JP2013194018A - Mental fatigue recovery agent and improver for frontal lobe impairment - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a mental fatigue recovery agent capable of showing mental fatigue recovery effect by oral intake, and to provide an improver for frontal lobe impairment.SOLUTION: A mental fatigue recovery agent contains as an active ingredient, fruit juice, a ground product, powder, an extract or a crude purified product or a purified product of an extract of Viburnum dilatatum belonging to genus Viburnum, family Caprifoliaceae.

Description

  The present invention relates to an oral mental fatigue recovery agent and a frontal lobe dysfunction improving agent, and more particularly to a plant-derived mental fatigue recovery agent and a frontal lobe dysfunction improving agent.

  In recent years, an increase in the number of people who are aware of fatigue has become a problem. For example, in an epidemiological survey conducted by the 1999 MHLW Fatigue Survey Research Team with responses of more than 3,000 men and women aged 15 to 65 years, the percentage of people who were aware of fatigue was about 60%. It became clear that more than half (37% of the total) suffered from chronic fatigue lasting more than half a year. From this fact, nearly 30 million people are suffering from fatigue, compared to 80 million people working in Japan.

  Fatigue is generally defined as “a specific pathological discomfort caused by excessive physical or mental activity and a state of reduced physical or mental function with a desire for rest” and is particularly problematic. Chronic fatigue is a combination of physical and mental fatigue.

  Of these, physical fatigue (hereinafter also referred to as “physical fatigue” or “physical fatigue”) is thought to be caused by a decrease in the metabolic function of the body due to exercise or the like, and accumulation of lactic acid, a fatigue substance, in the body. ing. This physical fatigue can be reduced or eliminated by resting the body, massaging, or taking an internal liquid for nutritional purposes.

  On the other hand, mental fatigue is thought to be caused by mental stress received from the outside, but the details are unknown. Since mental fatigue often coexists with physical fatigue, it is often impossible to judge from symptoms, etc., but the mechanisms, symptoms, and mechanisms for reducing fatigue are different and should be distinguished. For example, physical fatigue causes drowsiness and malaise, while mental fatigue has rather nervous excitement, irritability, anger, insomnia, and poor concentration. The current situation is that it is not clear how to deal with the situation.

  The frontal lobe, which is thought to be greatly involved in mental fatigue, is an area of the brain that is closely related to concentration, thinking, memory, and emotional control. When the function of this area declines, when listening to people or reading newspapers, it becomes difficult to understand the contents, things can not be thought logically, or more angry than usual , Emotions also become unstable. Such problems may be caused by lack of sleep, fatigue, aging, mental illness such as depression, and diseases such as stroke and tumor. Such symptoms are called frontal lobe dysfunction.

  Beverages and health foods containing ingredients that are known to have mental recovery, fatigue relief, fatigue relief, and other chemical synthetic drugs such as tranquilizers, anti-anxiety agents, and sleeping pills are known. Etc. (for example, see Patent Documents 1 and 2) have also been proposed.

  In general, drugs such as chemically synthesized drugs have a persistent resistance, require doctors' diagnosis and prescription, and cannot eliminate the risk of habits and side effects. On the other hand, compositions having fatigue recovery and fatigue-reducing effects often have specific odors and flavors, and usable foods and drinks may be limited, and the manufacturing method is complicated and expensive. Problems such as these may be recognized, and continuous and active intake may be hindered.

  Ingredients that have a mental fatigue recovery effect by oral ingestion are naturally derived components, especially those with a dietary experience, which are preferable from the viewpoint of safety, and natural materials such as plants that have a mental fatigue recovery effect It is hoped to find out. Furthermore, there is a demand for a mental fatigue recovery agent that contains a component derived from the natural material, is easily taken orally, and can be continuously and actively taken.

JP 2006-273733 A JP 2002-322063 A

  Therefore, in view of the above problems, the present invention finds a natural material such as a plant that exhibits mental fatigue recovery effect by oral ingestion, contains the natural material, is easy to ingest, and can be continuously and actively ingested. An object of the present invention is to provide a mental fatigue recovery agent and a frontal lobe dysfunction improving agent.

  As a result of intensive studies in view of the present situation, the present inventors have found that the honeysuckle family Viburnum viburnum (Viburnum dilatatum) is useful for recovery from mental fatigue, and by ingesting food and drink containing the component In addition, they obtained new knowledge that mental fatigue recovery effect, especially frontal dysfunction improvement effect was obtained.

  The present invention is a mental fatigue recovery agent containing, as an active ingredient, fruit juice, ground product, powder, extract, or a crudely purified or purified product of Viburnum dilatatum, the honeysuckle family Viburnum dilatatum.

  Moreover, mental fatigue recovery in the mental fatigue recovery agent includes improving frontal lobe dysfunction, and according to the present invention, fruit juice, ground product, powder, extract of honeysuckle family viburnum (Viburnum dilatatum), A frontal lobe dysfunction ameliorating agent containing a crude extract or purified product of an extract as an active ingredient is provided.

The mental fatigue recovery agent of the present invention has a mental fatigue recovery effect by reducing tension, boredom and irritability by oral intake, and can be continuously and actively ingested.
The frontal lobe dysfunction-improving agent of the present invention exhibits an effect of recovering mental fatigue caused by frontal lobe dysfunction such as irritation and forgetfulness by oral ingestion, and can be continuously and actively ingested.

It is the graph which showed the comprehensive fatigue score, physical fatigue score, and mental fatigue score before and behind ingestion of the mental fatigue recovery agent and frontal lobe dysfunction improving agent of this invention. It is the graph which showed the frontal lobe dysfunction score before and behind ingestion of the frontal lobe dysfunction improving agent of this invention.

Hereinafter, the mental fatigue recovery agent and frontal lobe dysfunction improving agent of the present invention will be described.
The mental fatigue recovery agent and frontal lobe dysfunction-improving agent of the present invention comprises, as an active ingredient, fruit juice, ground product, powder, extract, or a crudely purified or purified product of the extract of Viburnum dilatatum. contains.

The honeysuckle family Viburnum dilatatum (hereinafter simply referred to as “Viburnum dilatatum”) is a deciduous shrub distributed throughout Japan. Further, it has already been reported that viburnum fruit juice and its residue have antioxidant activity and melanin production inhibitory activity (JP 2002-345443, JP 2006-141334, JP 2010-275268). Issue gazette). Furthermore, there is a folklore that viburnum fruits have a physical fatigue recovery effect.
However, there has never been a report that viburnum has a mental fatigue recovery action and a frontal lobe dysfunction improvement action, which was first discovered by the present inventors.

  The method for obtaining viburnum juice, pulverized product, powder, and extract is not particularly limited, and may be performed by a conventional method. The fruit juice, crushed, pulverized or extracted part of viburnum is preferably a fruit, and may be any of flesh, pericarp, and seed.

  As a method for obtaining viburnum fruit juice, it can be obtained by squeezing fruit, pulp, pericarp and the like.

  The viburnum pulverized product can be obtained, for example, by pulverizing fruits, pulp, peels or the like as they are or after drying. Moreover, after drying the residue which squeezed fruit, pulp, peel, etc., you may grind | pulverize.

  Examples of viburnum powder include those obtained by drying or freeze-drying fruits, pulp, peels, etc., and then pulverizing them into powders, or drying fruit extracts.

  The viburnum extract can be prepared, for example, by pressing the fruit, pulp and fruit of the viburnum, drying the residue, chopping or crushing it, adding the extraction solvent, and cooling or heating. I can do it.

  The extraction may be performed at room temperature, but the extraction can be promoted by heating, stirring and heating under reflux as necessary. The obtained extract can be used as it is or after being appropriately subjected to treatment such as filtration, concentration, and decolorization. It is also possible to remove the solvent once and redissolve it in a solvent different from the solvent used for extraction. The obtained extract can be further purified by activated carbon, column matography or the like.

  The extraction solvent used for extraction is not particularly limited as long as it is a solvent that is usually used for extraction, and in particular, alcohols such as water, ethanol, and propanol, hydrous alcohols, and organic solvents such as acetone, ethyl acetate, hexane, and ether are used alone or Although they can be used in combination, hydrous ethanol or the like is particularly preferable. Extraction may be performed by a supercritical extraction method. These extracts may be used after being purified by solvent fractionation, activated carbon treatment, column chromatography, or the like.

The viburnum extract in the present invention means any of an extract, a diluted or concentrated solution of the extract, a dried product obtained by drying the extract, or an extract.
Although the extract can be used as the mental fatigue recovery agent as it is, it may be a concentrated solution or a dried product from the viewpoint of taking it or producing food and drink.
Moreover, since the said extract has strong acidity and astringency, you may make it mask the taste at the time of ingestion by the combined use of the component which improves the taste at the time of ingestion, or encapsulation.

  The mental fatigue recovery agent of the present invention is preferably composed only of viburnum-derived components, but other components appropriately selected as necessary can be used in combination as long as the effects of the present invention are not impaired.

  Viburnum fruit juice, pulverized product, powder, extract, crudely purified product and purified product of the extract obtained as described above are derived from edible plants and therefore have relatively few side effects, It can be ingested, and can be used as it is or added to foods and drinks for oral use.

  In the mental fatigue recovery agent and the frontal lobe dysfunction improving agent of the present invention, the most preferred is viburnum dilatatum fruit juice or fruit extract.

  The fruit juice, pulverized product, powder, extract, crudely purified product and purified product of the extract obtained as described above have a mental fatigue recovery action by internal use, as is apparent from the examples described later. Therefore, it can be used as an active ingredient of an oral mental fatigue recovery agent. Since the mental fatigue recovery agent of the present invention is derived from herbal medicines as active ingredients, it has relatively few side effects and can be taken for a long time.

  The mental fatigue recovery agent of the present invention can be in an ingestible form, for example, a powder, powder, granule, tablet, capsule, liquid, etc. It can be made into foods of various usage forms such as being added to confectionery, soft drinks and staple foods.

  The food to which the mental fatigue recovery agent of the present invention is added may contain, in addition to the mental fatigue recovery agent, conventionally known ingredients at the same time, for example, excipients and extenders that are usually used in foods as necessary. Additives such as sweetening agents, flavoring agents, and coloring agents can be appropriately blended within a range that does not impair the effects of the present invention.

  The preferred daily intake of viburnum in the food of the present invention is 0.01 to 200 g, more preferably 0.1 to 50 g.

  The mental fatigue recovery agent of the present invention can be easily taken orally on a daily basis by being included in a food or drink, and the mental fatigue recovery effect can be exhibited from the inside by the action of the added mental fatigue recovery agent.

Mental fatigue that can be recovered with the mental fatigue recovery agent of the present invention is fatigue due to mental activity, fatigue due to subjective stress, etc., and not only psychological activities such as complicated calculations, memory or thought, but also patience, There is fatigue that occurs when emotional and intentional activities are excessively demanded, such as the frustration of working in time.
Mental fatigue is often influenced by the feelings and attitudes of individuals and the things and environment around them. For example, mental fatigue appears strongly before a game or a job with heavy responsibility, because it is forced into strong mental tension. Another example of mental fatigue is “boring” resulting from the loss of interest in things.

  In order to evaluate the effects of recovery and improvement of mental fatigue, the subjective fatigue feeling is examined using questionnaires that are actually used for diagnosis in clinical practice and a questionnaire on fatigue (VAS (Visual Analog Scale)). It is preferable.

The present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the following examples, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Unless otherwise specified, the blending amount indicates mass%.
First, a method for preparing a sample (a food and drink containing a mental fatigue recovery agent), a test method for recovery from mental fatigue, and the results will be described.

1. Preparation of food and drink containing mental fatigue recovery agent 20 ml of mental fatigue recovery agent-containing jelly having the following composition was produced by a conventional method.
As viburnum, viburnum juice (commercial product: Jomi (registered trademark), manufactured by Onodera brewing company) was used. The prescription is as follows.

(Jelly containing mental fatigue recovery agent)
Gelling agent (thickening polysaccharide) 1.0% by mass
Fructose glucose liquid sugar 16.0
Mental fatigue recovery agent (Viburnum juice) 50.0
Trisodium citrate 0.95
Sweetener (Acesulfame) 0.044
Fragrance 0.1
Antifoaming agent (silicone resin formulation) 0.004

  The mental fatigue recovery agent-containing jelly as a manufactured mental fatigue recovery agent-containing food / beverage product can be easily taken orally with almost no acidity, bitterness, or the like that hinders intake.

  Moreover, it replaced with the mental fatigue recovery agent (Viburnum fruit juice) among the said compositions, and manufactured the jelly which mix | blended the pigment | dye and fruit juice as a placebo by the conventional method.

2. Mental fatigue recovery test and its results (1) Ingestion of food and drink containing mental fatigue recovery agent Eight healthy women who were continuously tired during daily work were subjects.
The test design was a crossover test with placebo as a control, and the test was conducted according to the following schedule.
4 people in Group A: Placebo was continuously taken for 2 weeks, and active was continuously taken for 2 weeks after the 2-week washout period.
-Group B: 4 people continued to take active for 2 weeks, followed by 2 weeks of placebo after a 2-week washout period.
In addition, the test meal was given a total of 2 stick jelly, one each in the morning and evening.

(2) Evaluation method The subject was asked to answer the fatigue questionnaire before jelly intake and 2 weeks after jelly intake.
The fatigue questionnaire is commercially available from FMCC Co., Ltd. and is actually used for chronic fatigue and health examinations at Osaka City University Hospital and the like. The items are shown in Table 1.

  As shown in Table 1, the questionnaire includes physical fatigue items (10 items with “●” in the table), mental fatigue items (10 items with “○” in the table), and items related to frontal lobe dysfunction ( It consists of 38 items including 4 items with “◎” in the table), and the following evaluation results are obtained and the numerical values are totaled.

[Evaluation]
0: Not at all.
1: There is a little.
2: Okay.
3: There are quite a few.
4: Very.

  The total of all 38 items was set as “total fatigue score”, the total of 10 physical fatigue items was set as “physical fatigue score”, and the total of 10 mental fatigue items was calculated as “mental fatigue score”. The results are shown in FIG. The results are shown as mean ± standard deviation.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the group (active) that took the mental fatigue recovery agent-containing jelly of the present invention showed a decrease after taking any fatigue score, in particular, the overall fatigue score and mental fatigue score, There was a statistically significant (p <0.05) improvement before and after 2 weeks of active consumption.

  Next, the total of four items related to frontal lobe dysfunction was tabulated as “frontal lobe dysfunction score”. The results are shown in FIG. The results are shown as mean ± standard deviation.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the group (active) ingesting the jelly containing the frontal lobe dysfunction restoring agent of the present invention (active) was statistically significant (p <0.05) after 2 weeks of active intake and after placebo intake. Differences in fatigue were observed.

Claims (3)

  A mental fatigue recovery agent containing fruit juice, pulverized product, powder, extract of the honeysuckle family Viburnum dilatatum, or a crude or purified product of the extract as an active ingredient.   The mental fatigue recovery agent according to claim 1, wherein the mental fatigue recovery in the mental fatigue recovery agent is improvement of frontal lobe dysfunction.   The viburnum (Viburnum dilatatum) fruit juice, ground product, powder, extract, or a crudely purified or purified product of the extract is a viburnum (Viburnum dilatatum) fruit juice or fruit extract. Mental fatigue recovery agent.