Composition for improving performance, sleep quality, or physical condition

Abstract

To provide a novel composition for use in improving performance, sleep quality, or physical condition.SOLUTION: A composition comprises L-cystine and / or L-cysteine as an active ingredient, wherein the composition is used for improving performance and / or improving sleep quality; and / or for alleviating at least one condition selected from the group consisting of a sense of drunkenness, sense of tiredness, dizziness, headache, sleepiness, throat dryness, abdominal unease, and nausea.SELECTED DRAWING: None

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a composition used for improving performance, sleep quality or physical condition.

Background Art

[0002] For improving performance, sleep quality or physical condition, various nutritional compositions and the like have been developed.

[0003] For example, a nutritional composition for improving performance has been proposed, which contains glucose and fructose as carbohydrate components in a specific ratio (Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a composition used for improving new performance, sleep quality or physical condition.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The inventors of the present invention conducted intensive studies to solve the above problems, and as a result, found that the above problems can be solved by a composition containing L-cystine and / or L-cysteine as an active ingredient. The present invention was completed by further studies based on such findings, and includes the following aspects.

[0007] Item 1. A composition containing L-cystine and / or L-cysteine as an active ingredient, comprising: (i) improving performance and / or improving sleep quality; and / or (ii) Reduction of at least one state selected from the group consisting of a feeling of drunkenness, a feeling of fatigue, dizziness, headache, drowsiness, thirst in the throat, discomfort in the abdomen, and nausea A composition used therefor. Item 2. The composition according to item 1, which is a beverage. Item 3. The composition according to item 1, which is a food. Item 4. The composition according to item 1, which is a tablet. Item 5. The composition according to item 1, which is a powder. Item 6. The composition according to item 1, which is a nutritional composition. Item 7. The composition according to claim 1, which is a pharmaceutical. Item 8. The composition according to any one of items 1 to 7, which is used to be ingested at 100 to 2000 mg per day. Item 9. The performance and sleep quality to be improved in (i) are deteriorated due to fatigue, and it is used to be ingested at least at one of the time points before the behavior causing fatigue, after the behavior, and before sleep. The composition according to any one of items 1 to 8. Item 10. Among the states to be improved in the physical condition of (ii), dizziness, headache, drowsiness, thirst in the throat, discomfort in the abdomen, and nausea are caused by fatigue, and it is used to be ingested at least at one of the time points before the behavior causing fatigue, after the behavior, and before sleep. The composition according to any one of items 1 to 8. Item 11. The composition according to any one of items 1 to 8, which is used to be ingested at least at one of the time points before drinking, after drinking, and before sleep.

Advantages of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, a composition used for improving new performance, sleep quality or physical condition can be provided.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] The composition of the present invention is a composition containing L-cystine and / or L-cysteine as an active ingredient, and: Performance improvement and / or improvement in the quality of sleep; and / or Improvement in physical condition is a composition used for.

[0010] In the present invention, the improvement in physical condition includes the reduction of at least one state selected from the group consisting of a feeling of drunkenness, fatigue, dizziness, headache, drowsiness, thirst in the throat, abdominal discomfort, and nausea.

[0011] L-cystine has a structure in which two molecules of L-cysteine are linked via a disulfide bond (S-S) formed by the oxidation of a sulfhydryl group (-SH).

[0012] L-cystine is first converted from methionine to cystathionine in the body after ingestion, and then decomposed into L-cysteine. The effects such as performance improvement of the present invention are considered to be caused by the action of L-cysteine in the body.

[0013] The composition of the present invention may contain L-cystine as an active ingredient, or may contain L-cysteine as an active ingredient instead of L-cystine. The composition of the present invention may contain both L-cystine and L-cysteine as active ingredients.

[0014] In the present invention, L-cystine and L-cysteine are not particularly limited, but for example, powdery ones can be used.

[0015] The composition of the present invention usually contains the total of L-cystine and L-cysteine in an amount of 0.1 to 99.9% by weight based on the whole composition, and from the viewpoint of the effects of the present invention, it is preferably contained in an amount of 10 to 70% by weight, and more preferably contained in an amount of 30 to 50% by weight.

[0016] The composition of the present invention may further contain another nutritional component. Examples of the other nutritional component include turmeric extract, L-ornithine, various extracts, various vitamins, various amino acids, organic acids, yeast, lactic acid bacteria, and their fermented products.

[0017] The turmeric extract may be in powder form.

[0018] L-ornithine may be in the form of hydrochloride.

[0019] Examples of the various extracts include black ginger extract, dandelion extract, rose hip extract, perilla extract, etc. The composition may contain one of these extracts or a combination of multiple extracts.

[0020] Examples of the vitamins include vitamin B group, vitamin C, vitamin E, etc. The composition may contain one of these vitamins or a combination of multiple vitamins.

[0021] The composition of the present invention may, if necessary, further contain at least one selected from excipients, preservation stabilizers, colorants, fragrances, coating agents, etc.

[0022] The composition of the present invention is: (i) for improving performance and / or the quality of sleep; and / or (ii) for improving physical condition and is used therefor.

[0023] The performance and the quality of sleep, which are the objects of improvement in (i) above, may be deteriorated due to fatigue. Examples of the cause of such fatigue include drinking alcohol, etc.

[0024] For the improvement of the physical condition in (ii) above, it includes the alleviation of at least one state selected from the group consisting of a feeling of drunkenness, a feeling of fatigue, dizziness, headache, drowsiness, thirst in the throat, discomfort in the abdomen, and nausea. Among the states to be alleviated, dizziness, headache, drowsiness, thirst in the throat, discomfort in the abdomen, and nausea may be caused by fatigue. Examples of the causes of such fatigue include drinking alcohol and the like.

[0025] In the present invention, "performance" is evaluated by the amount of work and the accuracy of the work. Specifically, it can be evaluated by the Uchida-Kraepelin test.

[0026] In the present invention, the "quality of sleep" is evaluated by at least one index selected from the group consisting of drowsiness upon waking up, ease of falling asleep, middle-of-the-night awakening, dreaming, fatigue recovery, and sleep duration. Specifically, it can be evaluated by conducting a questionnaire on these indices.

[0027] The composition of the present invention may be a beverage. The composition (beverage composition) that is the beverage of the present invention can be prepared by a known method.

[0028] The composition of the present invention may be a food. The composition (beverage composition) that is the food of the present invention can be prepared by a known method. The form as a food is not particularly limited, and it can also be in the form of, for example, bar-shaped, cube-shaped, sheet-shaped, stick-shaped, etc.

[0029] The composition of the present invention may be a powder. The composition (powder composition) that is the powder of the present invention can be prepared by a known method.

[0030] The composition of the present invention may be a tablet. The composition (tablet composition) that is the tablet of the present invention can be prepared by a known method.

[0031] The composition of the present invention may be granules. The composition (granule composition) that is the granules of the present invention can be prepared by a known method.

[0032] The composition of the present invention may be a capsule. The composition that is a capsule of the present invention (capsule composition) can be prepared by a known method.

[0033] The composition of the present invention may be a pharmaceutical. The composition that is a pharmaceutical of the present invention (pharmaceutical composition) can be prepared by a known method.

[0034] The daily intake of the composition of the present invention can be appropriately set. The daily intake of the composition of the present invention (in the case of adults) is preferably 100 mg to 2000 mg, more preferably 200 mg to 1000 mg.

[0035] When the performance and sleep quality that are the objects of improvement in (i) above are deteriorated due to fatigue, the composition of the present invention can be expected to have an effect when taken at any time before the action that causes fatigue, after the action, and before sleep.

[0036] Among the states that are the objects of improvement in physical condition in (ii) above, when dizziness, headache, drowsiness, throat dryness, abdominal discomfort, and nausea are caused by fatigue, the composition of the present invention can be expected to have an effect when taken at any time before the action that causes fatigue, after the action, and before sleep.

[0037] When the state that is the object of improvement in (i) above or the object of improvement in physical condition in (ii) above is caused by drinking alcohol, the composition of the present invention can be expected to have an effect when taken at any time before drinking, after drinking, and before sleep.

Examples

[0038] Hereinafter, the present invention will be specifically described with reference to examples, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0039] Powder compositions of Example 1 (cystine powder) and Comparative Example 2 (maltodextrin powder) (both 100% pure products, Marg Corporation) were prepared.

[0040] Five monitors were each administered 200 mg (total 600 mg) of the powder composition of Example 1 before (before drinking) and after (after drinking) ingesting 180 mL of sake (15% alcohol), and also before going to bed thereafter. On another day, the powder composition of Comparative Example 1 was also administered in the same manner as above.

[0041] The selection criteria for the above monitors were as follows. <Selection Criteria> · Persons who received a sufficient explanation about the purpose and content of this study, had the ability to consent, voluntarily volunteered after fully understanding, and consented to participate in writing · Japanese people aged 20 or older and under 65 years old at the time of consent acquisition · Persons who are aware of a decline in performance the day after drinking <Exclusion Criteria> · Persons with chronic diseases receiving drug treatment, persons with a history of serious diseases · Persons with allergies to the test food or alcohol, etc. · Persons who usually ingest a large amount of the test food · Persons who regularly use pharmaceuticals, health functional foods (foods for specified health use, foods with functional claims, and foods with nutritional functions), etc. that may affect alcohol metabolism or the quality of sleep · Persons who participated in another study during the one-month period before the start of the study, or persons who plan to participate in another study after consenting to this study · Persons judged ineligible by the principal investigator and the representative of the study · Breastfeeding women, pregnant women, persons who have a plan or hope of becoming pregnant during the study period

[0042] In addition to performance evaluation, physical condition (drunkenness, fatigue, dizziness, headache, drowsiness, throat dryness, abdominal discomfort, and nausea); and electroencephalograms during sleep (appearance rate and total time of N3 (the deepest sleep)) were each evaluated. Specifically, the following evaluations were performed for each item.

[0043] <Performance Evaluation> It was carried out by the Uchida-Kraepelin test. Specifically, for the test content, the single-digit adjacent numbers described on the test paper were added in order from the left end, and the single-digit number of the calculation result was filled in. It was evaluated based on the average number of correct answers per minute when moving to the next line every minute and performing it for a total of 3 minutes. The test was carried out before drinking, 1 hour after drinking, 2 hours after drinking, and 3 hours after drinking.

[0044] <Physical condition> It was carried out by the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) questionnaire. Specifically, for each item of drunkenness feeling, fatigue feeling, dizziness feeling, headache, sleepiness, throat thirst, abdominal discomfort, and nausea, the display of "the best feeling of not feeling at all" was shown at the left end of the straight line, and "the worst feeling of feeling very much" was shown at the right end. A mark was made on the straight line, and it was evaluated based on the distance to the mark when the left end was set to 0. The test was carried out before drinking, 1 hour after drinking, 2 hours after drinking, and 3 hours after drinking.

[0045] <Appearance rate and total time of brain waves during sleep (N3 (the deepest sleep))> It was carried out with a portable electroencephalograph ("InSomnograf" manufactured by S‘UIMIN Co., Ltd.). Specifically, after washing the face before going to bed, wiping the forehead and behind the ears with an alcohol swab, attaching electrodes to the forehead and behind the ears, connecting to the portable electroencephalograph, starting the measurement immediately before going to bed and ending the measurement after getting up. The test was carried out on the night before drinking and the night after drinking.

[0046] <Results> The results are shown in Tables 1 to 3. Regarding the performance evaluation (Table 1), an improvement trend was confirmed. Also, in the VAS questionnaire regarding physical condition (Table 2), an improvement trend was confirmed in any of the items of drunkenness feeling, fatigue feeling, dizziness feeling, headache, sleepiness, throat thirst, abdominal discomfort, and nausea. Furthermore, an improvement trend was also confirmed regarding the appearance rate and total time of N3 (the deepest sleep) (Table 3).

[0047]

Table 1

[0048]

Table 2

[0049]

Table 3

Claims

1. A composition containing L-cystine and / or L-cysteine as an active ingredient, comprising: (i) improvement in performance and / or improvement in the quality of sleep; and / or (ii) reduction of at least one condition selected from the group consisting of a feeling of drunkenness, a feeling of fatigue, dizziness, headache, drowsiness, throat thirst, abdominal discomfort, and nausea for use.

2. The composition according to claim 1, which is a beverage.

3. The composition according to claim 1, which is a food product.

4. The composition according to claim 1, which is a tablet.

5. The composition according to claim 1, which is a powder.

6. The composition according to claim 1, which is a nutritional composition.

7. The composition according to claim 1, which is a pharmaceutical product.

8. The composition according to claim 1, which is used to be ingested at 100 to 2000 mg per day.

9. The performance and the quality of sleep to be improved in (i) are reduced due to fatigue, and the composition according to claim 1 is used to be ingested at at least one time point among before the action causing fatigue, after the action, and before sleep.

10. Among the conditions to be improved in the physical condition of (ii), dizziness, headache, drowsiness, throat thirst, abdominal discomfort, and nausea are caused by fatigue, and the composition according to claim 1 is used to be ingested at at least one time point among before the action causing fatigue, after the action, and before sleep.

11. The composition according to claim 1, which is used to be ingested at at least one time point among before drinking alcohol, after drinking alcohol, and before sleep.

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