Composition and method for control of diabetes

Abstract

Correctly formulated enterically coated nutrient pellets are able to significantly to lower the blood sugar level of type two diabetics when administered with a normal meal. The inventive composition is effective at dosage levels of 10 g or less. Effective doses of the composition contribute 42 kcal or fewer to the patient's diet. A preferred form of the composition contains lauric acid coated for release in the distal bowel. When taken. with an ordinary meal, the effective dosage does not induce the ileal brake and is more than 50 times (often more than 100 times) as effective on per kilocalorie basis as an ordinary meal at eliciting increases in PYY and GLP-1. Thus, ordinary nutrients—as opposed to drugs—can be used to reduce blood sugar levels when administered at dosage levels that are not significant promoters of weight gain.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO PRIOR APPLICATIONS[0001]The present application is a Continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13 / 254,833 (filed 3 Oct. 2011), which is a National Stage Application of International Application No. PCT / US2010 / 026097 (filed 3 Mar. 2010), which is a non-provisional version of U.S. Provisional patent Application 61 / 157,348 (filed 4 Mar. 2009) and claims benefit and priority form that application.U.S. GOVERNMENT SUPPORT[0002]N / ABACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0003]1. Area of the Art[0004]The present invention concerns the use of ordinary nutrients to control diabetes and a composition formulated for such use.[0005]2. Description of the Background Art[0006]Obesity may lead to ill health in several ways, but among the more serious of its associated morbidities is type 2 diabetes. Although one does not have to be obese to develop type 2 diabetes, and not all obese individuals develop diabetes, obesity is, nevertheless, a major risk factor for type 2 diabetes. For exam...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The patent describes a nutritional product that can help lower blood glucose levels in type 2 diabetics. The product contains a specific blend of nutrients that are designed to be released in the distal intestine, where they can stimulate GLP-1 and other effector molecules that lower blood glucose. The nutritional product is made in the form of pellets that are meant to dissolve and spread quickly in the gastrointestinal tract, with little inhibition of gastric emptying. The inclusion of other fatty acids and nutrients in the blend can further modify the results of the nutritional product. Overall, the nutritional product is designed to be a calorically efficient and effective treatment for type 2 diabetes.

Problems solved by technology

Obesity may lead to ill health in several ways, but among the more serious of its associated morbidities is type 2 diabetes.

Long standing, abnormally high concentrations of glucose in the blood that arise from either type 1 or type 2 diabetes lead to serious complications, such as stroke or heart attacks, blindness, kidney failure and degeneration of nerves.

Risk of complications of diabetes increases with the product of the duration of elevated blood glucose and the level of the elevation.

Reducing blood glucose concentrations significantly over prolonged periods diminishes the risks of complications.

However, the ability to sustain weight loss by life style modifications alone has proven difficult.

Nevertheless, this small amount of weight loss, in combination with an exercise program, lowered blood glucoses in a substantial proportion of subjects.

However, knowing that generally bathing the distal intestine with nutrients can have a beneficial effect by releasing GLP-1 (or perhaps other agents) provides no specifics on how to overcome several potential problems.

(c) Asking individuals with type 2 diabetes (many of whom are already obese) to consume additional nutrients as a therapy raises the very real potential of caloric excess and concomitant deleterious weight gain.

This inhibition is potentially deleterious in two ways: (i) it may aggravate diabetic gastroparesis and more importantly, (ii) nutrients initially reaching the ileum may significantly slow gastric emptying and jejunal transit of remaining nutrient targeted to ileum, thereby limiting their rate of ileal delivery and the effectiveness of the overall treatment.

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