Mental improver of postpartum period, and functional food containing the same

Abstract

To provide a mental improver of a postpartum period that, when a mother in a perinatal period orally ingest the improver, improves an unstable mental state including postpartum depression of a postpartum period and can prevent postpartum depression or the like, and a functional food containing the improver.SOLUTION: A mental improver contains α-linolenic acid derivative as an active ingredient. The α-linolenic acid derivative is triglyceride in which at least 1 molecule of α-linolenic acid is ester bonded. The α-linolenic acid derivative is included in at least any vegetable oil of perilla oil, flaxseed oil, perilla seed oil, chia seed oil, Sacha Inch oil or green nuts oil. Further, as a rule, a mother in a perinatal period orally ingests a predetermined amount continuously everyday for 12 weeks from at least a middle period of pregnancy. An orally ingested predetermined amount is 2.4 g / day or more in terms of α-linolenic acid.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a mental health improving agent for improving unstable mental states including postpartum depression during the puerperal period, and a functional food containing the same. [Background technology]

[0002] In today's Japan, declining birth rates and childbirth at an older age have become social phenomena. Furthermore, pregnancy and childbirth are major events in a woman's life, accompanied by rapid hormonal fluctuations and changes in body shape. Therefore, even under normal circumstances, mothers' moods are unstable during the perinatal period (the period before and after childbirth), and this can develop into baby blues or postpartum depression. In particular, first-time pregnancies and childbirth at an older age can create even more anxiety. Furthermore, perinatal mothers tend to avoid taking medication as much as possible, considering the impact it may have on the child. For this reason, it is hoped that daily diet and living environment can help stabilize the mother's mental state.

[0003] n-3 fatty acids are said to have many effects, such as reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease, suppressing inflammation, and maintaining brain function. In particular, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) are approved as pharmaceuticals. Since n-3 fatty acids cannot be synthesized in the body, they must be directly ingested from food, and in particular, fish consumption has been attracting attention. The following non-patent document 1 reports that the intake of fish, EPA, and DHA may be inversely correlated with depression symptoms during pregnancy. [Prior art documents] [Non-patent literature]

[0004] [Non-Patent Document 1] J Psychiatr Res,2013(47),572-578 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] As n-3 fatty acids, in addition to EPA and DHA obtained from eating fish, α-linolenic acid, which is abundant in vegetable oils, especially perilla oil and flaxseed oil, can also be utilized. Many animals are said to synthesize EPA and DHA in their bodies using α-linolenic acid as a raw material. As a specific example, perilla oil, which is rich in α-linolenic acid, is known to have preventive and improving effects against various diseases such as coronary artery disease, stroke, diabetes, and cancer. Therefore, perilla oil has been attracting attention in recent years as a health food, and it is thought that perinatal mothers will have little resistance to ingesting it in their diet.

[0006] However, when perilla oil is ingested as a food, there are no reports that focus on the mental state of the mother during the perinatal period, in particular the mental state during the postpartum period, which is the period from the end of delivery when the mother's body undergoes changes caused by pregnancy and childbirth until it returns to its pre-pregnancy state, and no methods have been proposed to make it work effectively.

[0007] Therefore, the present invention addresses the above-mentioned problems and aims to provide a mental improvement agent for the puerperal period that can be orally ingested by perinatal mothers to improve unstable mental states, including postpartum depression, during the puerperal period and prevent postpartum depression, etc., and a functional food containing the same. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the inventors evaluated the mental state during the postpartum period when perilla oil was taken for 12 weeks from mid-pregnancy, and investigated the relationship between maternal blood fatty acids and mental risk, which led to the completion of the present invention.

[0009] That is, the mental health improving agent for the postpartum period according to the present invention, according to claim 1, This is a preventive agent that, when taken from mid-pregnancy until delivery, improves unstable mental states, including postpartum depression, during the postpartum period, and is characterized by containing an α-linolenic acid derivative as an active ingredient.

[0010] According to claim 2, the present invention provides a mental health improving agent for the postpartum period according to claim 1, The α-linolenic acid derivative is characterized in that it is a triglyceride in which at least one molecule of α-linolenic acid is ester-bonded.

[0011] According to claim 3, the present invention provides a mental health improving agent for the postpartum period according to claim 2, The α-linolenic acid derivative is characterized in that it is abundantly contained in at least one of vegetable oils, including perilla oil, linseed oil, perilla seed oil, chia seed oil, sacha inchi oil, and green nut oil.

[0012] According to claim 4, the present invention provides a mental health improving agent for the postpartum period according to claim 3, The perilla oil is characterized in that it contains 50 to 65% of α-linolenic acid in total fat.

[0013] According to claim 5, the present invention provides a mental health improving agent for the postpartum period according to any one of claims 1 to 4, By orally taking a prescribed amount daily, in principle, for at least 12 weeks from mid-pregnancy, it is effective in preventing postpartum depression, improving unstable mental states including postpartum depression during the postpartum period.

[0014] According to claim 6, the present invention provides a mental health improving agent for the postpartum period according to claim 5, The predetermined amount to be orally ingested is characterized by being 2.4 g / day or more calculated as α-linolenic acid.

[0015] According to claim 7, the functional food of the present invention comprises: The present invention is characterized in that by containing the mental health improving agent for the postpartum period described in claim 5, it improves unstable mental states including postpartum depression during the postpartum period.

[0016] According to claim 7, the functional food of the present invention comprises: The present invention is characterized in that by containing the mental health improving agent for the postpartum period according to any one of claims 1 to 4 and 6, it improves unstable mental states including postpartum depression during the postpartum period. Effect of the Invention

[0017] According to the above configuration, the mental health improving agent for the postpartum period according to the present invention contains an α-linolenic acid derivative as an active ingredient. The α-linolenic acid derivative may be a triglyceride in which at least one molecule of α-linolenic acid is ester-bonded. These active ingredients may be contained in perilla oil, linseed oil, perilla seed oil, chia seed oil, sacha inchi oil, or green nut oil. The perilla oil may contain 50 to 65% of α-linolenic acid in total fat.

[0018] In addition, the mental health improvement agent during the postpartum period is to be orally taken in a prescribed amount every day for at least 12 weeks from the middle of pregnancy. The prescribed amount to be orally taken may be 2.4 g / day or more in terms of α-linolenic acid.

[0019] Furthermore, according to the above configuration, the functional food of the present invention contains the above-mentioned mental health improving agent for the postpartum period, thereby improving unstable mental states including postpartum depression during the postpartum period.

[0020] Therefore, according to the above configuration, it is possible to provide a mental improvement agent for the postpartum period and a functional food containing the same that can be orally ingested by perinatal mothers to improve unstable mental states, including postpartum depression, during the postpartum period and prevent postpartum depression and the like. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0021] [Figure 1] The amount of α-linolenic acid relative to the total fatty acids in maternal blood collected during early, mid, and late pregnancy and on the day after delivery DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0022] The present invention will be described in detail below. In the present invention, the unstable mental state including postpartum depression during the puerperal period is considered to be representative of each item of the evaluation method (EPDS) described below. Specifically, depression items, childcare anxiety items, and sleep disorders due to depression are included. Depression items, for example, check the degree of whether the patient was able to laugh, whether there were times when they looked forward to things, whether they felt sad or miserable, whether they felt unhappy and cried, and whether thoughts of harming themselves occurred.

[0023] For parenting anxiety items, for example, the degree to which the subject blamed themselves unnecessarily when things did not go well, became anxious or worried for no clear reason, was overcome by fear for no clear reason, and was overwhelmed by having a lot to do is checked. For sleep disorders due to depression, for example, the degree to which the subject felt unhappy and had difficulty sleeping, and did they feel sad or miserable.

[0024] On the other hand, the mental health improving agent for the postpartum period according to the present invention improves the mental state of the postpartum period by containing an α-linolenic acid derivative as an active ingredient. First, essential fatty acids including α-linolenic acid will be described. Polyunsaturated fatty acids, which have functions essential for maintaining the living body, cannot be synthesized in the human body and are therefore called essential fatty acids and must be ingested from food. These essential fatty acids include n-6 fatty acids (also called ω6 fatty acids) such as linoleic acid, γ-linolenic acid, and arachidonic acid, and n-3 fatty acids (also called ω3 fatty acids) such as α-linolenic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA).

[0025] Intake of these essential fatty acids is known to be effective in preventing lifestyle-related diseases through physiological actions such as lowering blood triglyceride levels, preventing arrhythmia, improving vascular endothelial cell function, and preventing thrombus formation. In particular, it is said that the balance of these intakes (ω6 / ω3) is important for health.

[0026] On the other hand, if the aim is not to prevent lifestyle-related diseases but to improve the mental state of the postpartum period by having mothers eat a daily diet while considering the impact on their children, it is difficult to imagine restricting the diet while considering the balance of essential fatty acid intake (ω6 / ω3).The present invention aims to improve the mental state of modern perinatal mothers while they continue to eat normally.

[0027] In the present invention, the α-linolenic acid derivative may be, for example, a triglyceride in which at least one molecule of α-linolenic acid is ester-linked. The triglyceride in which α-linolenic acid is ester-linked may be α-linolenic acid triglyceride, α-linolenic acid diglyceride, or α-linolenic acid monoglyceride, or a mixture thereof. In addition, of the three hydroxyl groups of glycerol, the hydroxyl group other than the one ester-linked with α-linolenic acid may be ester-linked with another organic acid, for example, linoleic acid.

[0028] Examples of vegetable oils (mainly extracted from seeds) that contain a lot of triglycerides esterified with α-linolenic acid include perilla oil, linseed oil, perilla seed oil, chia seed oil, sacha inchi oil, green nut oil, etc. Among these, perilla oil is said to contain a lot of α-linolenic acid, at 50 to 65% of the total fat.

[0029] Therefore, in the present invention, an α-linolenic acid derivative is orally ingested to improve the mental state of the postpartum period while maintaining a normal dietary habit as a perinatal mother. In principle, the mental state improving agent for the postpartum period according to the present invention is preferably orally ingested in a predetermined amount of α-linolenic acid derivative every day. The amount of α-linolenic acid derivative ingested every day is preferably 2.4 g / day or more in terms of α-linolenic acid.

[0030] As for α-linolenic acid derivatives, as mentioned above, perilla oil, which is practically easy to obtain, can be consumed. Ordinary perilla oil is extracted from perilla seeds or refined through processes such as squeezing and deodorization, and contains about 60% α-linolenic acid. Therefore, if the components of perilla oil are 60%, by consuming 4g of it every day, 2.4g / day of α-linolenic acid can be consumed.

[0031] In this invention, in order to confirm the preventive effect of perilla oil intake on postpartum depression, etc., the mental state during the postpartum period was evaluated when perilla oil was taken for 12 weeks from mid-pregnancy (18-25 weeks of gestation). The relationship between maternal blood fatty acids and mental risk was also examined. The intake test is described below.

[0032] <Subjects> This intake test was conducted with the approval of the ethical review committee of one institution (hospital) for pregnant women as subjects. The intervention group (embodiment) consisted of 100 subjects, and the observation group (comparison example) consisted of 218 subjects. Each subject was a healthy primipara (ages 19-45).

[0033] <Intake of test foods> The intervention group was administered the test food (perilla oil) in addition to their usual diet for 12 weeks starting from the middle of pregnancy (18-25 weeks). The dosage was 4g / day of perilla oil (equivalent to 2.4g / day of α-linolenic acid).

[0034] <Evaluation of mental state> Mental state was assessed twice, once in the middle of the pregnancy when the study began and once immediately after giving birth (up to the fifth day after giving birth), using the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K6), which indicates mental distress. One month after giving birth, the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) was administered as the primary measure, and the Mother Infant Bonding Scale (MIBS) was administered as a secondary measure.

[0035] <Relationship between maternal blood fatty acids and mental risk> As biological samples, maternal blood was collected during early, mid and late pregnancy and the day after delivery, and the fatty acid composition was analyzed.

[0036] ≪Results≫ When the state of mental distress was investigated using the K6 during the middle of pregnancy and immediately after delivery, the proportion of women with a high score of 13 points or more was very low at less than 3%. This indicates that there were very few women in both the intervention and observation groups who suffered from mental instability during pregnancy.

[0037] Furthermore, the proportion of women in the observation group who scored 9 or more points on the EPDS administered one month after giving birth was 21.6%. This is thought to be an average group of primiparas in Japan. Meanwhile, the intervention group was 12.0%, showing a significant decrease (p=0.042) compared to the observation group. Furthermore, in a subanalysis of women whose intake rate of perilla oil for 12 weeks was 70% or higher, the proportion of women in the intervention group (n=84) who scored high on the EPDS further decreased to 9.5% (vs. observation group: p=0.015). These findings suggest that taking perilla oil during pregnancy can stabilize mental health after giving birth.

[0038] The percentage of patients with high scores of 3 or 5 or above on the MIBS was 24-30% (≧3) and 10-14% (≧5), respectively, and there was no significant difference between the intervention and observation groups.

[0039] In addition, the amount of α-linolenic acid relative to the total amount of fatty acids in the maternal blood (red blood cells) collected during the early, middle, and late stages of pregnancy and the day after delivery was analyzed. The analytical results are shown in Table 1 and Figure 1.

[0040] [Table 1]

[0041] As can be seen from Table 1 and Figure 1, in the early stages of pregnancy, before taking the mental health improver (perilla oil) during the postpartum period, the amount of alpha-linolenic acid in the maternal blood was similar in the intervention group and the observation group. In the mid-pregnancy, when taking the mental health improver (perilla oil) during the postpartum period began, the amount of alpha-linolenic acid in the intervention group clearly exceeded that of the observation group. Furthermore, in the mid-pregnancy period, the amount of alpha-linolenic acid increased even in the observation group that did not take the mental health improver (perilla oil) during the postpartum period, but this is thought to be a normal increase in the level of alpha-linolenic acid that was stored in the mother's body itself in an attempt to supply the fetus with the alpha-linolenic acid.

[0042] Furthermore, in the later stages of pregnancy, when the intake of a mental health improver (perilla oil) during the postpartum period was continued, the amount of alpha-linolenic acid further increased in the intervention group. On the other hand, in the observation group, who did not take the mental health improver (perilla oil) during the postpartum period, the amount of alpha-linolenic acid accumulated in the mother's body was not enough to cover the increase, and the value dropped. Thus, by continuing to take the mental health improver (perilla oil) during the postpartum period, the amount of alpha-linolenic acid in the intervention group increased.

[0043] On the other hand, the amount of alpha-linolenic acid in the maternal blood collected the day after delivery was similar in the intervention and observation groups, and was the same as in the early stages of pregnancy before taking the mental health improvement drug (perilla oil) during the postpartum period. This is because the intake of perilla oil had already ended about one month before delivery, so it is thought that the intervention group's levels had decreased to the same extent as the observation group.

[0044] Furthermore, a case-control study of the observational group found a correlation between α-linolenic acid in maternal red blood cells and high EPDS scores. Specifically, it was suggested that low levels of α-linolenic acid in maternal red blood cells may increase the risk of having a high EPDS score. EXAMPLES

[0045] In this example, examples of functional foods containing a mental health improvement agent for the postpartum period, the main component of which is perilla oil containing a large amount of triglycerides esterified with α-linolenic acid, are shown. Note that the functional foods according to the present invention are not limited to these examples, and also include perilla oil itself refined through processes such as extraction, squeezing, and deodorization from perilla seeds.

[0046] <Example 1: Blended oil> This example concerns a blended oil made by blending perilla oil, which contains α-linolenic acid, an ω3 fatty acid, with olive oil, which contains ω9 fatty acids. The blending ratio of each blended oil is shown in Table 2. Note that the oil to be blended with perilla oil is not limited to olive oil, and other oils such as almond oil may be blended to form a functional food. In addition, the blended oil intake / day (g) in Table 2 indicates the intake amount of blended oil required to ingest 4.0 g perilla oil / day (equivalent to 2.4 g per day of α-linolenic acid).

[0047] [Table 2]

[0048] <Example 2: Dressing> This example relates to a dressing containing perilla oil, which contains α-linolenic acid, an ω-3 fatty acid. An example of the dressing's blend ratio is shown in Table 3. Note that the blend ratio of the dressing is not limited to this, and functional foods may be made up of dressings of various blends. Furthermore, 20 g of this dressing allows the intake of 4.0 g / day of perilla oil (equivalent to 2.4 g / day of α-linolenic acid).

[0049] [Table 3]

[0050] As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a mental improvement agent for the puerperal period, which can be orally taken by a perinatal mother to improve the unstable mental state, including postpartum depression, during the puerperal period and prevent postpartum depression, etc., and a functional food containing the same.

Claims

1. A preventive agent for improving unstable mental states including postpartum depression during the puerperal period by taking the agent from mid-pregnancy until delivery, the agent comprising an α-linolenic acid derivative as an active ingredient.

2. 2. The mental health improving agent for the postpartum period according to claim 1, characterized in that the α-linolenic acid derivative is a triglyceride in which at least one molecule of α-linolenic acid is ester-linked.

3. The mental health improvement agent for the postpartum period according to claim 2, characterized in that the α-linolenic acid derivative is abundantly contained in at least any one of vegetable oils including perilla oil, linseed oil, perilla seed oil, chia seed oil, sacha inchi oil, and green nut oil.

4. 4. The mental health improving agent for the postpartum period according to claim 3, characterized in that the perilla oil contains 50 to 65% of alpha-linolenic acid based on the total fat.

5. The mental health improvement agent for the postpartum period according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that it exerts an effect of improving unstable mental states, including postpartum depression, during the postpartum period, by orally taking a predetermined amount, in principle, every day continuously, for at least 12 weeks from the middle of pregnancy.

6. 6. The mental health improving agent for the postpartum period according to claim 5, wherein the prescribed amount to be orally ingested is 2.4 g / day or more calculated as α-linolenic acid.

7. A functional food characterized by containing the mental health improving agent for the postpartum period described in claim 5, thereby improving unstable mental states including postpartum depression during the postpartum period.

8. A functional food characterized by containing a mental health improving agent for the postpartum period according to any one of claims 1 to 4 and 6, thereby improving unstable mental conditions including postpartum depression during the postpartum period.

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