Coming Together for Citizens’ Health

In developed and rapidly expanding regions, living a healthy, active lifestyle and taking nutritional supplements have become popular topics of discussion. To ensure that citizens of all ages can lead healthy, active lives, collaboration within and among industry, academia, and government has also become increasingly crucial.

Continuing the discussion to promote health and nutrition from the previous year, the 2022 Citizen’s Health Forum was held on December 18 at the National Taiwan University Hospital’s International Convention Center. The forum serves as a platform for providing recommendations to healthcare professionals, nutritionists, and food science experts, as well as advancing collaborative opportunities.

During this half-day hybrid forum, AmCham invited healthcare professionals from Taiwan, Japan, Hong Kong, and Canada to discuss and explore cholesterol issues with a focus on dietary oxidized cholesterol, dietary supplements for healthy aging, the roles of branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) in sports nutrition, and the effects of pre-exercise cystine and glutamine intake on gastrointestinal permeability and subjective fatigue in active young men.

The forum was divided into three sessions focusing on equally important aspects of citizens’ health. The first session, which bore the theme of health policy, included presentations on a population-based approach to promoting healthy diets for the elderly in Taiwan and making sports nutrition a protective shield for exercise habits.

The second session focused on health promotion and included experts’ knowledge-sharing on cholesterol issues with a focus on dietary oxidized cholesterol and the question of the necessity of dietary supplements with specific compositions of amino acids for healthy aging.

Finally, the third session covered health nutrition and included presentations and discussions on the roles of BCAA in sports nutrition and the effects of pre-exercise cystine and glutamine intake on gastrointestinal permeability and subjective fatigue in active young men.

Opening remarks at the forum were provided by Chairman of the International Conference of Health Evaluation and Promotion (ICHEP) 2022 Dr. Kuo-Chin Huang, AmCham Taiwan President Andrew Wylegala, AmCham Retail Committee Co-Chair Ceasar Chen, Vice President of Herbalife Nutrition North Asia Stella Tsai, and President of Ajinomoto Taiwan Shigeaki Itzusu.

Speakers and panelists included: Chia Shu-Li, deputy director General of the Health Promotion Administration, Ministry of Health and Welfare; Dr. Che-Hung Lin, deputy director-general, Sports Administration, Taiwan; Dr. Kuo-Chin Huang, chairman, ICHEP 2022; Dr. Zhen-Yu Chen, chair professor, School of Life Sciences Graduate Division, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong; Dr. Rajavel Elango, associate professor, Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Canada; Dr. Chin-Kun Wang, distinguished professor and former president, Chung Shan Medical University, Taiwan; Dr. Yoshiharu Shimomura, professor emeritus, Nagoya University, Japan; Dr. Masashi Miyashita professor, Faculty of Sport Sciences, Waseda University, Japan; and Dr. Chia-Hua Kuo, distinguished professor, Institute of Sports Sciences, University of Taipei.

The 2022 Citizen’s Health Forum was organized by AmCham Taiwan, ICHEP 2022, and the Taiwan Society for Sports Nutrition. It was co-organized by the Asian Nutrition Society for Sports and Health, Chung Shan Medical University, ILSI Taiwan, School of Life Sciences of The Chinese University of Hong Kong, and University of Taipei Sports Science.

The event was sponsored by Ajinomoto and Herbalife Nutrition.