MESSAGE

Dear Colleagues,

It is a great pleasure for me to host the International Conference on Food Factors for Health Promotion (ICOFF2007), Nov 27- Dec 1, 2007 in Kyoto, Japan. The ICOFF2007 is organized mainly by Japanese Society for Food Factors (JSoFF), which leads basic and clinical research in the field of functional food research. The theme of the ICOFF2007 is "Food factors for Health Promotion". We believe this is appropriate because food factors may function as the frontline for the prevention of life-style related diseases as well as health promotion. The project for the prevention of lifestyle-related disease is listed as one of the priority research subjects not only in Japan but also in Western countries. Multiple factors are associated with the causes of these diseases. A key future challenge is to clarify these factors, to invent a method of detecting any change in the initial phase and to establish a diagnostic approach that applies to prevention studies by food factors. Although function of food factors has been the primary focus on this conference, other focuses in recent basic and clinical research include bioavailability, metabolism, and safety of foods and their ingredients.
This meeting provides an important opportunity to promote the development of food factor science. We will invite several opinion leaders and young researchers from USA, Korea and other Asian countries.
We trust that you will find the science to be outstanding and the fellowship among the food factor science community strong in the Congress.
I am confident that many interested and enthusiastic researchers will attend the ICOFF2007. I look forward to seeing you in Kyoto in Nov 2007.

Sincerely,

Toshikazu Yoshikawa, M.D., Ph.D.
President
The International Conference on Food Factors for Health Promotion (ICOFF2007)