The online survey was conducted between May 31 and June 3, with responses collected from 423 men and 441 women.
Among men, the most common health issue raised was feelings of anxiousness and being easily depressed – which was the point brought up by 32.3 per cent of the respondents.
Fatigue and feeling sleepy were the second and third most talked about concerns for them, with 29.2 per cent 28 per cent of the respondents respectively indicating so.
As for women, the top three concerns were fatigue and irritability (45.5 per cent), followed by bad skin (45.1 per cent), and feeling anxious and depressed easily (44.5 per cent).
However, when asked their most serious concerns, male pattern hair loss or androgenetic alopecia (AGA) ranked top for 81.7 per cent of the men who responded.
The second most serious concern to them was erectile dysfunction (ED), which was the case for 74.5 per cent of the respondents, followed by the feeling of lack of confidence as men, which was the case for 73.3 per cent of them.
Of the three issues, they felt most helpless with ED.
As for women, insomnia was the most serious concern to 81.1 per cent of them.
Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) ranked second and was considered a serious concern to 73.4 per cent of them. This was followed by the inability to concentrate on studying or work, which was the case for 73.1 per cent of them.
Of the three issues, the female respondents felt most helpless with PMS.
When asked how they deal with the health issues, men tend to search the internet or books for solutions.
Women tend to do nothing or just put up with it.
“The health characteristics of the younger generation aged 18 to 34 are that they are generally physically strong, so even if they push themselves a little, it doesn't cause any major problems, and their health checkups don't show any signs of illness.
“In addition, although they are very interested in their appearance, such as beauty and body modification, they are not very conscious of their health, and as a result they tend to neglect self-care.
“In addition, in the telework environment of the past few years, face-to-face direct communication has decreased, so there are fewer opportunities to consult face-to-face, and even if they have worries, they may keep them to themselves,” said psychiatrist Dr. Hiromi Okuda in the survey report.
Suntory said they would use the survey results as a reference for its future activities.
New launches
On the other hand, Suntory has launched two new products catered at men and women’s health.
For men, it is launching the product “menphys GABA, arginine, and zinc”, a 50-ml shot targeted at a lack of vitality.
For women, it is launching “menphys GABA, soy isoflavone, and iron”, similarly a 50ml-shot targeted at PMS-related irritability.
Both products are launched under the “menphys project”, which is a short-form of “mental” and “physical”.
The initiative aims to encourage young people struggling with health issues to take a positive step or talk to others about it.