Japan tries cameraphone diet scheme

The AP reports that Japan has launched their own (government funded) version of myFood - a service offered in 2005 to Sprint camera phone users, enabling them to take a picture of the food they eat at each meal, and send it in for review by a nutritional advisor.

"Public health insurance offices in the Osaka region in western Japan have launched the service on a trial basis. About 100 heart patients signed up in the first year, followed by diabetes and obesity patients in the second.

Osaka is using a system developed by Asahi Kasei Corp., a Tokyo-based chemical and medical equipment manufacturer. The system is operating at about 150 health care providers and local governments around the country, company official Naoki Yoshimura said.

Nutritionists can work with photos from one day's meals to several weeks' worth, he said. Results come back in three days. Participants also can log onto a website to get more dietary information and upload photos from digital cameras."

emily | 3:43 PM | How people and businesses are using cameraphones |
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