Nutritional composition, food containing the same, and use of the nutritional composition

Abstract

The present invention relates to a nutritional composition, a food comprising the same, and the use of the nutritional composition. The nutritional composition includes medium- and long-chain fatty acid triglycerides and nervonic acid, and the two have a synergistic effect in improving bone development and / or preventing or treating bone diseases.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the technical field of food or medicine, and particularly relates to nutritional compositions, foods containing the same, and applications of the nutritional compositions. Background Art

[0002] Childhood is a critical period for bone development. Multiple factors can affect the nutritional status of children's bones. Early detection of abnormal bone development in children provides a feasible opportunity for timely intervention, adjustment, and correction of the bone development process, aiming to achieve the highest possible standards for bone mass and bone peak in adulthood. Osteoporosis, as a systemic disease in adults, has its root cause in the unreasonable bone nutrition during childhood, which leads to lagged bone development. It can be said that it is a childhood disease that affects old age. Currently, the methods for diagnosing osteoporosis are basically based on the reduction of bone mineral density (BMD) and bone mineral content (BMC), and various bone density detection instruments are used to directly measure the mineral content of bones for diagnosing osteoporosis (Yang Jie et al., Journal of Baotou Medical College. 2013;29(01):112-114).

[0003] For children in the growth and development period, the intake of nutrients is closely related to bone development. The lack of nutrients in the body can affect their growth and development, intelligence level, and immune function, and even lead to the occurrence of diseases. Medium and long-chain triacylglycerols (MLCT), as a novel structured lipid, have a structural feature that combines medium-chain fatty acids and long-chain fatty acids at the same time, and the fatty acid composition is closer to breast milk, which is beneficial to fat digestion and absorption, improves the absorption of lipid nutrients, inhibits the accumulation of body fat, and provides rapid and stable energy supply (Cheng X et al., Annual Review of Food Science and Technology. 2024;15(1):381-408). In addition, early studies have shown that MLCT has many health care functions such as reducing blood lipids, inhibiting obesity, reducing diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, and reducing the risk of cancer occurrence (Lai Yundong et al., Chinese Journal of Oil Crop Sciences. 2024;46(04):719-727). However, the effect of MLCT on bone development is still unclear.

[0004] On the other hand, nervonic acid (NA), chemically named cis-15-tetracosenoic acid, is a type of ω-9 monounsaturated fatty acid, which helps repair damaged nerve cells and tissues, promotes brain development, and has important research significance in the prevention and treatment of brain diseases. The nervonic acid synthesized in the human body cannot fully meet the needs of human health, especially for special populations such as newborns, and needs to be additionally ingested from outside the body (Wang Jie et al., China Oils and Fats. 2024;49(03):41-46), but its effects on the bone development of infants and children and the bone density of adults are still unclear.

[0005] Therefore, there is still a need in the art for methods that can improve bone development and / or prevent or treat bone diseases. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The present invention is made in view of the above problems in the art.

[0007] In a first aspect of the present invention, a nutritional composition is provided, which comprises medium-chain triglycerides and nervonic acid.

[0008] In a second aspect of the present invention, a food product comprising the nutritional composition according to the first aspect of the present invention is provided.

[0009] In a third aspect of the present invention, the use of the composition according to the first aspect of the present invention in the preparation of a product for improving bone development and / or preventing or treating bone diseases is provided.

[0010] The applicant has found that when medium-chain triglycerides (MLCT) and nervonic acid (NA) are used in combination, there is a synergistic effect between them, which can synergistically improve bone development and / or prevent or treat bone diseases, especially can synergistically prevent bone density reduction and / or increase bone mineral content. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0011] Figure 1 Typical diagram showing the fluorescence intensity of zebrafish skulls after sample treatment. Detailed Description

[0012] The following definitions are provided to facilitate understanding of the present invention by those skilled in the art. Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention belongs. Preferred materials and methods are described herein, but any methods and materials similar to or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice of testing the present invention. It should also be understood that the terms used herein are for the purpose of describing specific embodiments only and are not intended to be limiting.

[0013] Term Definitions

[0014] Unless otherwise indicated or defined, all terms used herein have their ordinary meanings in the art, which will be understood by those skilled in the art. In addition, unless otherwise stated, all methods, steps, techniques and operations not specifically detailed can and have been carried out in a manner known per se, which will be understood by those skilled in the art.

[0015] As used herein, the term "medium-chain and long-chain fatty acid triglyceride" or "MLCT" is a special triglyceride in which both medium-chain fatty acids and long-chain fatty acids are present on the triglyceride backbone. MLCT is made from edible vegetable oils and medium-chain triglycerides (derived from edible coconut oil and palm kernel oil) through an ester exchange reaction with lipase, and through processes such as distillation separation, decolorization, and deodorization. Medium-chain and long-chain fatty acid triglycerides can be derived from medium-chain and long-chain fatty acid edible oils.

[0016] As used herein, the term "medium-chain fatty acid" refers to fatty acids having 6-12 carbon atoms in the carbon chain, such as caproic acid, enanthic acid, caprylic acid, pelargonic acid, capric acid, undecanoic acid, lauric acid, etc.; the term "long-chain fatty acid" refers to fatty acids having more than 14 carbon atoms, generally 14-30 carbon atoms in the carbon chain, such as myristic acid, palmitic acid, oleic acid, linoleic acid, stearic acid, linolenic acid, arachidonic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid, docosapentaenoic acid, and docosahexaenoic acid, etc. The terms "medium-chain fatty acid triglyceride" and "long-chain fatty acid triglyceride" refer to the esterification reaction products of "medium-chain fatty acid" and "long-chain fatty acid" with glycerol, respectively; the term "medium-chain and long-chain fatty acid triglyceride" refers to triglycerides containing both medium-chain fatty acid residues and long-chain fatty acid residues in the molecular structure. The present invention has no particular requirements for the medium-chain and long-chain fatty acid triglycerides used, and the medium-chain and long-chain fatty acid triglycerides commonly used in the art can be used. Medium-chain and long-chain fatty acid triglycerides can be used in pure form or in non-pure form rich in medium-chain and long-chain fatty acid triglycerides. For example, the medium-chain and long-chain fatty acid triglycerides used in the present invention can contain C6-C 12 fatty acid residues and C 14 -C 30 fatty acid residues. The C6-C 12 fatty acid residues can be derived from one or more of the following: caproic acid, enanthic acid, caprylic acid, pelargonic acid, capric acid, undecanoic acid, lauric acid, etc. The C 14 -C 30 fatty acid residues can be derived from one or more of the following: myristic acid, palmitic acid, margaric acid, oleic acid, linoleic acid, stearic acid, nonadecanoic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid, heneicosanoic acid, docosatetraenoic acid, docosahexaenoic acid, tricosanoic acid, tetracosenoic acid, pentacosapentaenoic acid, docosahexaenoic acid, arachidonic acid, etc. In some embodiments, the C6-C 12The fatty acid residue is derived from one or more of the following: caproic acid, caprylic acid, capric acid, and lauric acid; and / or the C 14 -C 30 The fatty acid residue is derived from one or more of the following: myristic acid, palmitic acid, oleic acid, linoleic acid, stearic acid, linolenic acid, arachidonic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid, docosapentaenoic acid, and docosahexaenoic acid. In some embodiments, the C6-C 12 The weight ratio of the fatty acid residue to the C 14 -C 30 The weight ratio of the fatty acid residue to the C 12 The weight ratio of the fatty acid residue to the C 14 -C 30 The weight ratio of the fatty acid residue to the C

[0017] As used herein, the term "nervonic acid" or "NA", the English name is Nervonic acid, and the chemical name is cis-15-tetracosenoic acid, which is a monounsaturated fatty acid of the ω-9 type. Nervonic acid is relatively abundant in nerve tissues and the brain, is an important substance that makes up biological membranes, and is a marker of medulla in cerebrosides. It is also an essential "advanced nutrient" for the growth, re-development, and maintenance of nerve cells (especially brain cells, optic nerve cells, and peripheral nerves).

[0018] As used herein, "bone mineral density" refers to the amount of bone contained in a unit volume (volumetric density) or a unit area (areal density). Osteoblasts are the main functional cells for bone formation, and they play a crucial role in maintaining and increasing bone mineral density.

[0019] As used herein, "bone mineral content", also known as "bone mineral content", usually refers to the content of minerals in bone. Bone minerals mainly include substances such as calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium. Maintaining normal bone mineral content can ensure bone strength and prevent osteoporosis.

[0020] As used herein, "osteoporosis" is a systemic bone disease characterized by reduced bone mass and disrupted bone microstructure, leading to increased bone fragility and thus an increased susceptibility to fractures. A decrease in osteoblast activity results in reduced bone formation, while relatively enhanced osteoclast activity leads to increased bone resorption, ultimately causing bone mass loss and osteoporosis.

[0021] As used herein, "osteomalacia" is rickets in adults. It is mainly manifested as softened bones, hyperplasia of osteoid tissue, and skeletal deformities. The causes are mostly deficiencies in vitamin D, calcium, and phosphorus.

[0022] As used herein, "rickets", also known as "rachitis", is a disease caused by vitamin D deficiency, which leads to disorders in calcium and phosphorus metabolism in the body and poor bone calcification.

[0023] As used herein, "osteopenia" generally refers to a decrease in bone mass, which may lead to osteoporosis.

[0024] Nutritional composition

[0025] In a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a nutritional composition comprising medium-chain and long-chain triglycerides (MLCT) and nervonic acid (NA).

[0026] The applicant has found that when medium-chain and long-chain triglycerides (MLCT) and nervonic acid (NA) are used in combination, there is a synergistic effect between them, which can synergistically improve bone development and / or prevent or treat bone diseases, particularly can synergistically prevent bone density reduction and / or increase bone mineral content.

[0027] In some embodiments, the mass ratio of the medium- and long-chain fatty acid triglyceride to nervonic acid in the nutritional composition is from 8:1 to 520:1, such as 8:1, 9:1, 10:1, 11:1, 12:1, 13:1, 14:1, 15:1, 20:1, 25:1, 30:1, 35:1, 40:1, 45:1, 50:1, 55:1, 60:1, 65:1, 70:1, 75:1, 80:1, 90:1, 100:1, 110:1, 120:1, 130:1, 140:1, 150:1, 160:1, 170:1, 180:1, 190:1, 200:1, 210:1, 220:1, 230:1, 240:1, 250:1, 260:1, 270:1, 280:1, 290:1, 300:1, 310:1, 320:1, 330:1, 340:1, 350:1, 360:1, 370:1, 380:1, 390:1, 400:1, 410:1, 420:1, 430:1, 440:1, 450:1, 460:1, 470:1, 480:1, 490:1, 500:1, 510:1, 520:1 or within the range defined by any two of them. Within this range, the composition improves bone development and / or prevents or treats bone diseases, especially the effects of preventing bone density reduction and / or increasing bone mineral content are more significant.

[0028] In some embodiments, the nutritional composition consists of medium- and long-chain fatty acid triglyceride and nervonic acid.

[0029] Food

[0030] The second aspect of the present invention relates to a food, which comprises the nutritional composition of the first aspect of the present invention.

[0031] All the above descriptions regarding the first aspect of the present invention are applicable here and will not be repeated.

[0032] In some embodiments, the food may be, for example, a functional food, a health food, or a health product.

[0033] In some embodiments, the food is a general food or a special food. As an example, the food may be selected from dairy products, candies, beverages, bread, and biscuits. For example, the food may be selected from milk powder or fermented foods. In some embodiments, the milk powder is an infant formula milk powder.

[0034] In some embodiments, the food is an infant food such as an infant formula food.

[0035] In some embodiments, the food may be in the form of a powder, a tablet, or a liquid.

[0036] In some embodiments, based on the dry basis weight of the food, the content of nervonic acid may be from 0.002% to 0.3%. As an example, based on the weight of the food, the content of nervonic acid may be 0.002, 0.003, 0.004, 0.005, 0.006, 0.007, 0.008, 0.009, 0.10, 0.11, 0.12, 0.13, 0.14, 0.15, 0.16, 0.17, 0.18, 0.19, 0.20, 0.25, 0.30 dry basis weight %, or within the range defined by any two of them. The content of medium and long-chain fatty acid triglycerides can be calculated according to their ratio.

[0037] In some embodiments, based on the dry basis weight of the food, the content of medium and long-chain fatty acid triglycerides may be from 0.016% to 30.0%. As an example, based on the weight of the food, the content of medium and long-chain fatty acid triglycerides may be 0.016, 0.02, 0.05, 0.1, 0.2, 0.5, 0.8, 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0, 5.0, 6.0, 7.0, 8.0, 9.0, 10.0, 11.0, 12.0, 13.0, 14.0, 15.0, 16.0, 17.0, 18.0, 19.0, 20.0, 21.0, 22.0, 23.0, 24.0, 25.0, 26.0, 27.0, 28.0, 29.0, 30.0 dry basis weight %, or within the range defined by any two of them.

[0038] In addition, it is easy for those skilled in the art to understand that in addition to the nutritional composition of the first aspect of the present invention, the food further includes one or more selected from the following: raw cow milk, demineralized whey powder, concentrated whey protein, lactose, edible vegetable blend oil, fructooligosaccharide, galactooligosaccharide, nucleotide, choline, vitamin, mineral, DHA, and taurine.

[0039] For example, when the food is milk powder, in addition to the nutritional composition described in the first aspect of the present invention, the milk powder may further include proteins such as α-lactalbumin and milk fat globule membrane protein; saccharides such as lactose; lipids; minerals such as calcium, iron, phosphorus, etc.; vitamins; and other additives such as whey powder, choline bitartrate, docosahexaenoic acid, arachidonic acid, walnut oil, etc.

[0040] The food can be produced by the preparation methods commonly used in the art, which will not be elaborated here.

[0041] Application

[0042] The third aspect of the present invention relates to the application of the nutritional composition of the first aspect of the present invention in the preparation of foods for non-therapeutic purposes of improving bone development, in the preparation of foods for improving bone density, and / or in the preparation of products for preventing or treating one or more bone diseases such as osteomalacia, rickets, osteopenia, and osteoporosis.

[0043] All of the above descriptions regarding the first aspect of the present invention apply here and will not be repeated herein.

[0044] Regarding the above foods, all of the above descriptions regarding the second aspect of the present invention apply here and will not be repeated herein.

[0045] Regarding the above drugs, in some embodiments, the dosage forms include but are not limited to tablets, granular powders, capsules, and liquids.

[0046] In some embodiments, when the above composition, food, or drug is orally administered to a human body, the dosage of nervonic acid is 2 - 300 mg / day (for example, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100, 110, 120, 130, 140, 150, 160, 170, 180, 190, 200, 210, 220, 230, 240, 250, 260, 270, 280, 290, 300 mg / day, or any range defined by any two of them). The dosage of medium- and long-chain fatty acid triglycerides can be converted according to the ratio to nervonic acid.

[0047] In some embodiments, when the above composition, food, or drug is orally administered to a human body, the dosage of medium- and long-chain fatty acid triglycerides is 0.016 - 30.0 g / day, for example, 0.016 g / day, 0.02 g / day, 0.05 g / day, 0.1 g / day, 0.2 g / day, 0.3 g / day, 0.4 g / day, 0.5 g / day, 0.6 g / day, 0.7 g / day, 0.8 g / day, 0.9 g / day, 1 g / day, 2 g / day, 3 g / day, 4 g / day, 5 g / day, 6 g / day, 7 g / day, 8 g / day, 9 g / day, 10 g / day, 11 g / day, 12 g / day, 13 g / day, 14 g / day, 15 g / day, 16 g / day, 17 g / day, 18 g / day, 19 g / day, 20 g / day, 21 g / day, 22 g / day, 23 g / day, 24 g / day, 25 g / day, 26 g / day, 27 g / day, 28 g / day, 29 g / day, or 30 g / day, or any range therebetween.

[0048] Examples

[0049] The present invention will be more easily understood with reference to the following examples, which are only used to illustrate some aspects and embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention.

[0050] Unless otherwise stated, the reagents used in this example are all commercially available materials or conventional materials. In all the following examples, medium-chain and long-chain fatty acid triglycerides are derived from medium-chain and long-chain fatty acid edible oils (purity 69 ± 10%), produced by Qingdao Haizhiyuan Life Science Co., Ltd., production batch number Y1505 - 22120101; nervonic acid purity is above 90 ± 5%, purchased from Fuheng Biology, production batch number FH20240120.

[0051] Example 1 Evaluation experiment on the efficacy of samples in promoting bone development

[0052] Wild-type AB strain zebrafish at 3 days post-fertilization (3 dpf) were randomly selected and placed in beakers, with 30 zebrafish in each beaker (experimental group). Medium-chain and long-chain fatty acid triglycerides, NA and their combinations were used to treat zebrafish according to the concentrations described in Table 1 (concentrations are shown in Table 1), positive control Swisse "Calcium&VitaminD" at a concentration of 500 μg / mL, and a normal control group was also set up. The volume of each beaker was 20 mL. The liquid was changed at 5 dpf. After treatment at 28°C for 3 days, samples were collected and stained with alizarin red. 10 zebrafish were randomly selected from each experimental group and placed under a fluorescence microscope for photographing. The NIS-Elements D3.20 advanced image processing software was used to analyze and collect data, and the fluorescence intensity of the zebrafish skull was analyzed. The statistical analysis results of this index were used to evaluate the efficacy of the samples in promoting bone development. The statistical processing results were expressed as mean ± SE. SPSS 26.0 software was used for statistical analysis, and p < 0.05 indicated that the difference was statistically significant.

[0053] According to the above method, medium-chain and long-chain fatty acid triglycerides, NA alone and combinations with different dosage ratios were administered to zebrafish, and the dosage and results are shown in Table 1.

[0054] Table 1 Results of the efficacy evaluation experiment on the improvement of bone development efficacy (skull fluorescence intensity) of samples

[0055]

[0056] Note: * indicates P < 0.05 compared with the normal control group; ** indicates P < 0.01 compared with the normal control group; *** indicates P < 0.001 compared with the normal control group

[0057] From Table 1, Figure 1The results showed that, compared with the normal control group, the fluorescence intensity of the zebrafish skull in the groups treated with single MLCT (250 µg / mL, 500 µg / mL) and NA (0.977 µg / mL, 3.91 µg / mL, 15.6 µg / mL) was significantly enhanced (P < 0.05), indicating that single substances have the effect of improving bone development and bone density; and compared with the normal control, the combined use of MLCT and NA (formulas 1-9) can significantly improve bone development and bone density, specifically manifested as a significant increase in the fluorescence intensity of the skull (P < 0.05). In addition, in Table 1, in terms of the composition and content of the formulas, formula 1 is equivalent to the combination of comparative example 1 and comparative example 4. Formula 1, comparative example 1, and comparative example 4 increased the fluorescence intensity of the skull by 290,628 pixels, 38,534 pixels, and 109,612 pixels, respectively; the increase in the fluorescence intensity of the skull in formula 1 (290,628 pixels) was greater than the sum of the increases of comparative example 1 and comparative example 4 (148,146 pixels), indicating that there is a synergistic effect between the components MLCT and NA in formula 1. Similarly, there is also a synergistic effect between the components MLCT and NA in formulas 2-9, and they have a synergistic effect in the direction of improving bone development and bone density.

[0058] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention and are not intended to limit them; although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those of ordinary skill in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or perform equivalent replacements for some of the technical features; and these modifications or replacements do not make the essence of the corresponding technical solutions deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. A nutritional composition comprising medium- and long-chain fatty acid triglycerides and nervonic acid; the mass ratio of the medium- and long-chain fatty acid triglycerides to the nervonic acid is from 8:1 to 520:

1.

2. A food product comprising the nutritional composition according to claim 1.

3. The food product according to claim 2, which is selected from one or more of dairy products, confectionery, beverages, bread, and biscuits.

4. The food product according to claim 2, which is milk powder or a fermented food.

5. The food product according to claim 2, which is an infant food.

6. The food product according to claim 4, wherein the milk powder is infant formula milk powder.

7. Use of the nutritional composition according to claim 1 in the preparation of a food product for non-therapeutic purposes of improving bone development.

8. Use of the nutritional composition according to claim 1 in the preparation of a medicament for preventing and / or treating bone diseases; wherein, The bone disease is one or more of osteopenia and osteoporosis.

9. The use according to claim 7, wherein the food product is as defined in any one of claims 3-6.

10. The use according to claim 8, wherein the dosage form of the medicament is one or more of tablets, granular powders, capsules, and liquids.

11. Use of the nutritional composition according to claim 1 in the preparation of a food product for improving bone density.

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