawberries they grew on the way to and from school. This was probably where my interest in food began and the starting point for my ascent into agriculture.
My early research into lipoperoxides and tissue photoluminance is the basis of my research today. A big moment was the successful development of a super-sensitivity method and device for measuring hydroperoxide lipids in biotissue. This made it possible to accurately measure the degree of oxidation stress in the human body. After that, I continued research into the importance of food components in slowing and preventing aging of living tissue on the cellular level as a researcher at the Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center of Aging of Tufts University in the USA. This work led to later discoveries of new unique lipoperoxides through research into the functions of lipid membranes in the human brain.
My research into rice, which is the theme of this symposium, led to the discovery of new functions of rice bran tocotrienols (super vitamin E) such as antiangiogenesis. This spurred research into the cancer prevention effects of rice components, its application to diabetes complications and other areas, and was important towards deepening research structures in collaborations between industry, academia and government.
I think it is necessary to use opportunities such as this that gather researchers delving into various fields of rice and its components to explain the food safety of rice, the importance of eating it throughout one's life and its relation to disease prevention to general consumers in an easy to understand fashion.

Hobbies:	Tennis (I picked it up again at age 45 and won the prefectural championship in senior competition.)
In Wakayama:	I know most nothing about Wakayama, so I am hoping for everyone to tell me particularly about the good-tasting local specialties. I learned from a teacher in college that making the most out of every meal is how you learn about food.