Method

Abstract

With respect to displaying, for a user, information related to the user's intestinal environment, such as intestinal microbiota, the purpose of the present invention is to more accurately show the potential and characteristics of individual user's intestinal microbiota etc. by focusing on the presence or absence of microorganisms rather than being overly focused on conventional relative abundance thereof. The present invention relates to a method for displaying information on intestinal substances possessed by a user, the method comprising: a step for determining whether the amount of each of the intestinal substances is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold; and a step for displaying information relating to the determination result.

Description

Method

[0001] The present invention relates to a method of clearly displaying information on the intestinal environment such as the user's gut microbiota in an unprecedented way.

[0002] In recent years, the relationship between the human gut microbiota and physical and mental health such as diseases and constitution has been gradually clarified, and attention has been increasing for health management based on information on the gut microbiota. Services that collect feces using a stool collection kit and analyze the intestinal environment are increasing. Users can learn the test results on paper or on a website.

[0003] In conventional testing services, the test results are generally expressed by the magnitude of the relative abundance of intestinal bacteria. Also, around 20 or so arbitrary bacterial species are selected by the testing company, mainly focusing on specific types of intestinal bacteria known to be related to health status and diseases, and their relative abundances are often displayed.

[0004] Home gut flora test service Mykinso [searched on October 15, 2024], Internet <URL: https: / / mykinso.com / gut-v2>

[0005] However, when displaying the magnitude of the relative abundance of selected specific bacterial species, there is a problem that it is difficult to grasp the characteristics of one's own gut microbiota when the proportion of the selected bacteria is not very high or when the characteristic bacteria of that person are not included in the selected bacterial species. Also, there are some bacteria that are important in terms of whether they exist or not, even if their abundance is not necessarily high, but in the discussion of relative abundance, it was inevitably impossible to focus on bacteria with a small abundance.

[0006] Therefore, when displaying information on the intestinal environment such as the user's gut microbiota to the user, the present invention aims to more accurately express the potential and qualities of the intestinal substances of each user by focusing on the presence or absence of intestinal substances, rather than being restricted to the conventional relative abundance.

[0007] According to the present invention, a method for displaying information about intestinal substances possessed by a user, comprising the steps of determining whether the amount of each intestinal substance is above a predetermined threshold, and displaying information related to the determination result.

[0008] According to the present invention, the characteristics of the user's intestinal environment, such as their gut microbiota, can be expressed more accurately.

[0009] This figure shows an example of displaying intestinal substance information according to an embodiment of the present invention. This figure shows an example of displaying intestinal substance information according to an embodiment of the present invention. This figure shows an example of system configuration according to an embodiment of the present invention. This figure shows an example of server hardware configuration according to an embodiment of the present invention. This figure shows an example of server software configuration according to an embodiment of the present invention. This figure shows an example of intestinal substance information configuration according to an embodiment of the present invention. This figure shows an example of display setting information configuration according to an embodiment of the present invention. This is a processing flow diagram according to an embodiment of the present invention. This figure shows an example of displaying intestinal substance information avatar display according to an embodiment of the present invention. This figure shows an example of avatar setting information configuration according to an embodiment of the present invention. This figure shows an example of avatar display according to an embodiment of the present invention. This figure shows an example of product information configuration according to an embodiment of the present invention. This figure shows an example of product purchase site display according to an embodiment of the present invention. This figure shows an example of product purchase site display according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0010] The embodiments of the present invention will be described below. The present invention has the following configuration: [Item 1] A method for displaying information about intestinal substances possessed by a user, comprising the steps of: determining whether the amount of each intestinal substance is above a predetermined threshold; and displaying information about the determination result. [Item 2] The method according to Item 1, further comprising the steps of: pre-associating a specific display unit with each of the intestinal substances; and determining the display mode of the display unit based on the determination result. [Item 3] The method according to Item 2, characterized in that when each of the intestinal substances is possessed, the display unit is displayed in a specific color or pattern, and when it is not possessed, it is displayed as colorless or transparent. [Item 4] The method according to Item 2, characterized in that information about the characteristics of the intestinal substances is displayed in association with the display unit. [Item 5] The method according to Item 2, characterized in that the display mode of the display unit is changed by receiving a selection instruction regarding the characteristics of the intestinal substances. [Item 6] The method according to Item 2, characterized in that only the display unit relating to the intestinal substances having the characteristics is displayed by receiving a selection instruction regarding the characteristics of the intestinal substances. [Item 7] The method according to Item 2, characterized in that the display unit is arranged based on the characteristics of the intestinal substance. [Item 8] The method according to Item 2, characterized in that the arrangement of the display unit is determined in common for multiple users. [Item 9] The method according to Item 2, characterized in that the display mode of the display unit is determined based on the characteristics of the intestinal substance. [Item 10] The method according to Item 1, characterized in that, for the intestinal substance, information regarding the percentage of cases in which the amount of the intestinal substance was above a predetermined threshold in a predetermined population is also displayed. [Item 11] The method according to Item 1, further comprising the step of aggregating the judgment results for each group of intestinal substances having specific characteristics.

[0011] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The embodiments described below are not intended to unduly limit the scope of the present invention as described in the claims. Furthermore, not all of the configurations described below are necessarily essential components of the present invention.

[0012] One embodiment of the present invention relates to a method for displaying information about a user's gut environment in an unprecedented manner.

[0013] The information about the intestinal environment referred to here typically refers to information about intestinal bacteria, but is not limited to that. It may also refer to substances present in the intestines of animals, including humans, livestock, and pets, such as intestinal metabolites, fungi, viruses, and food-derived substances. The following explanation will mainly focus on an example of displaying information about intestinal bacteria.

[0014] Figures 1 and 2 show basic examples of the display of information regarding the user's intestinal environment, such as the gut microbiota, according to the present invention. In Figures 1(a) and 1(b), vertically elongated (bar) display units 1 to n are arranged horizontally, forming a barcode. Each of the display units 1 to n is pre-associated with a bacterial species, and if the user's gut microbiota possesses that bacterial species, the corresponding display unit is colored in a predetermined color (Figure 1(a)) or black (Figure 1(b)). On the other hand, if the user does not possess that bacterial species, the corresponding display unit is not colored and is displayed in white or transparent. In the drawings, the different colors used for each display unit in order to display in black and white are illustrated with different patterns. Of course, in Figure 1(b), black and white may also be used with the opposite meaning (white when the bacterial species is possessed, and black when the bacterial species is not possessed).

[0015] Figure 2 shows a similar concept to Figure 1, but with a different shape for the display units. Figure 2(a) shows hexagonal display units 1 to n arranged in a row. The hexagonal display units are arranged so that each side is adjacent to the others, but this is not the only arrangement; they may be spaced apart. The arrangement of display units 1 to n can take on any shape as a whole. In Figure 2(a), the display units 1 to n as a whole have an irregular shape, but they may be arranged to form a rectangle, a circle, or any other predetermined shape as a whole.

[0016] Figure 2(b) shows circular display units 1 to n arranged in a row. While the display units are shown touching each other as an example, this is not the only arrangement; they may be spaced apart. The arrangement of display units 1 to n can take on any overall shape. Figure 2(b) shows a roughly circular shape for the display units 1 to n as an example, but they may be arranged to form a rectangle or other predetermined shape, or even an irregular shape.

[0017] Figure 2(c) shows a series of rectangular display units 1 to n arranged in a row. While the display units are shown in a panel-like configuration with adjacent sides, this is not the only arrangement; they may be spaced apart. The arrangement of display units 1 to n can take on any overall shape, and the number of units arranged vertically and horizontally can be freely determined.

[0018] Figures 2(a) to 2(c) all show colorful display examples, but they may also be in black and white as shown in Figure 1(b). As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the display method of the present invention involves pre-determining the corresponding bacterial species for each display section 1 to n, and expressing the presence or absence of the bacterial species by the presence or absence of color in the display section. Figures 1 and 2 are merely examples, and the display method of the present invention is not limited to these. Also, in Figures 1 and 2, the size of each display section is equal, but the sizes of the display sections may be different. The size of the display section may also be proportional to another parameter such as the amount present.

[0019] According to the present invention, the types of bacteria a user possesses can be grasped at a glance, regardless of the relative abundance of each type of bacteria. The presence or absence of specific bacteria expresses the identity and potential of the user's gut microbiota, enabling unprecedented discussions. The display order of bacterial species corresponding to each display unit 1 to n may be common under certain conditions, or it may be changed for each user. Furthermore, it may be changed even for the same user depending on the conditions.

[0020] <Configuration> Next, the configuration for carrying out the method of the present invention will be described. As shown in Figure 3, the information processing system of this embodiment is configured to include a server 1. The server 1 is connected to one or more user terminals 2 via a communication network. The communication network is, for example, the internet and is constructed using public telephone lines, mobile phone lines, wireless communication channels, Ethernet (registered trademark), etc. It may also be composed of multiple servers as needed.

[0021] <Hardware Configuration> As shown in Figure 3, Server 1 constitutes part of the system by performing information processing via communication with User Terminal 2. Server 1 may be a general-purpose computer such as a workstation or personal computer, or it may be logically implemented through cloud computing.

[0022] The server 1 and user terminal 2 in this embodiment have the hardware configuration shown in Figure 4. Note that the following configuration is just one example, and other configurations are also possible.

[0023] Server 1 comprises at least a processor 10, memory 11, storage 12, a transceiver 13, an input / output unit 14, etc., which are electrically connected to each other via a bus 15.

[0024] The processor 10 is a computing unit 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 the execution of applications. For example, the processor 10 is a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and executes programs stored in the storage 12 and loaded into the memory 11 to perform various information processing tasks.

[0025] Memory 11 includes main memory, which is composed of volatile storage devices such as DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory), and auxiliary memory, which is composed of non-volatile storage devices such as flash memory and HDD (Hard Disk Drive). Memory 11 is used as a work area for the processor 10, and also stores the BIOS (Basic Input / Output System) executed when the server 1 starts up, as well as various configuration information.

[0026] Storage 12 stores various programs, such as application programs. A database containing data used for each process may also be built on storage 12.

[0027] The transmitting / receiving unit 13 connects the server 1 to the network 3. The transmitting / receiving unit 13 may also be equipped with Bluetooth® and BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) short-range communication interfaces.

[0028] The input / output unit 14 includes information input devices such as keyboards and mice, and output devices such as displays, which are used as needed.

[0029] Bus 15 is connected in common to all of the above elements and transmits, for example, address signals, data signals, and various control signals.

[0030] User terminal 2 constitutes part of the information processing system by performing information processing via communication with server 1. User terminal 2 may be a general-purpose computer such as a workstation or personal computer, or it may be a mobile communication device such as a smartphone.

[0031] Figure 5 shows an example of the software configuration of Server 1. Server 1 may include a possession determination unit 21, a display information generation unit 22, an information presentation unit 23, an intestinal substance information storage unit 31, a user data storage unit 32, and a display setting information storage unit 33.

[0032] The possession determination unit 21, the display information generation unit 22, and the information presentation unit 23 are realized by the processor 10 of the server 1 reading a program stored in the storage 12 into the memory 11 and executing it. The intestinal substance information storage unit 31, the user data storage unit 32, and the display setting information storage unit 33 are realized as part of the storage area provided by at least one of the memory 11 and the storage 12.

[0033] The intestinal substance information storage unit 31 is a database that records information about intestinal substances. Intestinal substances may include intestinal bacteria, metabolites, immune-related substances such as IgA, mold, viruses, food-derived substances, stool pH, and stool water content. Information about intestinal bacteria may include the name of the bacteria, classification information such as species and genus, etc. Figure 6 shows an example of the data structure of intestinal substance information. The intestinal substance information storage unit 31 may have a threshold value for determining whether each substance is present (the threshold value may differ depending on the type of substance). For example, even if the amount present is trace, the threshold can be set to be small if it is important to display it from various perspectives (for example, if the presence of the bacteria is closely linked to the risk of a specific disease). In the case of intestinal bacteria, the threshold can be expressed by the relative abundance or the number of base sequence detections if the information about intestinal bacteria is obtained using, for example, a next-generation sequencer. Alternatively, if the information about intestinal bacteria is obtained using, for example, qPCR, it can be expressed by the Ct value. Alternatively, information on gut bacteria may be predicted from user information such as questionnaires and health checkup results, or from stool characteristics, stool color, stool odor, stool consistency, images of stool, stool temperature, or the results of reacting stool with some reagent. In this case, thresholds may be set for the predicted relative abundance of each gut bacterium, or a system that predicts the presence or absence of each gut bacterium may be used. Similarly, for metabolites, fungi, viruses, food-derived substances, etc., classifications and thresholds can be set for the results of measurement or prediction. Furthermore, gut substance information may include data on all genes contained in gut substances obtained by methods such as shotgun metagenomic sequencing, and thresholds can be set for determining whether each gene is present.

[0034] The threshold may have multiple levels. The type and intensity of the color displayed on the display unit may also be changed depending on the level, or the pattern (such as solid color and polka dots) may be changed. For example, for a specific bacterium, the first level may be when the abundance ratio is 0 to 10%, the second level when it is 10 to 50%, and the third level when it is 50% or more, and the first level may be represented by white, the second level by gray, and the third level by black. Alternatively, the reference value (reference range) may be set based on the magnitude of the reference value, such as the average amount or average relative abundance ratio of a given population, values ​​recommended in guidelines, health indicator values ​​already known from literature, or quantitative values ​​that can determine disease risk.

[0035] Furthermore, the intestinal substance information storage unit 31 can store tag information for each intestinal substance, such as intestinal bacteria, metabolites, and genes. For example, tag information for intestinal bacteria is information that represents the characteristics of that intestinal bacterium and may be, but is not limited to, information related to the effects and influences brought about by the intestinal bacteria (production of metabolites, decomposition of intestinal substances, suppression of blood glucose rise, etc.), diseases and symptoms related to intestinal bacteria (colon cancer, irritable bowel syndrome, constipation, etc.), characteristics seen in people who possess the intestinal bacteria (related to "eating habits" such as eating a lot of meat, "personality" such as being common in sociable people, "occupation" such as being common in baseball players or company presidents, etc.), being common or rare in people of a specific category (for example, being common in people who are good at marathons, being common in people who are good at singing, etc.), or information that the function is unknown (unclassified / uncultured), such as the function or relationship with disease not being academically reported. The information regarding tags can be updated as appropriate based on publicly available information such as the latest research results. Tags may also be set for the user's own results. For example, information that clearly divides the relative abundance into multiple stages (relative abundance in 10% increments) may be added, or users may create and use their own tags to record personal information (for example, "increased when eating yogurt," "higher when taking blood sugar medication," "decreased while studying abroad"), or users may select and set tags from several pre-set options. For convenience, category tags may be assigned as tag information. Category tags indicate the category when information representing the characteristics of intestinal substances is classified into a predetermined higher classification category. Possible categories of information representing the characteristics of intestinal substances include, but are not limited to, information related to diet (ease of losing weight), sleep, immunity, exercise, and production of short-chain fatty acids. Multiple category tags may be assigned to a single bacterium.

[0036] Furthermore, the tag information may include information about rarity. Information about rarity may include information such as the degree of rarity (few / many people possess the bacteria), and the geographical and racial characteristics of the carriers (e.g., only Japanese people possess it, or only people in Asia possess it). In addition, the information about rarity may include information about the proportion of carriers in a given population. The carrier proportion is the ratio of the number of cases in which the intestinal substance was possessed to the number of people or samples that have been tested so far. The carrier proportion information may be a figure calculated based on data previously tested by the business operator providing the method of the present invention, or it may be a figure calculated from other businesses, publicly available information, or various databases. Furthermore, the carrier proportion information does not necessarily have to be an accurately calculated figure; it may be an estimate. The population can be set in any way; for example, it may be all the data held by the database, or it may be data of people of a specific nationality such as "Japanese," data of people living in a specific region such as "Asians" or "Westerners," data of people of a specific gender such as "women" or "men," or data of people in a specific age range such as "infants" or "elderly." Furthermore, as tag information, a tag indicating "high rarity" may be assigned when the proportion of owners in a given population is below a predetermined value. In the data example in Figure 6, an example is shown where the bacterial species "○○○" was tagged with the tag indicating that its function is unknown and the proportion of owners among Japanese people is 1% or less. This shows, as an example, that when the population is set to a specific nationality, "Japanese," the proportion of owners in the database was 1% or less.

[0037] The user data storage unit 32 stores the user's basic data and intestinal environment data. In the embodiment of the present invention, the intestinal environment data includes intestinal bacteria data, metabolite data, data on intestinal fungi, viruses, food-derived substances, etc. This information is stored linked to user information (ID). The basic data includes information on the user's attributes such as name, gender, age, occupation, place of origin, and place of residence; information on physical condition such as chronic illnesses, medical history, allergies, constitution (obesity, frailty, etc.), prescribed drugs, and regularly used medications; and information on lifestyle habits such as diet, alcohol consumption, smoking, and exercise habits. In addition to these examples, it may also include genetic data, health checkup data, etc. This basic data may be registered by the user themselves, or it may be registered based on responses obtained through questionnaires, etc.

[0038] The gut microbiota data includes information about the user's gut bacteria. This information may be the gene sequence data and quantitative data itself extracted from the user's fecal sample, or it may be information about the gut microbiota, such as the genus and species of microorganisms identified by analyzing this data, as well as their quantitative data and proportions. The gut microbiota data can be obtained by extracting total DNA from a fecal sample provided by the user, reading the sequences of bacterial genes (all genes may be targeted, or the base sequences of specific gene regions such as 16S rRNA genes may be targeted), and quantifying them based on these sequences and a gene database (e.g., KEGG). Microbial quantification can be performed, for example, by extracting total DNA from a fecal sample, amplifying 16S ribosomal RNA genes of short-chain fatty acid-producing bacteria, bacteria associated with diabetes, bacteria that can metabolize specific oligosaccharides, etc., by PCR, reading their sequences, and quantifying them based on these sequences and a 16S ribosomal RNA database (e.g., SILVA). Furthermore, intestinal bacterial data may be obtained by qPCR using primers targeting specific genera or species, or it may be predicted from user information such as questionnaires or health checkup results, or from stool characteristics, stool color, stool odor, stool consistency, images of stool, stool temperature, or the results of reacting stool with some reagent.

[0039] Metabolite data refers to data on metabolites in the user's gut environment. In this embodiment, metabolite data includes the types of compounds in the gut environment and their quantitative data. Metabolites can be comprehensively quantified, for example, from a user's fecal sample using an analytical instrument equipped with a mass spectrometer such as CE-MS, LC-MS, or GC-MS. Metabolite data may also be simply measured using a pH meter or colorimetric reagent, or predicted from user information such as questionnaires or health checkup results, stool characteristics, stool color, stool odor, stool hardness, images of stool, stool temperature, results of reacting stool with some reagent, or the gut microbiota data and user information described above. Gut environment data is not limited to the gut bacteria data and metabolite data described above, but can include data on immune-related substances such as IgA present in the gut, fungi, viruses, human-derived substances, food-derived substances, stool pH, and stool water content, and may include quantitative data of these, or gene sequence data derived from fungi, viruses, or food-derived substances.

[0040] The user data storage unit 32 can store multiple types of data, such as basic data, intestinal bacteria data, and metabolite data, for each data acquisition date.

[0041] The display setting information storage unit 33 can store information regarding the display settings of each display unit. That is, it stores information about the intestinal substances to be displayed, associated with each display unit. It may also store information regarding the display mode, and in the case of colorful displays as shown in Figures 1(a) and 2(a) to (c), it stores information regarding the colors. Furthermore, the information regarding the display mode is not limited to colors, but may also include information about patterns, designs, or dynamic changes in the display (such as flashing). Figure 7 is an example of display setting information when the display format is as shown in Figure 1(a). In the display format of Figure 1(a), in a barcode-like display format, the display units are numbered from left to right as display unit 1, display unit 2, ... display unit n on the far right, and for each display unit 1 to n, the bacteria to be displayed and the color as the display mode are set. As for the display setting information, setting information may be stored for various display modes as shown in Figures 1(a) to (b) and 2(a) to (c), or it may be possible to use a single set of display setting information to rearrange and utilize different display modes while keeping the combination of each display unit and bacteria / display mode the same. The types of intestinal substances to be displayed in display units 1 to n can be selected by the business operator as appropriate. For example, 20 types of intestinal bacteria with high average relative abundance among Japanese people may be selected, or intestinal substances known to be associated with specific functions, such as short-chain fatty acid producing bacteria, bacteria associated with diabetes, or bacteria that can metabolize specific oligosaccharides, may be selected. Alternatively, the selection may be randomized by the user. Furthermore, the order (arrangement) of the intestinal substances to be displayed in display units 1 to n can be pre-set to be common to multiple users. For example, Bifidobacterium species may be set for display unit 1, Bacteroides species for display unit 2, and so on. By pre-determining the order (arrangement) of intestinal substances, when comparing the results of other users side by side, the presence or absence of the same intestinal substances can be instantly visually identified, making it easy to intuitively grasp the degree of similarity between one's own intestinal environment and that of other users.

[0042] The possession determination unit 21 acquires the intestinal environment data of the user and determines whether each intestinal substance is possessed. The intestinal environment data of the user is stored in the user data storage unit 32 and may be newly acquired data through an examination or data acquired in the past. Further, the intestinal environment data of the user is not limited to the data examined and acquired by the operator who operates the method of the present invention, and may be data analyzed by other examination institutions or operators.

[0043] The possession determination unit 21 compares the abundance of each intestinal substance present in the user's intestine with a threshold value. When it is more (or equal to) the threshold value, it determines that "it is possessed", and when it is less than (or less than) the threshold value, it determines that "it is not possessed". When information regarding the relative abundance ratio is acquired as the abundance of each intestinal substance, the number of the relative abundance ratio is compared with the threshold value. When different threshold values are set for each intestinal substance, the threshold value information of each intestinal substance stored in the intestinal substance information storage unit 31 or the like can be referred to to make the above determination. The possession determination unit 21 can also perform possession determination only for each intestinal substance set in the display units 1 to n stored in the display setting information storage unit 33 among the acquired intestinal substance data, or may perform possession determination for all of the acquired intestinal substances.

[0044] The display information generation unit 22 generates display image information as shown in FIGS. 1(a) to (b) and FIGS. 2(a) to (c) based on the result of the possession determination by the possession determination unit 21. That is, for each display unit 1 to n stored in the display setting information storage unit 33, the display mode is determined according to the presence or absence of possession, and thus display image information data in a format necessary for actually displaying an image on the user terminal or the like is created.

[0045] The information display unit 23 displays a display image on a designated terminal based on the display image information data generated by the display information generation unit 22. The terminal may be the terminal of the user who owns the target intestinal substance, or it may be the terminal of someone who does not own the target intestinal substance. That is, it may be the terminal of a hospital or a medical professional such as a registered dietitian, or it may be the terminal of another user designated by the user. It may also be displayed on the terminal of the user's administrator in a predetermined organization to which the user belongs. For example, if the user belongs to a business organization such as a company, it may be displayed on the terminal of an administrator such as a supervisor or welfare officer. The information display unit 23 can display an image based on some display instruction. The display instruction may be input by the user or by other means. For example, the image may be displayed by an instruction to display the results of an intestinal environment test. In addition to displaying the image on the terminal, the information display unit 23 may also generate data for printing on predetermined paper. For example, the display of the present invention may be printed on business cards or name cards used at events, etc.

[0046] Furthermore, the information display unit 23 can aggregate and display the number of intestinal substances that the possession determination unit 21 has determined to be "possessed" for each group of intestinal substances having specific characteristics. For example, in a group of intestinal bacteria having characteristics such as "producing short-chain fatty acids," the number of intestinal bacteria that the user "possesses" may be aggregated and displayed. The specific characteristics referred to here may be the tag information described above. In addition to displaying whether or not a substance is possessed, information regarding the amount possessed may also be displayed. In the case of intestinal bacteria, the amount possessed may be information regarding the relative abundance ratio.

[0047] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a processing flow in a basic embodiment of the method of the present invention. A case of displaying the intestinal flora will be described as an example. First, as S101, the possession determination unit 21 reads out the user's intestinal bacteria data from the user data storage unit 32. Then, as S102, for each bacterium, a comparison is made with a threshold value, and a possession determination is made as to whether it is possessed or not. As S103 and S104, the display information generation unit 22 determines the display mode of each display unit based on the display setting information. That is, for a certain display unit n, if there are bacteria set above the threshold value, it is determined that the display unit n will be set to the display mode (for example, light blue) set in the display setting information. On the other hand, when the abundance of the bacterium is determined to be below the threshold value and not possessed, the display mode of the display unit may be white (or transparent), or may be the display mode determined in advance as the display mode when not possessed. As S105, the display information generation unit 22 determines the display mode for the display units 1 to n as described above and generates image data. In S106, the information presentation unit 23 displays an image on the user terminal or the like in response to a display instruction.

[0048] The above is the description of the basic method according to the present invention. According to the present invention, since it can be displayed based on the presence or absence rather than the relative abundance ratio, even an intestinal substance with a small abundance that was not noticed only by information based on the relative abundance ratio as in the prior art can be easily recognized by the user as existing. In addition, by coloring or making colorless the colors of each display unit according to the presence or absence of a predetermined intestinal substance as shown in FIGS. 1 to 2, it is easy to visually grasp the variation of one's own bacteria, and the characteristics of each are easy to understand when showing off to others.

[0049] (Example 1) An embodiment of the present invention will be described below. Figure 9 shows an example of the display in this embodiment. According to this embodiment, information representing the characteristics of each intestinal substance can be displayed in association with the display unit. The information representing the characteristics of each intestinal substance may be the tag information described above. For example, in the example in Figure 9, tag information (for display unit 1, "immune system"; for display unit 6, "produces short-chain fatty acids"; for display unit n, "decomposes ○○") is displayed for the bacteria. Information representing the characteristics of each intestinal bacterium may be displayed for all display units, or only for some of them.

[0050] Information describing the characteristics of each intestinal substance may be displayed adjacent to each display section, as shown in Figure 9(a), but the display method is not limited to this. As shown in Figure 9(b), information regarding the properties of each intestinal substance may be displayed in a list format adjacent to the display image.

[0051] According to this embodiment, users can quickly understand the characteristics of their own intestinal substances, which is convenient.

[0052] (Example 2) Next, Figure 10 shows another example of the display in this embodiment. According to this embodiment, the display can be changed according to information representing the characteristics of each intestinal substance. First, Figure 10(a) is the same as the display image described above. The presence or absence of each intestinal substance is indicated by the presence or absence of coloring. Next, Figure 10(b) is an example of a changed display image when an instruction is received to color-code only intestinal substances with specific characteristics. For example, only intestinal substances with a specific tag are color-coded, and bacteria that do not have that tag are displayed in a colorless, transparent, or semi-transparent color. That is, for example, if an instruction is received to color-code only bacteria with the tag "immune system", and the bacteria specified in the leftmost display unit 1, the fourth display unit 4 from the left, the sixth display unit 6 from the left, the fourth display unit 9 from the right, and the rightmost display unit n are tagged with "immune system", then the display units other than display units 1, 4, 6, 9, and n will be white or transparent. Furthermore, since the user does not happen to possess the bacteria specified in the display unit 6, it will be white or transparent in any case. Alternatively, intestinal substances with specific characteristics may be shown in a predetermined color (such as a translucent color of a specific color) regardless of whether they are possessed or not, and the possessed intestinal substances may be colored with a low transmittance. In this case, the display modes of each display unit set in the display setting information storage unit 33 may have not only individual display modes for each intestinal substance, but also display modes for each characteristic tag that indicates a specific characteristic. By changing the image in this way to color-code only intestinal bacteria with specific characteristics, it becomes easier to focus on and understand each characteristic.

[0053] Figure 10(c), similar to Figure 10(b), is an example of a modified display image when a display instruction is received to display only intestinal substances with specific characteristics. In this example, only the display area for intestinal substances with a specific tag remains, and the display areas for substances without that tag are erased and re-displayed with the spaces between them reduced. That is, in the same example as above, if a display instruction is received to display only those with the tag "immune bacteria," and the bacteria specified in display areas 1, 4, 6, 9, and n are tagged "immune system," then the display areas other than display areas 1, 4, 6, 9, and n will be erased, and only display areas 1, 4, 6, 9, and n will be displayed. Note that the user does not happen to possess the bacteria specified in display area 6, so display area 6 remains white or transparent. In this way, by changing the image to display only the display area for intestinal substances with specific characteristics, it becomes easier to focus on and understand each characteristic.

[0054] In this way, by color-coding only intestinal substances with specific properties, or by allowing users to switch to displaying only intestinal substances with specific properties, it becomes easier for users to visualize the properties of the substances they possess. For example, by displaying only intestinal substances with specific properties, users can visually see whether they have a large or small amount of intestinal substances with those properties.

[0055] In this embodiment, the "specific characteristics" of each intestinal substance may refer to the tag information described above. That is, these may include the effects and influences produced by the bacteria (e.g., production of metabolites, decomposition of intestinal substances, suppression of blood glucose elevation), diseases and symptoms associated with the bacteria (e.g., colon cancer, irritable bowel syndrome, constipation), characteristics observed in people who carry the bacteria (e.g., eating habits such as eating a lot of meat, personality traits such as being common in sociable people), or properties such as the function being unknown (unclassified / uncultured) or rarity, as the association with function or disease has not been academically reported. Furthermore, these properties may also be broader concepts as needed. For example, they may include multiple specific category tags, such as "bacteria involved in the immune system," "bacteria related to dieting," "bacteria involved in sleep," "bacteria involved in exercise," "bacteria related to a person's personality," or "bacteria that have a positive effect on the body."

[0056] (Example 3) Next, Figure 11 shows another example of the display format of this embodiment. According to this embodiment, the display format can be made easier to understand depending on the properties of the intestinal substances. The display example in Figure 11 differs from the previous embodiments in that at least one of the arrangement or color of the display parts is set according to the characteristics of the intestinal substances. As before, one display part (a hexagonal shape in Figure 11) corresponds to one intestinal substance, and is colored when the substance is present and colorless when it is not present. As an example, the case where four categories of intestinal bacteria are adopted as characteristics of intestinal bacteria is shown. The arrangement of the display part for each bacterium is determined by which of the four categories each bacterium possesses. For example, the bacteria related to exercise are clustered together at the top and placed adjacent to each other, the bacteria related to immunity are placed adjacent to each other on the right side, the bacteria related to sleep are placed adjacent to each other in the lower center, and the bacteria related to diet are placed adjacent to each other on the left side, and so on, with the display parts for each category being adjacent to each other and forming a single area. Furthermore, the color of each display unit may be set to be the same color or a similar color for each category. For example, bacteria related to exercise are colored red, bacteria related to immunity are colored green, bacteria related to sleep are colored yellow, and bacteria related to diet are colored blue, but if the user does not possess the bacteria in a particular display unit, it will be colorless. In Figure 11, all bacteria belonging to the same category are colored the same, but they do not have to be the same color as long as the display units of the same category can be visually represented as being related to each other, such as by using similar colors. Note that in Figure 11, the shape of one display unit is hexagonal, and the overall display is shown as a honeycomb, but the shape of the display units is not limited to this.

[0057] According to this embodiment, by setting the arrangement or color according to the characteristics of the intestinal substances, users can more easily visually understand the qualities of their own intestinal substances. For example, they can visually understand the balance of their gut microbiota, such as having many exercise-related bacteria and bacteria related to diet, but not many bacteria related to sleep. In the example in Figure 11, the above four categories are used as categories of bacteria, but the categorization is not limited to these, and any of the characteristics of the intestinal substances may be used.

[0058] Figure 11 further displays the total number of bacteria the user possesses from each category. For example, it states that there are nine types of bacteria related to exercise in total, but the user possesses six of them. It may also be possible to display information on the relative abundance ratio of bacteria in each category. As an example, Figure 11 displays the relative abundance ratio of all bacteria belonging to each category. For example, it shows that the user possesses six types of bacteria related to exercise, and the total relative abundance ratio of these six types of bacteria is 34%. Displaying information on relative abundance ratios allows users to grasp information from another perspective, such as the volume of bacteria in the intestines occupied by each category. This is useful because it allows users to know whether they possess many types of bacteria but a low abundance ratio, or whether they possess many types of bacteria but a high abundance ratio.

[0059] (Example 4) Next, Figure 12 shows an example of the display in this embodiment. According to this embodiment, an avatar can be generated based on the user's intestinal environment data. Two avatar generation examples are shown in the display example of Figure 12. In this embodiment, an avatar information generation unit 24 may be further included as a functional unit, and an avatar setting information storage unit 34 may be included as a storage unit. The avatar setting information storage unit 34 can hold information for generating an avatar image from information related to the intestinal environment data. Figure 13 shows an example of the configuration of avatar setting information. In this configuration example, for example, a basic avatar image is set according to the number of each category of intestinal bacteria held. In other words, if the user has 6 or more bacteria related to exercise and 6 or more bacteria related to immunity, they are designated as Avatar A; if they have 4 bacteria related to exercise and 3 bacteria related to immunity, they are designated as Avatar E. Therefore, once the user's intestinal environment data is acquired and the number of bacteria in each category is calculated by the possession determination unit 21, the avatar information generation unit 24 can refer to the avatar setting information storage unit 34 and generate image data for the basic avatar.

[0060] The information display unit 23 displays the avatar image on the user terminal or the like based on the avatar image data generated by the avatar information generation unit 24. Since the avatar image reflects the user's gut environment, the user can intuitively learn about the characteristics of their own gut environment through the image of the character, and become more attached to and interested in their own gut environment. The information display unit 23 may also display the characteristics of the avatar along with the avatar image. The information regarding the avatar's characteristics may include characteristics related to the user's gut environment.

[0061] As shown in Figure 12, the avatar image may be a virtual character, a human face, an animal image, etc., and there are no particular restrictions on its shape. Furthermore, the appearance of the avatar may reflect the characteristics of intestinal substances. If a person's characteristics such as being prone to gaining weight, losing weight, being ill, being healthy, or being good at sports can be inferred from the intestinal substance data, then an avatar image with such an appearance (fat appearance, thin appearance, unhealthy appearance, healthy appearance, appearance that looks like it can do sports) will be set. As described above, the avatar information generation unit 24 determines a basic avatar image that is set in association with some characteristic of the intestinal environment, and may further determine one or more avatar characteristics such as the avatar's build, skin color, facial expression, gestures, and items worn (e.g., clothing, accessories, etc.) by having the user select and input them. This allows the user to feel more attached to their avatar.

[0062] The avatar setting information storage unit 34 sets a basic avatar image linked to the characteristics of some intestinal substance. In the example described above, the basic avatar image was generated based on the number of bacteria in multiple categories that indicate the characteristics of intestinal bacteria, but it is not limited to this. In this embodiment, the avatar image may be determined not only based on information about the presence or absence of intestinal bacteria, but also on information about intestinal substances, i.e., the relative abundance ratio of intestinal bacteria, the amount of metabolites, viruses, fungi, food-derived substances, etc. Furthermore, in this embodiment, it is sufficient to generate and display an avatar image determined based on the user's intestinal environment, and it is not necessarily required to generate a barcode-like image indicating the presence or absence of intestinal bacteria, as shown in Figure 12.

[0063] The avatar information generation unit 24 can generate an avatar image when new data on the user's intestinal substances is acquired. Since the intestinal environment changes depending on daily living conditions, if new intestinal environment data is obtained through intestinal environment tests, etc., a completely different avatar image may be generated. Users can look forward to seeing how their avatar changes.

[0064] In this embodiment, the system may further have a function to predict how the user's gut environment will change if they take a certain action. That is, while an avatar reflecting the user's current gut environment is displayed, the system can predict how the gut environment will change based on the actions the user chooses in the future, and then display an avatar image that reflects the prediction result, thereby supporting the user's action choices.

[0065] Figure 14 shows an example of the user terminal display in this embodiment. In Figure 14(a), an action panel is displayed on the screen, showing images of multiple meals. The user can select one or more images from the action panel and drag them to the avatar image, at which point a message such as "Do you want to feed the avatar an apple?" will be displayed. As the user continues, the system predicts how the user's gut environment will change after eating the apple. Then, an avatar image reflecting the prediction results can be generated and displayed as shown in Figure 14(b).

[0066] As an example of an action that changes the avatar, we showed the example of choosing to eat, but it is not limited to this; any action that can change the gut environment is acceptable, and the user can be given the option to choose. Actions could include, for example, eating / not eating something, exercising / reducing exercise, taking / stopping supplements, taking / stopping medication, etc. Any system can be used to predict changes in the user's gut environment. For example, it could be predicted by creating a database that links how the characteristics of each gut environment change due to a given action to action information, or by using a known method such as a machine learning model that uses gut environment data and data on changes due to action to make predictions. Furthermore, the avatar's changes may also reflect changes in the gut environment; for example, if it is known that eating a certain food makes one prone to weight gain, the avatar's appearance may change to reflect weight gain when that action is selected.

[0067] (Example 5) Next, Example 5 displays product (including service) recommendations according to the user's gut environment when selling products on the internet, etc. In this example, a product suggestion information generation unit 25 may be included as a functional unit, and a product information storage unit 35 may be included as a storage unit. Figure 15 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of product information in the product information storage unit 35 according to this example. Recommendation conditions are set for each product. Product information may appropriately include information indicating the contents of the product, such as the product name, price, and quantity, and may also include information related to the product category. Information related to the product category may be a general classification of products such as supplements, medicines, foods, drinks, sports equipment, travel, etc., or information related to the purpose and effect of the product, such as diet, health, intestinal regulation, sleep, etc., and may also be keywords that allow the user to narrow down their selection when choosing a product. The recommendation conditions include at least conditions related to the user's gut substances, and may also include conditions related to the user's basic information. Conditions related to a user's gut microbiota include the presence or absence of gut microbiota such as gut bacteria, metabolites, immune-related substances such as IgA, fungi, viruses, food-derived substances, stool pH, and stool water content, as well as whether the amount exceeds a threshold. For example, this could include whether or not a user possesses a specific type of gut bacteria. Conditions may also be based on tags representing the characteristics of the gut microbiota mentioned above, such as possessing gut microbiota with a specific tag, or having a predetermined number of different types of gut microbiota. Other conditions related to the user's basic information can be set based on information such as the user's age, gender, occupation, place of origin, place of residence, etc.; information about the user's health, such as chronic illnesses, medical history, allergies, constitution (obesity, frailty, etc.), prescription drugs, and regular medications; information about lifestyle, such as diet, alcohol consumption, smoking, and exercise habits; and the user's shopping preferences, such as wanting to diet, liking sweets, or liking alcohol.

[0068] For each product, one or more recommendation conditions can be set, and multiple conditions can also be set. For example, in the example in Figure 15, for product A, two conditions are set regarding the presence or absence of intestinal bacteria: "possesses XX bacteria" and "does not possess YY bacteria." For product B, a condition is set regarding the presence of a certain number (above a threshold) of intestinal substances with a specific tag, "possesses three or more immune system tags," and a condition is set based on the user's basic information, "desires to diet." For product C, a condition is set regarding intestinal substances, specifying the number of intestinal bacteria with a specific tag, "possesses one or more types of intestinal bacteria with diabetes-related tags," and a condition is set based on the user's basic information, "is 50 years of age or older." The above methods for setting recommendation conditions are merely examples, and can be set as appropriate to provide suggestions tailored to the user's intestinal environment and desires.

[0069] Figure 16 shows an example of the screen configuration of a product purchase site in this embodiment. The product suggestion information generation unit 25 can determine whether to suggest a product based on information about the user's intestinal substances and display the result. In Figure 16, the recommendation is displayed as a number of stars indicating "Recommendation level for you," but this is not the only way to display it. It is also possible to display only information indicating whether it is recommended or not, or to display only recommended products. If the user likes a product, they can purchase it by selecting the "Purchase button." When displaying the degree of recommendation in multiple stages as in Figure 16, the conditions for determining the degree of recommendation can be defined based on the recommendation conditions described above. For example, it can be set to 3 stars if all of the recommendation conditions are met, 2 stars if one or more are met, and 1 star otherwise, etc., based on the number of recommendation conditions that are met.

[0070] Furthermore, the top of the screen in Figure 16 has an input section where the test results can be specified. For example, if a user has undergone multiple intestinal environment tests, the user data storage unit 32 holds multiple sets of intestinal environment data. The user can select which test results to use to display product recommendations. The product suggestion information generation unit 25 can determine whether to suggest products based on the information about the user's intestinal substances from the selected test and display the result. In addition, Figure 16 displays the test date along with the method used to obtain the intestinal substance data, such as intestinal substance data from a stool PCR test, intestinal substance data based on stool image analysis, or intestinal substance data predicted through a questionnaire. The user may also be allowed to select from the methods used to obtain the intestinal substance data. Also in Figure 16, there is a "product filtering" input field for the user to select and narrow down product categories. For example, there are fields for selecting "product classifications" such as supplements, food, and exercise equipment, and fields for selecting "purposes / effects" such as diet, health, and sleep, and the user can check checkboxes. Filtering by "product category" and filtering by "purpose / effect" can both be set, or only one of them can be set. As an example, Figure 16 shows a state where the user has been prompted to filter by "health" and "sleep" under "purpose / effect". When there is input regarding filtering, the product suggestion information generation unit 25 may select only products with the relevant product category information from the products registered in the product information storage unit 35 as options and determine the recommendation level of the products from among them. Figure 17 shows an example of the screen configuration of another product purchase site. If a user has undergone multiple intestinal environment tests, the recommendation level can be determined and displayed based on the intestinal substance data from each test result. The user can see how the recommendation level has changed based on the intestinal substance data from each test, and can select products while looking at information such as whether the recommendation level is consistently high / low, or whether the recommendation level has recently increased / decreased.

[0071] Furthermore, weights may be assigned to each recommendation condition, and different weights may be assigned to recommendation conditions related to the gut environment and conditions based on the user's basic information. For example, if, among multiple recommendation conditions, the conditions based on the user's basic information are mandatory, and the recommendation conditions related to the gut environment are bonus elements, then, taking product B as an example, if the user first meets the condition related to the user's basic information, "Wants to diet," and also meets the recommendation condition related to the gut environment, "Has 3 or more immune system tags," then it receives 3 stars. If the user meets the condition "Wants to diet" but does not meet the condition "Has 3 or more immune system tags," then it receives 2 stars. If the user does not meet the condition "Wants to diet," then it receives 0 stars regardless of the condition "Has 3 or more immune system tags." The method of setting different weights is not limited to this; the conditions related to the gut environment may be given more weight, and the conditions based on the user's basic information may be given less weight, or each condition may be set individually.

[0072] Figure 18 shows another example of a screen configuration related to this embodiment. In the example in Figure 18, products related to a tag selected by the user from among the tags related to the intestinal environment (in the example in Figure 18, the tag is "exercise-related tag") are displayed. Through the embodiment described above, the user can learn about information on intestinal substances such as intestinal bacteria and metabolites in their own intestinal environment, and at that time, they can see the tag information assigned to each intestinal substance. The user can input instructions to display related products for tags of interest from the tag information assigned to their intestinal substances. The method of selecting tag information may be to allow the user to select from the entire list of tags, or to allow selection only from the tags assigned to the user's intestinal substances.

[0073] The embodiments described above are merely illustrative to facilitate understanding of the present invention and are not intended to limit its interpretation. The present invention can be modified and improved without departing from its spirit, and it goes without saying that the present invention includes equivalents thereof.

[0074] This invention relates to a method for displaying information about a user's gut environment, such as their gut microbiota, in an unprecedented and easy-to-understand manner.

[0075] 1. Server 2. User terminal 3. Network

Claims

1. A method for displaying information about intestinal substances possessed by a user, comprising the steps of: determining whether the amount of each intestinal substance is above a predetermined threshold; and displaying information related to the determination result.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of: pre-associating a specific display unit with each of the intestinal substances; and determining the display mode of the display unit based on the determination result.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that the display portion is displayed in a specific color or pattern when each of the above-mentioned intestinal substances is present, and is displayed as colorless or transparent when it is not present.

4. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that information relating to the characteristics of the intestinal substance is displayed in association with the display unit.

5. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that the display mode of the display unit is changed by receiving a selection instruction regarding the characteristics of the intestinal substance.

6. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, upon receiving a selection instruction regarding the characteristics of the intestinal substance, only the display section relating to the intestinal substance having said characteristics is displayed.

7. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that the display unit is arranged based on the characteristics of the intestinal substance.

8. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that the arrangement of the display unit is determined in common for multiple users.

9. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that the display mode of the display unit is determined based on the characteristics of the intestinal substance.

10. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, with respect to the intestinal substance, information is also displayed regarding the proportion of cases in a predetermined population in which the amount of the intestinal substance was above a predetermined threshold.

11. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of aggregating the determination results for each group of intestinal substances having specific characteristics.

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