Health drink

Abstract

To provide a health drink which can efficiently take a γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), so as to improve quality of sleeping.SOLUTION: A health drink having an effect for improving quality of sleeping, wherein a citric acid as an organic acid, sodium hydrogencarbonate as bicarbonate, and a γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) are contained in the health drink. Preferably, 100 mg or more of the γ-aminobutyric acid is contained per 500 ml of the health drink.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a health drink, and in particular to a health drink containing citric acid as an organic acid, sodium hydrogen carbonate as a bicarbonate, and γ-aminobutyric acid. [Background technology]

[0002] γ-aminobutyric acid (hereinafter referred to as GABA) is a non-proteinogenic amino acid widely distributed in nature, and is an inhibitory neurotransmitter that is abundant in the central nervous system of mammals. GABA has been recognized to have various effects, such as improving blood pressure, relieving stress, reducing fatigue, improving sleep quality, improving skin elasticity, and improving cognitive function, and various foods and beverages containing GABA are being developed.

[0003] For example, the following Patent Document 1 discloses a health tea containing processed green leaves of a grass family plant, the processed green leaves being subjected to a rolling process and containing more than 500 mg / 100 g of γ-aminobutyric acid by dry weight. Patent Document 1 also discloses a health tea containing processed green leaves of a grass family plant, the processed green leaves being subjected to a steaming and rolling process and containing more than 20 mg / 100 g of γ-aminobutyric acid by dry weight. Patent Document 1 also discloses a health tea containing processed green leaves of a grass family plant, the processed green leaves being subjected to a rolling process and a γ-aminobutyric acid enrichment process.

[0004] In addition, the following Patent Document 2 discloses a γ-aminobutyric acid-containing coffee bean extract obtained by extracting seeds of the genus Coffea in the family Rubiaceae with a polar solvent to obtain an extract, and converting the glutamic acid contained in the extract to γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA). In addition, Patent Document 2 discloses a γ-aminobutyric acid-containing coffee bean extract obtained by extracting seeds of the genus Coffea in the family Rubiaceae with a polar solvent to obtain an extract, and fermenting the extract as a medium to produce γ-aminobutyric acid.

[0005] In addition, the following Patent Document 3 discloses an alcoholic beverage containing GABA and a sweetener, the sweetener content of which is 4.0 w / v% or more in terms of sucrose. In addition, Patent Document 3 discloses an alcoholic beverage containing GABA and a sweetener, the extract content of which is 4.0 w / v% or more.

[0006] Furthermore, Patent Document 4 below discloses a tomato-containing beverage that contains processed tomato products and does not contain any added sweeteners, in which the cumulative 90% particle size (90% D) of particles contained in the beverage liquid is 350 μm or less, and the ratio of the GABA content (mg / 100 g):[Ga] to the glutamic acid content (mg / 100 g):[Glu] in the beverage liquid, [Ga] / [Glu], is 0.35 or less. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] JP 2002-065227 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2010-187554 A [Patent Document 3] Patent Publication No. 2021-182880 [Patent Document 4] Patent No. 5260774 [Patent Document 5] Patent No. 6698766 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] However, the health tea in Patent Document 1 and the coffee bean extract in Patent Document 2 contain caffeine, and the alcoholic beverage in Patent Document 3 contains alcohol. When GABA is ingested, these ingredients are also taken into the body, and as a result, the effects of GABA, particularly its effect of improving sleep quality, cannot be adequately exerted.

[0009] For example, when drinking health tea or coffee bean extract containing GABA, the caffeine component binds to adenosine receptors, preventing the release of histamine and making it difficult to feel sleepy. Also, the diuretic effect of the caffeine component increases the number of times you wake up, causing you to wake up more frequently and worsening the quality of your sleep. As a result, there was a problem that the effect of GABA to improve sleep quality was impaired by the caffeine component.

[0010] In addition, when drinking alcoholic beverages, the alcohol content relaxes the muscles that open the upper airway, impairs the airflow of the nose and throat, making breathing more likely to stop during sleep, and increases the time it takes to wake up after an apnea episode, lengthening the duration of the apnea episode and worsening the quality of sleep. As a result, there was a problem in that the effect of GABA, which improves sleep quality, was impaired by the alcohol content.

[0011] In addition, the tomato-containing beverage of Patent Document 4 contains a tomato processed product, which is tomato juice obtained by crushing tomatoes, squeezing them, or straining them, and removing the skin, seeds, etc., and a concentrated version of these, but the inclusion of the tomato processed product increases the viscosity of the tomato-containing beverage, which clings to the throat and prevents sleep, making it unsuitable as a beverage to drink before sleep. In addition, such beverages also contain a lot of nutrients, making them unsuitable as beverages to drink for ingesting GABA.

[0012] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems, and its main object is to provide a health drink that allows GABA to be efficiently ingested in order to improve sleep quality. [Means for solving the problem]

[0013] One aspect of the present invention is a health drink having the effect of improving sleep quality, characterized in that the health drink contains citric acid as an organic acid, sodium bicarbonate as a bicarbonate, and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). Effect of the Invention

[0014] According to the present invention, GABA can be efficiently taken in order to improve the quality of sleep.

[0015] The reason for this is that by containing citric acid as an organic acid, sodium bicarbonate as a bicarbonate, and GABA in a health drink (preferably containing 100 mg or more of GABA per 500 ml of health drink), the synergistic effect of the bicarbonate and GABA can improve the quality of sleep. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] Items and assessment criteria of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the effects of bicarbonate water and GABA in improving sleep quality. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0017] This article explains GABA's effects on improving blood pressure, relieving stress, reducing fatigue, improving sleep quality, improving skin elasticity, and improving cognitive function.

[0018] GABA suppresses the secretion of the neurotransmitter noradrenaline, which has the effect of constricting blood vessels, and improves blood flow by preventing blood vessels from constricting, making it difficult for blood pressure to rise. GABA also aids kidney function by increasing the amount and frequency of urine, which helps expel excess sodium from the body through urination, making it difficult for blood pressure to rise. In this way, GABA is recognized to have an effect of improving blood pressure.

[0019] In addition, the human body has an autonomic nervous system that controls bodily functions such as internal organs and metabolism to maintain vital activity. The autonomic nervous system consists of the sympathetic nervous system, which is dominant during the day or when active, and the parasympathetic nervous system, which is dominant at night or when relaxed. When stressed, the sympathetic nervous system is easily activated, and when the sympathetic nervous system is activated, the heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature, etc. increase, and the body becomes tense. When the body is in an excessively tense state, the mind and body are greatly stressed and fatigued. GABA acts as a neurotransmitter in the inhibitory system of the brain and has the effect of calming brain excitement, so by suppressing the sympathetic nervous system and making the parasympathetic nervous system dominant, the mind and body can be released from a stressful state. In this way, GABA is recognized to have stress relieving and fatigue reducing effects.

[0020] In addition, when the sympathetic nervous system is dominant, the body becomes excited and it is difficult to fall asleep, but by taking GABA, the sympathetic nervous system is suppressed and the parasympathetic nervous system is dominant, which calms the mind and relaxes the body, making it easier to fall asleep. In this way, GABA is recognized to have an effect of improving the quality of sleep.

[0021] GABA is also known to promote the production of involucrin, an indicator of accelerated cell turnover, and it has been confirmed that GABA is involved in the regeneration of human epidermal cells. GABA is also known to promote the production of hyaluronic acid, and it has been confirmed that GABA is also involved in the retention of moisture in epidermal cells. By promoting cell turnover and maintaining skin moisture, it becomes easier to improve the firmness and elasticity of the skin. In this way, GABA is recognized to have an effect of improving skin elasticity.

[0022] During sleep, the brain removes waste products such as amyloid beta, which is one of the causes of Alzheimer's dementia. However, if you don't get enough sleep, waste products that are not removed will accumulate, increasing the risk of Alzheimer's dementia. Therefore, improving the quality of sleep can also prevent Alzheimer's dementia. Our memories are first organized in the hippocampus, where everyday events are stored, and then stored in the cerebral cortex. It is said that forgetfulness is caused by the decline in the function of brain neurons due to aging, as well as stress-induced autonomic nervous system disorders. The hippocampus is fragile, and when under strong stress, stress hormones are secreted, damaging the hippocampus. However, GABA has the effect of suppressing the sympathetic nervous system and regulating the autonomic nervous system, suppressing the secretion of stress hormones and suppressing damage to the hippocampus. For these reasons, GABA has been recognized to improve memory and cognitive function.

[0023] As described above, since GABA is recognized to have various effects, various foods and beverages for ingesting GABA are being developed. Examples include the health tea in Patent Document 1, the coffee bean extract in Patent Document 2, the alcoholic beverage in Patent Document 3, and the tomato-containing beverage in Patent Document 4. However, these beverages are unable to efficiently exert the effects of GABA (especially the effect of improving sleep quality).

[0024] For example, the health tea in Patent Document 1 and the coffee bean extract in Patent Document 2 contain caffeine, which binds to adenosine receptors and prevents the release of histamine from being suppressed, making it difficult to feel sleepy. In addition, the diuretic effect of caffeine increases the number of times you wake up, causing you to wake up more frequently and worsening the quality of your sleep.

[0025] In addition, the alcoholic beverages described in Patent Document 3 contain alcoholic ingredients, which have the effect of relaxing the muscles that open the upper airway and impairing ventilation of the nose and pharynx, making it easier to stop breathing while sleeping.Furthermore, the time it takes to wake up after apnea is lengthened, which in turn lengthens the duration of apnea, thereby worsening the quality of sleep.

[0026] In addition, the tomato-containing beverage in Patent Document 4 contains processed tomato products, which increase the viscosity of the beverage, causing it to cling to the throat and preventing sleep, making it unsuitable as a beverage to drink before sleep. In addition, such beverages contain a lot of nutrients, making them unsuitable as beverages to drink for ingesting GABA.

[0027] Therefore, the inventor of the present application focused on the effect of improving sleep quality among the various effects of GABA, and developed a beverage that can efficiently exhibit the effect of improving sleep quality of GABA. In order to efficiently exhibit the effect of improving sleep quality of GABA, it is important that the beverage containing GABA does not contain any substance that inhibits the effect of improving sleep quality (preferably, the beverage containing GABA itself has the effect of improving sleep quality), and that the beverage containing GABA is easily absorbed and does not contain any substance that burdens the stomach and intestines so that it can be consumed even before sleep. As a result of examining various beverages from this perspective, the inventor of the present application found that bicarbonate water containing bicarbonate ions is suitable as a beverage containing GABA.

[0028] Specifically, the inventors of the present application investigated various hot springs in Japan and discovered that the water quality of Nagayu hot spring in Taketa City, Oita Prefecture is similar to that of the hot spring colonnade in the Czech Republic, the birthplace of drinking hot springs. This Nagayu hot spring water is also equivalent to carbon dioxide in the ocean, has a neutral pH, and is mainly composed of bicarbonate ions. Clinical trials at Keio University and other institutions have shown that drinking the water is effective against various diseases, including diabetes. Furthermore, the good buffering capacity of bicarbonate ions neutralizes gastric acid and promotes bile secretion, which has the effect of activating the functions of the stomach, intestines, liver, and pancreas, and it has also been confirmed that the parasympathetic nervous system can be activated by expanding blood vessels and improving blood flow.

[0029] Therefore, the inventors of the present application focused on the effects of bicarbonate ions and invented a carbonated beverage containing citric acid as an organic acid and sodium hydrogen carbonate (sodium bicarbonate) as a bicarbonate salt in a prior application shown in Patent Document 5.

[0030] This carbonated beverage is made by injecting carbon dioxide gas into bicarbonate water, which contains citric acid as an organic acid and sodium bicarbonate as a bicarbonate. Bicarbonate water does not contain any substances that inhibit the effect of improving sleep quality, and bicarbonate water itself has the effect of improving sleep quality. Furthermore, it does not contain any substances that put a strain on the stomach and intestines. Therefore, the inventors of the present application discovered that bicarbonate water is the ideal beverage to mix with GABA, and invented a health beverage that contains GABA in bicarbonate water (and further has carbon dioxide gas injected into it).

[0031] In the health drink of the present invention, the effects of GABA can be fully exerted, and in particular, the effects of GABA can be efficiently exerted by appropriately setting the amount of GABA mixed in. For example, it has been confirmed that the effect of improving sleep quality can be obtained by adding 100 mg or more of GABA per 500 ml of health drink.

[0032] Furthermore, it has also been confirmed that a health drink containing 12.3 mg or more of GABA per 500 ml has the effect of improving blood pressure, that a health drink containing 28 mg or more of GABA per 500 ml has the effect of relieving stress and reducing fatigue, that a health drink containing 100 mg or more of GABA per 500 ml has the effect of improving skin elasticity, and that a health drink containing 100 to 200 mg of GABA per 500 ml has the effect of improving cognitive function. EXAMPLES

[0033] In order to explain the above-mentioned embodiment of the present invention in more detail, a health drink according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 and 2. Figure 1 shows the items and assessment criteria of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and Figure 2 is a diagram explaining the effects of bicarbonate water and GABA in improving sleep quality.

[0034] First, the carbonated drink described in the prior application of the present inventor shown in Patent Document 5 will be outlined. This carbonated drink is characterized by containing citric acid as an organic acid and sodium hydrogen carbonate as a bicarbonate. Preferably, the carbonated drink contains 0.3 to 0.9 g of citric acid dissolved in 1000 g of the carbonated drink, and the dissolution water contains 2 to 7 parts sodium hydrogen carbonate dissolved in it (mass ratio) per part citric acid, and contains 1000 to 10000 ppm of carbon dioxide gas relative to the dissolution water. Here, malic acid, succinic acid, fumaric acid, and the like are well known as organic acids and are inexpensive, but only citric acid is preferably used because it has the characteristics of good intestinal absorption of silicic acid and high health benefits.

[0035] As the above-mentioned carbonated beverage production device, a known device can be used without any particular limitation. For example, the efficient production device for bathing or drinking carbonated spring described in JP 2013-212450 A can be used.

[0036] For example, a carbonated beverage manufacturing device is a device in which a tank for containing an acidic solution and a tank for containing an alkaline solution are set adjacent to each other on the top surface of a base with a life jacket attached to the underside, and the tank for containing the acidic solution contains an acidic solution made by mixing and stirring a specified amount of citric acid in a specified amount of water, and the tank for containing the alkaline solution contains an alkaline solution made by mixing and stirring a specified amount of baking soda in a specified amount of water.

[0037] In addition, the solution can be made suitable for drinking by using food additive grade citric acid to be mixed and dissolved in the tank containing the acidic solution and baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) to be mixed and dissolved in the tank containing the alkaline solution.

[0038] The tank containing the acidic solution and the tank containing the alkaline solution are, for example, shaped like a half-split truncated cone, and are formed by placing the vertical flat surfaces back to back.The pair of tanks containing the acidic solution and the alkaline solution set on a base are used in the bathtub while floating on the surface of the warm water due to the floats on the underside of the base.

[0039] A bagged pack of an acidic solution of a predetermined concentration, in which the mixing ratio of citric acid to a predetermined amount of water is adjusted so that the pH of bicarbonate water obtained by contact mixing of an acidic solution and an alkaline solution is changed from weakly acidic to strongly alkaline, and a bagged pack of an alkaline solution of a predetermined concentration, in which the mixing ratio of baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) to a predetermined amount of water is adjusted, are prepared in advance. Then, from each of the bagged packs, a bagged pack of an acidic solution and a bagged pack of an alkaline solution that are suitable for bicarbonate water of a desired pH are selected, and the acidic solution and the alkaline solution contained in each pack are placed in a storage tank for the acidic solution and a storage tank for the alkaline solution, respectively, for use.

[0040] This pair of tanks for storing acidic and alkaline solutions are connected vertically via protective pipes attached to the underside of the base to a carbon dioxide generating tank which has a spherical inner tank and an outer tank molded as a single unit into a double inner and outer structure.

[0041] The generated carbon dioxide gas comes into contact with the water and is mixed and stirred before being guided to the multiple small holes on the bottom of the outer tank, so the carbon dioxide gas is absorbed and dissolved in the water to a very high concentration, and the foaming carbon dioxide gas becomes ultra-fine. Also, the foaming effect can be sustained for a much longer period of time than with conventional products.

[0042] In the carbonated beverage production apparatus, the bicarbonate water can be enriched with carbon dioxide gas by the carbon dioxide gas generated by mixing the acidic solution and the alkaline solution, and the carbon dioxide gas can be injected using known carbon dioxide gas injection techniques described in, for example, JP-A-10-136953, JP-A-2010-142129, etc. In this case, the pH of the carbonated beverage before the injection of carbon dioxide gas is preferably 4.0 to 9.3, particularly 6.0 to 9.0, and the pH after the injection of carbon dioxide gas is preferably 5.0 to 8.7.

[0043] Furthermore, this carbonated drink preferably has a citric acid:sodium bicarbonate ratio of 1:2 to 7. If the ratio of sodium bicarbonate is less than 2, a vigorous neutralization reaction occurs between the citric acid and sodium hydrogen carbonate, generating carbon dioxide gas with bubbles large enough to be visible to the naked eye, with most of the carbon dioxide gas volatilizing out of the liquid without dissolving in water. On the other hand, if the ratio of sodium bicarbonate is more than 7, the solubility of the generated carbon dioxide gas in water decreases.

[0044] The concentration of carbon dioxide gas injected is preferably 1000 to 10000 ppm. If the amount of injection is less than 1000 ppm, the total concentration of carbon dioxide gas dissolved in the carbonated beverage is insufficient to produce the effect of inhibiting blood glucose rise by the intestinal flora, whereas if the amount of injection exceeds 10000 ppm, the effect of inhibiting blood glucose rise by the intestinal flora is reduced.

[0045] In addition, although there is no particular limit to the concentration of citric acid in carbonated beverages, it has been confirmed that the effect of suppressing blood sugar rise is significant when the carbonated beverage contains 0.3 to 0.9 g of citric acid per 1,000 g.

[0046] In the present application, utilizing the prior application, GABA is mixed into bicarbonate water in which citric acid as an organic acid and sodium bicarbonate as a bicarbonate are dissolved, and carbon dioxide gas is injected as necessary to produce a health drink. In this case, it is expected that the effect of improving sleep quality will change depending on the ratio of GABA mixed into the bicarbonate water. Therefore, in order to confirm what ratio of GABA should be mixed into the bicarbonate water to obtain the effect of improving sleep quality, the quality of sleep was evaluated when the GABA content was changed.

[0047] Specifically, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was used to evaluate the quality of sleep when drinking the health drink. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) evaluates sleep over the past month based on the following items: quality of sleep, time to fall asleep, sleep duration, sleep efficiency, difficulty in sleeping, use of sleeping pills, and difficulty waking during the day. The lower the score, the higher the quality of sleep. Figure 1 shows the items asked in the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and the criteria for answering the questions.

[0048] The subjects were then asked to drink 500ml of regular mineral water or bicarbonate water once a day, morning and evening, and asked the items shown in Figure 1 before and after continuing to drink the water for four weeks. The answers were then used to calculate a score based on the criteria shown in Figure 1. Here, the sleep score before starting to drink regular mineral water or bicarbonate water was designated Sleep-B, and the sleep score after continuing to drink regular mineral water or bicarbonate water for four weeks was designated Sleep-A, and the rate of change in sleep score (%) was calculated according to the following formula. The results are shown in Table 1 and Figure 2.

[0049] Change in sleep score (%) = (Sleep-A - Sleep-B) / Sleep-B x 100

[0050] [Table 1]

[0051] In addition, bicarbonate water A in Table 1 contains 0 mg of GABA per 500 ml, bicarbonate water B contains 50 mg of GABA per 500 ml, bicarbonate water C contains 100 mg of GABA per 500 ml, and bicarbonate water D contains 200 mg of GABA per 500 ml.

[0052] From Table 1, it can be seen that the sleep score when continuously drinking bicarbonate water A (bicarbonate water that does not contain GABA) changes significantly more than when continuously drinking regular mineral water (sleep score is significantly smaller), which shows that the quality of sleep improves by continuously drinking bicarbonate water. From these results, it was confirmed that bicarbonate water itself has the effect of improving sleep quality.

[0053] In addition, the sleep scores when continuously drinking bicarbonate water B-D (bicarbonate water containing GABA) showed a larger change (lower sleep scores) than when continuously drinking bicarbonate water A (bicarbonate water without GABA), which shows that the inclusion of GABA in bicarbonate water improves sleep quality. These results confirmed that GABA has the effect of improving sleep quality.

[0054] Furthermore, the change in sleep score gradually increases in the order of bicarbonate water B, C, and D (the rate of change in sleep score gradually decreases), which shows that the higher the GABA content, the better the quality of sleep. As described above, the higher the GABA content, the better the quality of sleep, but since the difference in the rate of change in sleep score between bicarbonate water C and bicarbonate water D is smaller than the difference in the rate of change in sleep score between bicarbonate water B and bicarbonate water C, it can be said that the GABA content should be at least as high as that of bicarbonate water C (i.e., 100 mg or more per 500 ml of bicarbonate water).

[0055] In Table 1 and Figure 2, sleep quality was evaluated using ordinary mineral water, bicarbonate water without GABA, and bicarbonate water containing GABA, but similar results were obtained when beverages containing injected carbon dioxide were used instead.

[0056] As described above, by mixing GABA with bicarbonate water in which citric acid as an organic acid and sodium bicarbonate as a bicarbonate are dissolved, and by injecting carbon dioxide gas as necessary to produce a health drink, GABA can be efficiently ingested and the effects of GABA can be efficiently exerted. In particular, since the health drink of the present application does not contain any substance that inhibits the sleep quality improving effect of GABA, and bicarbonate water itself has the effect of improving sleep quality, the quality of sleep can be improved by the synergistic effect of bicarbonate water and GABA.

[0057] In addition, because the health drink of the present invention does not contain any unnecessary nutrients, it can be consumed daily without worrying about calories. In addition, because the viscosity of the health drink of the present invention is the same as that of water, it can be consumed casually even before sleep and can be used as a rehydration liquid to prevent dehydration during sleep.

[0058] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and the configuration can be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0059] For example, in the above examples, a health drink was prepared by adding GABA to bicarbonate water containing citric acid as an organic acid and sodium bicarbonate as a bicarbonate, as described in the inventor's prior application (Patent No. 6698766). However, a health drink may also be prepared by adding GABA to a dissolution water having components equivalent to those of the bicarbonate water. [Industrial Applicability]

[0060] The present invention can be used for health drinks containing an organic acid, bicarbonate and GABA, and health drinks further containing pressurized carbon dioxide gas.

Claims

1. A health drink having the effect of improving sleep quality, The health drink contains citric acid as an organic acid, sodium bicarbonate as a bicarbonate, and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA). A health drink characterized by

2. The gamma-aminobutyric acid is contained in an amount of 100 mg or more per 500 ml of the health drink.

2. The health drink according to claim 1.

3. The health drink is prepared by injecting carbon dioxide gas into a dissolution water in which the citric acid, the sodium bicarbonate, and the γ-aminobutyric acid are dissolved.

3. The health drink according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The health drink contains the sodium bicarbonate in a mass ratio of 2 to 7 parts by mass of citric acid per part by mass of 1, and contains the carbon dioxide gas in an amount of 1,000 to 10,000 ppm relative to the dissolution water.

4. The health drink according to claim 3.

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