Planned Series Medical Doctor Professor Lee Gyu-jae's 'Senior Water Care': Why Korea Must Wake Up Now to Functional Water Proven by Super-Aged Japan (#6)

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Kim Jin-ho] "Comparing Japan's current research on functional water with Korea's reality is very timely, yet as a water scholar, it is a point I must address. I am deeply saddened that Korea's water awareness and systems remain trapped in the outdated framework of 'safe and clean water.'"

Medical Doctor Professor Lee Gyu-jae (Yonsei University Wonju College of Medicine) powerfully emphasized why the Republic of Korea, facing a super-aged society, must immediately focus on 'functional water(水)' by citing Japan's advanced examples. He zeroed in on the reality of Japan's functional water research activities, which have already established themselves globally and become preventive medicine in daily life, as well as the limitations of Korea's drinking water culture.

■ Current Status of Functional Water Research and Activities in Japanese Medical Community: Science Rooted in Nation and Daily Life

The reporter first asked about specific activities of Japan, which leads the functional water academic community worldwide. Professor Lee emphasized that Japan's efforts are not limited to laboratory research but are deeply embedded in national systems and the daily lives of citizens.

⊙ Medical Verification and Early Institutionalization

Japan officially approved electrolyzed water devices that generate alkaline ionized water (academic name: alkaline reduced water) as 'medical manufacturing devices' as early as 1966.

Over the following 50 years, the medical community has accumulated vast clinical data including improvements in gastrointestinal symptoms, chronic diarrhea, and relief of indigestion.

⊙ Developed-Country-Style Preventive Medicine Research Led by Academic Societies

Led by the 'Japan Functional Water Society,' many medical experts in Japan are actively investigating the antioxidant mechanisms not only of alkaline reduced water but also of hydrogen water and mineral water.

Research is mainly focused on developed-country-style disease prevention, such as water's effects on removing active oxygen in the body and suppressing diabetes and cognitive function decline (dementia). This is the result of the Japanese government (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare), businesses, and the medical community working closely together to establish detailed safety standards and lead popularization.

■ Three Reasons Why Korea Must Pay Immediate Attention to Functional Water

Meanwhile, Professor Lee made a sobering diagnosis regarding the reality of the Republic of Korea. While we obsess over removing harmful substances and cleanliness, the crisis of a super-aged society is just around the corner.

Professor Lee identified three major reasons for Korea to adopt functional water.

⊙ Entry into Super-Aged Society and the Necessity of Preventive Medicine

The Republic of Korea has the world's fastest-growing elderly population. Chronic dehydration, cognitive decline, and metabolic disorders in the senior generation are the primary culprits that will explosively increase social healthcare costs in the future.

It is now time to actively shift the paradigm from treatment-centered medicine—taking medicine after falling ill—to 'preventive medicine' that blocks disease through the water we drink daily.

⊙ Transition from 'Clean Water' to 'Water Beneficial to the Body'

Korea's Food and Drug Administration also classifies alkaline ionized water devices as 'Class II medical devices' and officially recognizes their efficacy in improving gastrointestinal symptoms. However, most citizens' awareness remains at the basic level of water purification that removes harmful substances.

However, for senior generations with significantly diminished bodily functions, an urgent paradigm shift is needed from ordinary water with virtually no minerals to functional water with minerals and alkalinity that promote rapid absorption and overall vitality.

⊙ The Last Line of Defense Against Korean Chronic Diseases

Professor Lee presented his latest research results to prove the survival value of functional water. "In my latest SCIE-level international academic journal research, I have demonstrated that magnesium-enriched alkaline mineral water is highly effective in suppressing kidney cell damage (oxidative stress) caused by high blood sugar and protecting cells. For Korea's seniors vulnerable to chronic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension, functional water is not a choice but a matter of survival."

■ Refinement of Water Standards and Commercialization, Urgent Need for Cooperation Between Academia and Industry

Professor Lee Gyu-jae recommended that the Republic of Korea also broaden its paradigm regarding water and expedite institutional and technical improvements.

"Just as Japan has commercialized various functional water beverages and technologies through refined water standards, our country urgently needs more effort from academia and industry. When technological popularization is achieved so that people can easily access mineral-rich alkaline water in their daily lives, the future of senior care in the Republic of Korea will brighten."

Before seeking grand treatment methods, the first step is to change the very nature of the water we drink daily. This represents the first step toward the most economical and reliable preventive medicine to prevent the catastrophe of a super-aged society.

Then what are the specific practical methods for choosing and drinking quality functional water in daily life? In the next installment, Series #7, Suwon Ilbo readers will find the practical guidance they most want to know about: 'How to distinguish high-quality functional water that revitalizes your body and proper functional water drinking guidelines for seniors' will be the focus of our coverage.