ABC News on The Miracle of Hyaluronic Acid

Yuzurihara, a mountainous Japanese village, serves as a real-world "fountain of youth" where residents routinely live into their 90s with minimal instances of cancer, Alzheimer's, or skin aging. Local physician Dr. Toyosuke Komori attributes this longevity to a diet rich in sticky starches and root vegetables, which provides an abundance of hyaluronic acid (HA). This substance maintains cellular moisture, joint lubrication, and skin elasticity. While pharmaceutical companies now market HA in pills and Western doctors use it for arthritic injections, the village's health is declining among younger generations who have adopted Western-style junk food. This dietary shift has doubled heart disease rates, creating an "upside-down death pyramid" where children die before their parents. The village's traditional longevity relies on a holistic combination of HA-rich nutrition, low stress, and consistent physical activity that remains difficult to replicate through supplements alone.