Interpersonal stress relaxation food and drink, salivary oxytocin secretion enhancer, and method for promoting salivary oxytocin secretion

Abstract

To provide an interpersonal stress relaxation food and drink that exhibits action effects for relaxation of the interpersonal stress and a salivary oxytocin secretion enhancer having effects in reducing a stress reaction generated from interpersonal relationship to stabilize clairsentience.SOLUTION: Food and drink for relieving interpersonal stress of the present invention contains as active ingredients citrus juice, citric acid, etc. A salivary oxytocin secretion enhancer of the present invention contains as active ingredients citrus juice, citric acid, etc. A method for promoting oxytocin secretion in saliva of the present invention includes a step of orally ingesting lemon juice, citric acid, etc.SELECTED DRAWING: None

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a food or drink for relieving interpersonal stress, an agent for promoting oxytocin secretion in saliva, and a method for promoting oxytocin secretion in saliva. [Background technology]

[0002] Various external stimuli that affect the mind and body are called stress, and various reactions that occur in the mind and body in an attempt to adapt to stress are called stress responses. Stresses that affect the mind and body include physical stresses such as heat, cold, and noise, chemical stresses such as pollutants and drugs, and psychological and social stresses such as interpersonal relationships.

[0003] Not only physical and chemical stress, but also psychological and social stress such as interpersonal relationships can impair and deteriorate mental and physical health. Psychological stress reactions to psychological and social stress include symptoms such as loss of vitality, irritability, anxiety, and depression. Physical stress reactions include pain in the joints, headaches, stiff shoulders, lower back pain, eye fatigue, palpitations, shortness of breath, stomach pain, loss of appetite, constipation, diarrhea, and insomnia.

[0004] Thus, as described in Patent Document 1, anti-stress compositions for treating mental stress arising from interpersonal relationships have been known. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2021-153446 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] There has been a demand for food and drink that is effective in relieving interpersonal stress. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The present invention is based on the discovery that citrus juice, citric acid, etc. can exert an action and effect in alleviating interpersonal stress. In addition, the present invention is based on the discovery that citrus juice, citric acid, etc. can exert an action of promoting the secretion of oxytocin, which has an effect of weakening stress reactions arising from interpersonal relationships and stabilizing emotions.

[0008] Various aspects for solving the above problems will be described below. The food or drink for relieving interpersonal stress in aspect 1 contains citrus juice as an active ingredient. The food or drink for relieving interpersonal stress in aspect 2 contains at least one active ingredient selected from citric acid and citrate salts.

[0009] Aspect 3 is the food or beverage for relieving interpersonal stress according to Aspect 1 or 2, wherein the interpersonal stress relief is at least one selected from the group consisting of promoting affinity, promoting interpersonal trust, and relieving interpersonal distrust.

[0010] A fourth aspect is the food or drink for relieving interpersonal stress according to the first aspect, wherein the citrus juice is an acidic citrus juice. Aspect 5 is the food or beverage for relieving interpersonal stress according to aspect 4, wherein the citrus juice is lemon juice.

[0011] The saliva oxytocin secretion promoter of embodiment 6 contains citrus juice as an active ingredient. The saliva oxytocin secretion promoter of aspect 7 contains at least one active ingredient selected from citric acid and citrate salts.

[0012] In an eighth aspect, in the saliva oxytocin secretion promoter according to the sixth aspect, the citrus juice is an acidic citrus juice. Aspect 9 is the saliva oxytocin secretion promoter according to aspect 8, wherein the citrus juice is lemon juice.

[0013] A method for promoting oxytocin secretion in saliva according to aspect 10 includes a step of orally ingesting lemon juice. In an eleventh aspect, in the method for promoting oxytocin secretion in saliva according to the tenth aspect, the oral intake step comprises orally ingesting 15 mL or more of lemon juice at a time.

[0014] A method for promoting oxytocin secretion in saliva according to a twelfth aspect includes a step of orally ingesting at least one selected from citric acid and citrate salts. Effect of the Invention

[0015] According to the present invention, it is possible to exert an effect of alleviating interpersonal stress, and also to exert an effect of promoting the secretion of oxytocin, which has an effect of weakening stress responses caused by interpersonal relationships and stabilizing emotions. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0016] First Embodiment A first embodiment of the food and drink for relieving interpersonal stress of the present invention will be described below. The food and drink for relieving interpersonal stress of this embodiment contains citrus juice, or at least one selected from citric acid and citrate salts (hereinafter referred to as citric acid, etc.) as an active ingredient.

[0017] (Citrus juice) Citrus juice refers to fruit juice obtained from citrus fruits, and its manufacturing method is not particularly limited, and known methods can be appropriately adopted. Citrus raw materials are not particularly limited. Examples of citrus fruits include lemon, lime, shikuwasa, sudachi, yuzu, daidai, kabosu, and other fragrant citrus fruits, grapefruit, navel orange, Valencia orange, sour orange, hassaku, unshu mandarin orange, iyokan, ponkan, and sweet summer. These may be used alone or in combination with two or more citrus fruits. Citrus juice is divided into cloudy juice, semi-clear juice, and transparent juice depending on the amount of pulp contained, and any of them may be used. Among these citrus juices, from the viewpoint of excellent interpersonal stress relieving effect, fragrant citrus juice derived from fragrant citrus fruits is preferred, and lemon juice is more preferred.

[0018] (Citric acid, etc.) As the citric acid, either citric acid anhydride or citric acid hydrate may be used. As the citrate, any pharma- ceutically acceptable salt may be used, such as sodium citrate, potassium citrate, magnesium citrate, calcium citrate, etc. These citric acids may be used alone or in combination of two or more.

[0019] The blending form of citric acid, etc. may be a biosynthetic product, a chemically synthesized product, a crude extract from a natural product, an extract or a refined product, or a material containing citric acid, etc. Examples of materials containing citric acid, etc. include food materials such as vegetables, fruits, and moromi vinegar. Citrus fruits such as lemon, orange, lime, grapefruit, and sudachi are preferably used. These materials may be used alone or in combination of two or more. When using a raw material derived from citrus fruits as a material containing citric acid, etc., it is preferable to use a squeezed liquid such as citrus juice or a concentrate thereof. In addition, a squeezed liquid containing leaves, fruits (peel (albedo, flavedo), seral membrane, sarcocarp, etc.), or a part of the components of the fruit may be used.

[0020] (Ingestion form) The food and drink for relieving interpersonal stress, which is the above-mentioned active ingredient, exerts an action and effect of relieving interpersonal stress by oral ingestion. Specifically, the relieving of interpersonal stress refers to promoting affinity, promoting interpersonal trust, relieving interpersonal distrust, etc. In other words, the food and drink for relieving interpersonal stress can be preferably applied as a food and drink for promoting affinity, a food and drink for promoting interpersonal trust, or a food and drink for relieving interpersonal distrust.

[0021] When the food and drink for relieving interpersonal stress of the present embodiment is applied to food and drink, it can be applied to, for example, various beverages (beverages containing fruit juice or vegetable juice, soft drinks, mineral drinks, sports drinks, black tea, carbonated drinks, alcoholic drinks, non-alcoholic drinks, etc.), as well as jelly-like foods (jelly, agar, jelly-like drinks, etc.), capsules (soft capsules, hard capsules), tablets, various confectioneries, various processed foods, gums, etc. If necessary, the food and drink can appropriately contain gelling agents such as pectin and carrageenan, sugars and sweeteners such as glucose, sucrose, fructose, lactose, stevia, aspartame, sugar alcohols, and other sugars and sweeteners, food additives such as flavorings, fats and oils such as vegetable fats and oils and animal fats, etc. The form of the food and drink can be appropriately designed according to the material to which it is applied, and can be configured as, for example, a solid form such as a powder or granule, a paste, a liquid, etc.

[0022] The uses of food and beverages for relieving interpersonal stress are not particularly limited, and include so-called (1) general foods, (2) health foods such as nutritional supplements, health supplements, nutritionally adjusted foods, and supplements, (3) health functional foods such as foods for specified health uses, nutritionally functional foods, foods with functional claims, and functional foods, and (4) special purpose foods such as foods for sick people. When a use indication is to be given to a food or beverage, this includes indications stipulated by various laws, enforcement regulations, guidelines, etc. In the case of food and beverages, indications of use include indications on packages such as wrapping and containers, as well as indications on advertising media such as pamphlets.

[0023] The contents of the indication of the use of food and drink for relieving interpersonal stress include indication of relieving, reducing, or suppressing the worsening of interpersonal stress, etc. In addition, indications such as the promotion or improvement of affinity, promotion or improvement of interpersonal trust, and the alleviation, reduction, or suppression of the worsening of interpersonal distrust, etc., as described above, are also included.

[0024] According to the food and drink for relieving interpersonal stress of this embodiment, the following effects can be obtained. (1-1) The food and drink for relieving interpersonal stress of the present embodiment contains citrus juice or citric acid as an active ingredient. Therefore, it can exert an action and effect on relieving interpersonal stress. In particular, it can exert an action of promoting affinity, an action of promoting interpersonal trust, and an action of relieving interpersonal distrust.

[0025] (1-2) It is expected to reduce psychological and physical stress responses and improve physical and mental health. (1-3) Citrus juice is easy to obtain, and it can be used to alleviate interpersonal stress in a simple manner.

[0026] <Second embodiment> A second embodiment of the method for promoting oxytocin secretion in saliva of the present invention will be described below. The method for promoting oxytocin secretion in saliva of this embodiment includes a step of orally ingesting an oxytocin secretion promoter in saliva that contains citrus juice or citric acid as an active ingredient.

[0027] (Citrus juice) Specific examples of citrus juices are the same as those described in the section on embodiment 1. Among these citrus juices, from the viewpoint of excellent oxytocin secretion promoting effect in saliva, fragrant citrus juice derived from fragrant citrus fruits is preferred, and lemon juice is more preferred.

[0028] (Citric acid, etc.) Specific examples of citric acid, etc. are the same as those described in the first embodiment. When ingested, the salivary oxytocin secretion promoter weakens the stress response caused by interpersonal relationships and exerts a salivary oxytocin secretion promoting effect that stabilizes emotions. Oxytocin is also called the love hormone and is known to have the effect of weakening stress responses and stabilizing emotions. It is also known to have the effect of mitigating stress responses caused by interpersonal relationships and increasing trust in people. It is also known to have the effect of improving mental illnesses such as autism spectrum disorder. Oxytocin is a hormone synthesized in the hypothalamus and secreted from the posterior pituitary gland. By promoting the secretion of oxytocin in saliva, it is expected to weaken the stress response and improve physical and mental health. It is also expected to have the effect of improving mental illnesses such as autism spectrum disorder and suppressing their worsening.

[0029] (Dosage form) The agent for promoting oxytocin secretion in saliva can be preferably applied to various fields such as food and drink, medicine, and quasi-drugs, which are intended to exert an action of promoting oxytocin secretion in saliva. For food and drink, the configuration of the first embodiment is applied.

[0030] When the salivary oxytocin secretion promoter is used as a pharmaceutical composition or a quasi-drug, it can be administered by oral ingestion, enteral administration, subcutaneous administration, etc. The dosage form is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, a tablet, pill, powder, liquid, suppository, suspension, emulsion, granule, powder, capsule, injection, etc. When used as a pharmaceutical composition or a quasi-drug, examples of pharma- ceutically acceptable bases, carriers, and additives include, for example, solvents, dispersants, emulsifiers, buffers, stabilizers, excipients, binders, disintegrants, and lubricants.

[0031] The salivary oxytocin secretion promoter is preferably taken orally. When the active ingredient is citrus juice, the amount of the salivary oxytocin secretion promoter is not particularly limited, but preferably 15 mL or more of citrus juice is taken at one time, more preferably 20 mL or more, and even more preferably 30 mL or more. This amount of intake can exhibit a better salivary oxytocin secretion effect.

[0032] When the active ingredient is citric acid or the like, the amount of the agent for promoting secretion of oxytocin in saliva that is ingested is not particularly limited, but preferably 0.5 g or more of citric acid or the like is ingested at one time, more preferably 1 g or more at one time, and even more preferably 1.5 g or more at one time.

[0033] According to the method for promoting oxytocin secretion in saliva and the agent for promoting oxytocin secretion in saliva of this embodiment, the following effects can be obtained. (2-1) The salivary oxytocin secretion promoter of the present embodiment contains citrus juice or citric acid as an active ingredient. Therefore, it can exert an action of promoting the secretion of oxytocin in saliva, which has an effect of weakening stress reactions caused by interpersonal relationships and stabilizing emotions.

[0034] (2-2) Promoting the secretion of oxytocin in saliva is expected to weaken stress responses caused by interpersonal relationships and improve mental and physical health. It is also expected to have effects such as improving and preventing the worsening of mental illnesses such as autism spectrum disorder.

[0035] (2-3) By simply ingesting a certain amount of citrus juice, the secretion of oxytocin in saliva can be easily promoted. The above embodiment may be modified as follows: The above embodiment and the following modifications may be combined with each other to the extent that no technical contradiction occurs.

[0036] May also be applied to pets, livestock and other captive animals other than humans. EXAMPLES

[0037] The above-mentioned embodiment will be described in more detail below with reference to test examples, but the present invention is not limited thereto. <Test Example 1: Citrus juice or citric acid intake test> (1) Ingestion of citrus juice or citric acid The researchers measured whether the concentration of oxytocin in saliva increased after a certain period of time after subjects ingested citrus juice or citric acid. The samples used were lemon juice, yuzu juice, and grapefruit juice.

[0038] In each example, citric acid, the types of fruit juice and the intake amounts shown in Table 1 were applied. Note that 30 mL of lemon juice, 30 mL of yuzu juice, and 150 mL of grapefruit juice are the amounts of juice equivalent to one fruit, respectively. In Comparative Example 1, only water was taken. Note that the subjects in each example were a maximum of 26 people, and on the day of intake, intake of citrus fruits, flavors, and spicy foods was prohibited, and eating, drinking, and smoking were prohibited 30 minutes before intake. The subjects were allowed to rest for 20 minutes after intake.

[0039] (2) Measurement of oxytocin concentration in saliva Saliva was collected from each subject immediately before ingestion (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "0 minutes after ingestion"), and 5 minutes, 20 minutes, and 60 minutes later. A commercially available ELISA kit for measuring oxytocin concentrations was used to measure the oxytocin concentration in the saliva of each subject. Relative values ​​were calculated with the value at 0 minutes set at 1.0. The average oxytocin concentration in the saliva of each subject is shown in Table 1. For reference, the acidity, Brix, pH, and content of amino acids and other components in each citrus juice are shown in Table 2. "NT" in the table indicates not measured.

[0040] [Table 1]

[0041] [Table 2]

[0042] As shown in Table 1, the intake of citrus juice or citric acid tended to increase the oxytocin concentration in saliva. Lemon juice in particular had a strong tendency to increase the oxytocin concentration. The increase in salivary oxytocin concentration was observed 5, 20, and 60 minutes after the intake of lemon juice. On the other hand, the increase in salivary oxytocin concentration was observed 5 minutes and 20 minutes after the intake of yuzu juice and grapefruit juice, respectively. The increase in salivary oxytocin concentration was also observed 5 and 20 minutes after the intake of citric acid. The promotion of oxytocin secretion in saliva by the intake of lemon juice was particularly promoted compared to the intake of yuzu, grapefruit juice, or citric acid. Therefore, it was suggested that components other than citric acid are also involved in the promotion of oxytocin secretion in saliva by lemon juice.

[0043] (3) Relief of interpersonal stress Emotional changes were measured before and after ingesting citrus juice. Emotional changes were evaluated using affinity as defined by the Multifaceted Mood Scale (MMS) (Masaharu Terasaki, Creation of a Short Version of the Multifaceted Mood Scale: Proceedings of the 55th Conference of the Japanese Society of Clinical Psychology (1991)), and interpersonal trust and interpersonal distrust as defined by the Interpersonal Trust and Distrust Scale (Kazumi Iwasaki, On the Influence of Personality on Interpersonal Trust: Nara University Graduate School Research Annual Report (2010)). Each subject in Comparative Example 1 and Example 3 answered a questionnaire on affinity, interpersonal trust, and interpersonal distrust 10 minutes before ingestion of the above (1) citrus juice. In addition, the same questionnaire was answered 55 minutes after ingestion of the citrus juice. The average scores of affinity, interpersonal trust, and interpersonal distrust of each subject before and after ingestion were calculated. The difference between the average score before and after the intake was calculated. The results are shown in Table 3.

[0044] [Table 3]

[0045] As shown in Table 3, lemon juice, which had the highest concentration of oxytocin in saliva in Table 1, tended to promote affinity and interpersonal trust, as well as to alleviate interpersonal distrust. As with lemon juice, effects were also seen with yuzu juice, an acidic citrus juice, and grapefruit juice, another citrus juice (data omitted).

[0046] These results confirmed that the intake of citrus juice tends to promote feelings of affinity and interpersonal trust. It was also confirmed that the intake of citrus juice tends to alleviate feelings of interpersonal distrust.

Claims

1. A food and drink containing citrus juice as an active ingredient for relieving interpersonal stress.

2. The food and drink for relieving interpersonal stress contains at least one active ingredient selected from citric acid and citrate salts.

3. 3. The food or drink for relieving interpersonal stress according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the interpersonal stress relief is at least one selected from the group consisting of promoting affinity, promoting interpersonal trust, and relieving interpersonal distrust.

4. The food or drink for relieving interpersonal stress according to claim 1, wherein the citrus juice is an acidic citrus juice.

5. The food or beverage for relieving interpersonal stress according to claim 4, wherein the citrus juice is lemon juice.

6. A saliva oxytocin secretion promoter that contains citrus juice as an active ingredient.

7. An agent for promoting the secretion of oxytocin in saliva, comprising as an active ingredient at least one selected from citric acid and citrate salts.

8. The saliva oxytocin secretion promoter according to claim 6, wherein the citrus juice is an acidic citrus juice.

9. The salivary oxytocin secretion promoter according to claim 8, wherein the citrus juice is lemon juice.

10. A method for promoting oxytocin secretion in saliva, comprising a step of orally ingesting lemon juice.

11. The method for promoting oxytocin secretion in saliva according to claim 10, wherein the step of orally ingesting lemon juice comprises orally ingesting 15 mL or more of lemon juice at a time.

12. A method for promoting oxytocin secretion in saliva, comprising a step of orally ingesting at least one selected from citric acid and citrate salts.

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