Agent for improving intestinal flora

Abstract

To provide an agent for improving intestinal flora.SOLUTION: An agent for improving intestinal flora, comprising cranberry juice or cranberry extract.SELECTED DRAWING: None

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention broadly relates to an agent for improving intestinal flora and the like. [Background technology]

[0002] The human digestive tract is home to approximately 1,000 species and approximately 100 trillion bacteria, which form the intestinal flora. Not only is the intestinal flora vast in number and variety, but each produces a variety of metabolic products. The intestinal flora is closely related to human health and can sometimes be the cause of disease. Therefore, in recent years, various agents for improving the intestinal flora have been developed to increase beneficial bacteria and prevent the growth of bacteria that have adverse effects on health. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0003] The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a novel component capable of improving the intestinal flora. [Means for solving the problem]

[0004] As a result of extensive research conducted by the present inventors to solve the above problems, they discovered that cranberry juice or cranberry extract improves the intestinal flora, and thus completed the present invention.

[0005] That is, the present invention is as follows. [1] An agent for improving intestinal flora, containing cranberry juice or cranberry extract. [2] The intestinal flora improver according to [1], wherein the cranberry juice or cranberry extract contains proanthocyanidins, organic acids, or polysaccharides derived from cranberries. [3] The intestinal flora improving agent according to [1] or [2], which exhibits at least one effect selected from the group consisting of improvement of bowel movements, improvement of stool odor, improvement of stool properties, enhancement of production of short-chain fatty acids, and improvement of obesity. [4] The intestinal flora improving agent according to [3], which exhibits an effect of improving stool odor when the pH of stool decreases. [5] A food or beverage composition for improving intestinal flora, comprising cranberry juice or cranberry extract. [6] A food or beverage composition comprising cranberry juice or cranberry extract, which exhibits at least one effect selected from the group consisting of improving bowel movements, improving stool odor, improving stool properties, enhancing the production of short-chain fatty acids, and ameliorating obesity. [7] The food or beverage composition described in [6], which exhibits at least one effect selected from the group consisting of improved bowel movements, improved stool odor, improved stool properties, increased production of short-chain fatty acids, and improved obesity due to the intestinal flora-improving effect of cranberry juice or cranberry extract. [8] The food or beverage composition according to [6] or [7], which exhibits the effect of improving stool odor when the pH of stool is reduced. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] The present invention makes it possible to provide a novel component capable of improving the intestinal flora. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0007] Hereinafter, the embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter referred to as "the present embodiment") will be described in detail. It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the following embodiment.

[0008] As a first aspect, the present embodiment provides an agent for improving the intestinal flora, comprising cranberry juice or cranberry extract.

[0009] As used herein, "cranberry" refers to at least one plant selected from the group consisting of Vaccinium oxycoccos, Vaccinium macrocarpon, Vaccinium microcarpum, and Vaccinium japonicum, which are plants belonging to the subgenus Oxycoccus of the genus Vaccinium in the family Ericaceae.

[0010] As used herein, "juice" refers to the liquid component contained in fruit. In this embodiment, any method or device known to those skilled in the art may be used to prepare the fruit juice, and any method known to those skilled in the art may be used. For example, the preparation method may involve squeezing or crushing the fruit and squeezing the juice. The fruit juice in this embodiment may be the fruit juice itself obtained by squeezing, etc., or may be concentrated fruit juice, or may be concentrated reconstituted fruit juice obtained by adding water, etc. to concentrated fruit juice to return it to its original concentration. In this embodiment, cranberry juice is a liquid containing cranberry juice as its main component, and as long as it contains juice as its main component, it does not exclude the inclusion of sediment or the like, which can be considered a solid component.

[0011] As used herein, "extract" refers to a composition consisting of specific components separated from raw materials. The specific components separated from raw materials are not limited to one type, and may be two or more types. Examples of components that can be separated from cranberries include proanthocyanidins, organic acids, and polysaccharides. Two or more such compositions may also be mixed and used as an extract. Any part of a cranberry may be used as the raw material, but it is preferable to use cranberry fruit. The cranberry extract in this embodiment preferably contains at least one selected from the group consisting of proanthocyanidins, organic acids, and polysaccharides, and more preferably contains proanthocyanidins. When the cranberry extract of this embodiment contains two or more specific components, these two or more specific components may be derived from one type of extract or two or more types of extract. Furthermore, when the cranberry extract of this embodiment contains two or more specific components, the composition of each component in the extract (content ratio and amount) may be adjusted appropriately depending on the purpose. For example, from the viewpoint of enhancing the palatability of the intestinal flora improver, the composition of each component may be adjusted by appropriately selecting an extraction method so that the proportion of strongly sour organic acids in the extract is lower than that in the cranberry fruit, or the amount of two or more extracts may be appropriately selected to adjust the composition of each component.

[0012] A food or beverage composition containing cranberry extract is distinct from the cranberry itself from which it is derived. Examples of cranberries themselves include cranberry fruits themselves, frozen desserts made from the fruit, and simply cut fruit. In this embodiment, any method or apparatus known to those skilled in the art may be used to prepare the extract (including fractions, the same applies hereinafter). Examples of the preparation method include solvent extraction, supercritical extraction, steam distillation, and pressing. Further extracts may be prepared from the extract obtained by pressing. When preparing the extract, particularly in solvent extraction, an appropriate solvent may be used depending on the raw material and the specific component to be obtained. Examples of the solvent include water, acetic acid, ethanol, methanol, acetone, hexane, benzene, and diethyl ether. The extract obtained may be in any form, such as liquid, solid, or powder. When the extract is in a liquid form, it may be in the form of a liquid in the solvent used for extraction, or may be, for example, a liquid concentrate obtained by concentration. It may also be a suspension in which part of the extract has precipitated during the concentration process. The liquid extract may be subjected to a drying treatment such as freeze-drying or spray-drying either directly or together with an excipient to form a solid extract.

[0013] Commercially available cranberry juice and cranberry extract may be used.

[0014] As used herein, "gut flora" refers to the population of bacteria, preferably the population of bacteria, present in the digestive tract, also called gut flora.

[0015] The intestinal flora improving agent in this embodiment contains cranberry juice or cranberry extract. The intestinal flora improving agent containing cranberry juice or cranberry extract contains at least one selected from the group consisting of cranberry juice and cranberry extract. Preferably, it contains these as an active ingredient. The intestinal flora improving agent may contain only cranberry juice, only cranberry extract, or both cranberry juice and cranberry extract. It may also contain other ingredients as long as they do not impair its action. The other ingredients may be other ingredients known as intestinal flora improving agents, or other ingredients not known to have or do not have intestinal flora improving function.

[0016] When the intestinal flora improving agent contains cranberry juice, the amount of cranberry juice contained in the intestinal flora improving agent may be any amount as long as it can exert an intestinal flora improving effect, but the intestinal flora improving agent preferably contains about 5 to 300 mL, and more preferably about 20 to 150 mL, of 100% cranberry juice. As used herein, "100% cranberry juice" refers to cranberry juice having the same concentration as cranberry juice obtained from cranberries. The term "cranberry juice" as used herein may be concentrated juice, so for example, an intestinal flora improver containing 50 mL of twice-concentrated 100% cranberry juice contains the same amount of cranberry-derived components as an intestinal flora improver containing 100 mL of unconcentrated 100% cranberry juice.

[0017] The intestinal flora improving agent of this embodiment contains at least one selected from the group consisting of proanthocyanidins, organic acids, and polysaccharides, which are derived from at least one selected from the group consisting of cranberry juice and cranberry extract. The intestinal flora improving agent of this embodiment contains one, two, or three selected from the group consisting of proanthocyanidins, organic acids, and polysaccharides, but preferably contains all three of proanthocyanidins, organic acids, and polysaccharides. The at least one selected from the group consisting of proanthocyanidins, organic acids, and polysaccharides contained in the intestinal flora improving agent may be derived from cranberry juice, may be derived from cranberry extract, or may be derived from both cranberry juice and cranberry extract. Furthermore, the intestinal flora improver of this embodiment preferably contains, in cranberry juice or cranberry extract, components contained in cranberries that can be contained in liquids, typically water, or extracts. That is, the intestinal flora improver of this embodiment may contain a combination of components contained in cranberries. In particular, the intestinal flora improver of this embodiment may contain one, two, or three components selected from the group consisting of anthocyanidins, organic acids, and polysaccharides having a composition (content ratio or amount) derived from cranberries, and may further contain a combination of the above-mentioned components contained in cranberries.

[0018] As used herein, "proanthocyanidin" refers to a group of compounds formed by condensation or polymerization of condensed tannins, i.e., flavan-3-ol or flavan-3,4-diol as structural units, which are named after the fact that they produce anthocyanidins such as cyanidin, delphinidin, and pelargonidin upon acid treatment. This term refers to proanthocyanidins such as dimers, trimers, and tetramers of the above structural units, as well as polymers of 10 or more, such as procyanidins, prodelphinidins, and propelargonidins, and their stereoisomers. Proanthocyanidins are also a type of polyphenol. When the intestinal flora improving agent contains proanthocyanidins, the amount of proanthocyanidins contained in the intestinal flora improving agent may be any amount as long as it can exert an intestinal flora improving effect, but the intestinal flora improving agent preferably contains about 10 to 1000 mg of proanthocyanidins, more preferably about 50 to 300 mg.

[0019] As used herein, the term "organic acid" refers to an organic compound that exhibits acidity. Examples of organic acids in this embodiment include quinic acid, citric acid, malic acid, and shikimic acid, and the intestinal flora improver preferably contains quinic acid or citric acid. When the intestinal flora improving agent contains an organic acid, the amount of the organic acid contained in the intestinal flora improving agent may be any amount as long as it can exert an intestinal flora improving effect, but the intestinal flora improving agent preferably contains about 10 to 3000 mg of the organic acid, more preferably about 50 to 1500 mg.

[0020] As used herein, the term "polysaccharide" refers to a saccharide formed by glycosidic bonds between multiple monosaccharide molecules. Examples of polysaccharides in this embodiment include xyloglucan, glucomannan, xylan, galactan, homogalacturonan, and arabinan, and the intestinal flora improver preferably contains xyloglucan. When the intestinal flora improving agent contains a polysaccharide, the amount of polysaccharide contained in the intestinal flora improving agent may be any amount as long as it can exert an intestinal flora improving effect.

[0021] In one embodiment, the intestinal flora improving agent of the present embodiment contains proanthocyanidin, quinic acid, and xyloglucan.

[0022] The intestinal flora improving agent of the present embodiment improves the intestinal flora by containing cranberry juice or cranberry extract. As used herein, "improving intestinal flora" refers to improving the composition of intestinal flora in the digestive tract to a composition that has a positive effect on health, increasing beneficial bacteria and decreasing harmful bacteria, or improving the intestinal flora to produce metabolic products that have a positive effect on health. Improving intestinal flora may be a concept that includes prebiotics.

[0023] The intestinal flora improver in this embodiment preferably increases beneficial bacteria that can have a positive effect on health and / or reduces harmful bacteria that can have a negative effect on health, thereby adjusting the composition of the intestinal flora to one that promotes health.

[0024] Useful bacteria include, for example, bacteria that produce metabolic products beneficial to health such as short-chain fatty acids, bacteria that suppress the growth of harmful bacteria, and bacteria that enhance immune function. Specifically, useful bacteria include bacteria of the genus Parabacteroides, Roseburia, Bacteroides, Alistipes, Ruminiclostridium, Prevoterella, Lactobacilsus, Akkermansia, Bifidobacterium, Coprobacilus, Faecalibacterium, and Lactobacillus. Parabacteroides bacteria decrease with age, produce acetic acid, succinic acid, and bile acids, and have been reported to have immune-regulating, anti-inflammatory, and anti-obesity effects (References 1-5). Roseburia bacteria have been reported to decrease with age, produce butyrate, reduce the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, reduce systemic inflammation, be reduced in patients with ulcerative colitis, be beneficial for metabolic syndrome, and be reduced in patients with constipation (References 6-11). Bacteroides bacteria are reported to produce acetic acid, propionic acid, and succinic acid and are abundant in the intestines of people who eat a high-fat diet (References 5, 12-15). It has been reported that the genera Alistipes, Ruminiclostridium, Prevoterella, and Lactobacilsus are more prevalent in rats with good bowel movements (Reference 16). Akkermansia, Bifidobacterium, Coprobacilus, Faecalibacterium, and Lactobacillus bacteria have been reported to be beneficial for metabolic syndrome (Reference 8). Faecalibacterium bacteria have also been reported to be reduced in patients with constipation (Reference 9). The intestinal flora improving agent of this embodiment can increase bacteria that have been reported to decrease in patients with constipation and bacteria that have been reported to be abundant in rats with good bowel movements, and therefore exhibits the effects of improving bowel movements and stool properties. Here, the improvement of bowel movements in this embodiment may be an improvement of bowel movements due to improvement of stool properties. When the intestinal flora improving agent of this embodiment exhibits an effect of improving bowel movements, the intestinal flora improving agent may also exhibit an effect of improving stool properties. Furthermore, the intestinal flora improver can also increase bacteria beneficial to metabolic syndrome, thereby improving obesity. The intestinal flora improver can also increase bacteria that produce short-chain fatty acids such as butyric acid, acetic acid, propionic acid, and succinic acid, thereby enhancing the production of short-chain fatty acids. Other examples of short-chain fatty acids include formic acid, caproic acid, lactic acid, malonic acid, valeric acid, 2-methylvaleric acid, and 4-methylvaleric acid. The effects of short-chain fatty acids on the body include maintaining intestinal barrier function, inhibiting the growth of pathogenic bacteria by lowering intestinal pH, anti-inflammatory effects, regulating immune function, and suppressing obesity. The intestinal flora improver of this embodiment can increase beneficial metabolites. The increase in beneficial bacteria may be an effect brought about by at least one selected from the group consisting of proanthocyanidins, organic acids, and polysaccharides contained in cranberry juice or cranberry extract. For example, beneficial bacteria may grow by metabolizing at least one selected from the group consisting of proanthocyanidins, organic acids, and polysaccharides to obtain energy and using the energy for cell division.

[0025] Harmful bacteria include, for example, bacteria that produce metabolic products harmful to health, such as toxins and carcinogens, and bacteria that putrefy substances in the digestive tract. Specific examples include bacteria of the genus Streptococcus, Veillonella, Ruminococcus, Blautia, Coprococcus, and Oscilospira. Streptococcus and Veillonella species have been reported to increase in unhealthy individuals with aging, and some Streptococcus species are commonly found in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. Veillonella species have been reported to proliferate in patients with pancreatic cancer (References 17 and 18). The genera Ruminococcus, Blautia, Coprococcus, and Oscilospira have been reported to increase in patients with constipation (References 19 and 20). The intestinal flora improving agent of this embodiment can reduce bacteria that have been reported to increase in patients with constipation, and therefore exhibits the effects of improving bowel movements and stool properties. Furthermore, harmful bacteria that can be reduced by the intestinal flora improver of this embodiment include bacteria that produce metabolic products harmful to health. Examples of harmful metabolic products include indole, skatole, secondary bile acids, toxins such as enterotoxins, ammonia, amines, and hydrogen sulfide. Therefore, the intestinal flora improver of this embodiment can also reduce the above-mentioned harmful metabolic products. Indole and skatole are known to be malodorous components in stool odor, and the intestinal flora improver can reduce these substances, thereby improving stool odor. The reduction of harmful bacteria may be an effect brought about by at least one selected from the group consisting of proanthocyanidins, organic acids, and polysaccharides contained in cranberry juice or cranberry extract.For example, beneficial bacteria may grow by metabolizing at least one selected from the group consisting of proanthocyanidins, organic acids, and polysaccharides, and the growth of harmful bacteria may be inhibited by metabolic products produced by the beneficial bacteria, thereby reducing harmful bacteria.Furthermore, at least one selected from the group consisting of proanthocyanidins, organic acids, and polysaccharides may directly act on harmful bacteria to reduce harmful bacteria.For example, organic acids may acidify the intestinal environment, thereby inhibiting the growth of anaerobic harmful bacteria that putrefy substances in the digestive tract.

[0026] The intestinal flora improving agent of this embodiment can create an acidic intestinal environment (less than pH 7) by using the organic acids contained in cranberry juice or cranberry extract, or by using cranberry juice or cranberry extract to increase acidic metabolic products produced by bacteria. An acidic environment can increase beneficial bacteria and decrease harmful bacteria.

[0027] The present embodiment also provides an intestinal flora-improving agent that exhibits at least one effect selected from the group consisting of improving bowel movements, improving stool odor, improving stool properties, enhancing short-chain fatty acid production, and ameliorating obesity. The intestinal flora-improving agent exhibits one, two, three, four, or five effects selected from the group consisting of improving bowel movements, improving stool odor, improving stool properties, enhancing short-chain fatty acid production, and ameliorating obesity. At least one effect selected from the group consisting of improved bowel movements, improved stool odor, improved stool properties, increased production of short-chain fatty acids, and improved obesity may be an effect brought about by the intestinal flora improver changing the composition of the intestinal flora or the habitat of each bacterium, or may be an effect brought about by the intestinal flora improver increasing useful bacteria and decreasing harmful bacteria, or may be an effect brought about by metabolic products produced by each bacterium in the intestinal flora. At least one effect selected from the group consisting of improved bowel movements, improved stool odor, improved stool properties, enhanced production of short-chain fatty acids, and amelioration of obesity may be an effect brought about by at least one selected from the group consisting of proanthocyanidins, organic acids, and polysaccharides contained in cranberry juice or cranberry extract. At least one effect selected from the group consisting of improved bowel movements, improved stool odor, improved stool properties, enhanced production of short-chain fatty acids, and amelioration of obesity is brought about by one, two, or three selected from the group consisting of proanthocyanidins, organic acids, and polysaccharides contained in cranberry juice or cranberry extract.

[0028] The intestinal flora improving agent is not particularly limited, and may be in the form of, for example, an oral preparation such as a tablet, capsule, granule, fine granule, powder, liquid, syrup, chewable tablet, or troche, an ointment, jelly, gel, cream, injection, sublingual, inhalant, or suppository. To obtain these dosage forms, the agent can be produced using conventionally known additives, and, although not particularly limited, for example, an excipient, binder, diluent, disintegrant, buffer, thickener, stabilizer, emulsifier, dispersant, suspending agent, and / or preservative known in the art may be used as needed. The intestinal flora improver may also be provided by being blended with food, feed, medicine, or the like.

[0029] The dosage and frequency of administration of the intestinal flora-improving agent may be appropriately determined depending on various conditions such as the route of administration and the age, weight, and symptoms of the subject.

[0030] The subjects to which the intestinal flora-improving agent is administered are preferably mammals, more preferably humans, monkeys, cats, pigs, horses, cows, mice, rats, guinea pigs, dogs, and rabbits, and more preferably humans.

[0031] The aspect of the intestinal flora improving agent in this embodiment is also applicable to other embodiments described below.

[0032] As a second embodiment, this embodiment also provides a food or beverage composition containing cranberry juice or cranberry extract, which is a food or beverage composition for improving the intestinal flora, or a food or beverage composition that exhibits at least one effect selected from the group consisting of improving bowel movements, improving stool odor, improving stool properties, enhancing short-chain fatty acid production, and ameliorating obesity.

[0033] The food or beverage composition for improving intestinal flora containing cranberry juice or cranberry extract of this embodiment may be a food or beverage composition containing the intestinal flora improving agent of this embodiment. The food or beverage composition containing the intestinal flora improving agent may be a food or beverage composition for improving intestinal flora containing the intestinal flora improving agent. The intestinal flora improving agent may be made to exhibit its function directly, or the intestinal flora improving agent may be contained in a food or beverage composition so that it can exhibit its function. The food or beverage composition can contain any amount of the intestinal flora-improving agent as long as it can exert its function.

[0034] In a food or beverage composition containing cranberry juice or cranberry extract, the cranberry juice or cranberry extract may improve the intestinal flora, thereby exhibiting at least one effect selected from the group consisting of improved bowel movements, improved stool odor, improved stool properties, enhanced production of short-chain fatty acids, and amelioration of obesity. Alternatively, the cranberry juice or cranberry extract may directly exhibit at least one effect selected from the group consisting of improved bowel movements, improved stool odor, improved stool properties, enhanced production of short-chain fatty acids, and amelioration of obesity. The food or beverage composition of this embodiment, which contains cranberry juice or cranberry extract and exhibits at least one effect selected from the group consisting of improved bowel movements, improved stool odor, improved stool properties, enhanced production of short-chain fatty acids, and amelioration of obesity, may be a food or beverage composition that exhibits at least one effect selected from the group consisting of improved bowel movements, improved stool odor, improved stool properties, enhanced production of short-chain fatty acids, and amelioration of obesity due to the intestinal flora-improving effect of the cranberry juice or cranberry extract.

[0035] The present embodiment also provides a method for improving the intestinal flora using cranberry juice or cranberry extract, and a method for using cranberry juice or cranberry extract to bring about at least one effect selected from the group consisting of improved bowel movements, improved stool odor, improved stool properties, enhanced production of short-chain fatty acids, and amelioration of obesity. Methods for improving the intestinal flora can be carried out, for example, to increase beneficial bacteria in the human intestine or to decrease harmful bacteria. The method for producing at least one effect selected from the group consisting of improving bowel movements, improving stool odor, improving stool properties, enhancing production of short-chain fatty acids, and improving obesity can be carried out to relieve symptoms in patients with bowel problems or obese patients.

[0036] Food or beverage compositions can be in a form suitable for the intended use, including, but not limited to, oral preparations such as tablets, capsules, granules, fine granules, powders, liquids, syrups, chewable tablets, and lozenges, ointments, jellies, gels, creams, injections, sublingual preparations, inhalants, and suppositories. Food or beverage compositions can be in a form suitable for consumption, including, but not limited to, solids, liquids, granules, powders, jellies, creams, pastes, or capsules. For example, capsules may be coated with one or more layers as needed. These dosage forms and shapes can be achieved using conventionally known additives, including, but not limited to, excipients, binders, diluents, disintegrants, buffers, thickeners, stabilizers, emulsifiers, dispersants, suspending agents, and / or preservatives known in the food industry, as needed.

[0037] The food or beverage composition is not particularly limited, but examples thereof include foods and beverages, health foods, functional foods, foods for specified health uses, foods with nutrient function claims, health supplements, and dietary supplements. Examples of food and beverage products include beverages, food, seasonings, and food additives. Specific examples of beverages include fruit juice drinks, soft drinks, carbonated drinks, dairy drinks, alcoholic drinks, sports drinks, and energy drinks. Specific examples of food products include bread, noodles, rice, soups, prepared dishes, dairy products, jellies, and sweets.

[0038] If necessary, coloring agents, flavoring agents, sweeteners, bittering agents, acidulants, preservatives, antioxidants, pH adjusters, and / or thickening stabilizers may be added to the food composition.

[0039] The food composition may be provided after heat sterilization, or may be provided in a sealed form in a bag or container. When provided, the food composition may be labeled with the following: "Improves intestinal environment," "Increases beneficial intestinal bacteria," "Reduces harmful intestinal bacteria," "For those concerned about intestinal health," "Increases short-chain fatty acids," "For those having trouble with excretion care," "For those having trouble with urination care," "For those concerned about urine odor," "Improves bowel movements," "For those having constipation," "For those concerned about stool odor," "For those seeking improvement in bowel conditions," "For those concerned about obesity," or "Immunity care."

[0040] Improvement of the intestinal flora may be evaluated by any method known to those skilled in the art. For example, samples may be collected from a subject before and after administration of the intestinal flora-improving agent or food or beverage composition of this embodiment, and the collected samples may be analyzed and compared to evaluate the improvement. The analysis method is not particularly limited and may be any method known to those skilled in the art, such as a method of comprehensively examining the types and distribution of bacteria using a next-generation sequencer, or a method of targeting a specific bacterium and amplifying and quantitatively analyzing the 16S rRNA / 18S rRNA region in the DNA sample. For example, if the analysis results show that bacteria reported to be useful increase and / or bacteria reported to be harmful decrease after administration of the intestinal flora-improving agent or composition, it can be evaluated that the intestinal flora has been improved. Here, the change in the number of bacteria after administration may be evaluated by comparing the number before and after administration, or by comparing the number immediately after administration with the number after a certain period of time after administration. Furthermore, for example, if the number of bacteria reported to be useful is greater than the number of bacteria reported to be harmful after administration of an intestinal flora-improving agent or composition, it can also be evaluated that the intestinal flora has been improved. The increase and decrease of a certain bacterium are preferably significant. The significance may be evaluated by any method known to those skilled in the art, such as the Wilcoxon test or the t-test.

[0041] The effects of improving bowel movements, improving stool odor, improving stool properties, increasing short-chain fatty acid production, and improving obesity may also be evaluated by any method known to those skilled in the art. The effect of improving bowel movements and stool properties can be evaluated, for example, by a sensory test using subjects to whom the intestinal flora-improving agent or composition has been administered. The effect of improving stool odor can be evaluated, for example, by comparing the amounts of indole and skatole, which are components that cause malodor in stool odor, before and after administration of the intestinal flora-improving agent or composition. The effect of enhancing the production of short-chain fatty acids can be evaluated, for example, by comparing the amount of short-chain fatty acids before and after administration of the intestinal flora-improving agent or composition. The obesity-improving effect can be evaluated by comparing the body weight, body fat percentage, etc. of the subject before and after administration of the intestinal flora-improving agent or composition.

[0042] Furthermore, the fact that improvement of the intestinal flora has shown at least one effect selected from the group consisting of improved bowel movements, improved stool odor, improved stool properties, increased production of short-chain fatty acids, and improved obesity can also be evaluated using the pH value of the intestinal environment. An increase in short-chain fatty acid-producing bacteria and the like makes the intestinal environment acidic. An acidic intestinal environment can increase beneficial bacteria and decrease harmful bacteria. Therefore, the pH of the intestinal environment serves as an indicator of an improvement in the intestinal flora. Therefore, by examining the correlation with the pH of the intestinal environment, it is possible to evaluate whether the improvement of the intestinal flora has shown at least one effect selected from the group consisting of improved bowel movements, improved stool odor, improved stool properties, enhanced production of short-chain fatty acids, and improved obesity. For example, if there is a positive correlation between the pH of the intestinal environment and the amount of indole or skatole, which are components that cause malodor in stool odor, it can be evaluated that stool odor has been improved by the intestinal flora-improving agent or composition of this embodiment. This embodiment also provides an intestinal flora-improving agent or a food or beverage composition that shows an effect of improving stool odor when the pH of stool decreases. [Example]

[0043] The present invention will be described in more detail below with reference to specific examples, but the present invention is not limited to the following examples.

[0044] A clinical trial was conducted on 13 residents of a nursing home. The subjects were instructed to consume one cranberry UR jelly (Kikkoman Nutricare Japan Co., Ltd.) per day for four weeks (jelly ingestion period), followed by a four-week follow-up observation period (post-ingestion observation period). Stool samples were collected from the subjects on the first day of the jelly ingestion period (T1), the first day of the post-ingestion observation period (T2), and the final day of the post-ingestion observation period (T3). Evaluations were made of (1) intestinal flora, (2) intestinal metabolic products, (3) intestinal putrefactive products (indole, skatole) and stool pH, and (4) bowel movements (frequency, hardness, etc.).

[0045] (1) Results of intestinal flora We commissioned Metagen Co., Ltd. to examine the intestinal flora in the subjects' stool. The results of the abundance ratio of each bacteria in T1, T2, and T3 are shown in Table 1. The values ​​for "T1 vs T2" and "T2 vs T3" in Table 1 indicate the p-values ​​for the correlation coefficients between the values ​​for T1 and T2, and T2 and T3 (* p<0.05, ** p<0.01).

[0046] [Table 1]

[0047] The results in Table 1 confirmed that, compared to T1, T2 showed an increase in Parabacteroides bacteria (References 1-5), which decrease with age, produce acetic acid, succinic acid, and bile acids, and have been reported to be useful bacteria with immune control, inflammation reduction, and obesity improvement effects; Roseburia bacteria (References 6-11), which decrease with age, produce butyric acid, reduce the onset of atherosclerosis, reduce systemic inflammation, decrease in patients with ulcerative colitis, are beneficial for metabolic syndrome, and are reported to decrease in patients with constipation; Bacteroides bacteria, which produce short-chain fatty acids (References 5, 12-15); and Alistipes bacteria and Ruminiclostridium bacteria, which are commonly found in rats with good bowel movements (Reference 16), which were found in abundance in rats with good bowel movements. Furthermore, T2 showed a decrease in the number of Streptococcus bacteria (Reference 1), which increase in unhealthy individuals with age and some species are reported to be common in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus; Veillonella bacteria (References 17, 18), which increase in unhealthy individuals with age and have been reported to proliferate in pancreatic cancer patients; and Ruminococcus bacteria (Reference 20), which have been reported to increase in patients with constipation.

[0048] (2) Results of intestinal metabolites We commissioned Metagen Co., Ltd. to examine the intestinal metabolites in the feces of the subjects. The results are shown in Table 2. The values ​​for "T1 vs T2" and "T2 vs T3" in Table 2 indicate the p-values ​​for the correlation coefficients between the values ​​for T1 and T2, and T2 and T3.

[0049] [Table 2]

[0050] The results in Table 2 confirm that the short-chain fatty acid 2-methylvaleric acid increased in T2 compared to T1, and that the short-chain fatty acids acetic acid and malonic acid increased in T3 compared to T2. It was also confirmed that lactic acid decreased in T2 compared to T1.

[0051] (3) Results of intestinal putrefactive products (indole, skatole) and fecal pH We commissioned Techno Suruga Lab Co., Ltd. to examine the intestinal putrefaction products and fecal pH in the subjects' stool, and the results are shown in Table 3. The values ​​for "T1 vs T2" and "T2 vs T3" in Table 3 indicate the p-values ​​for the correlation coefficients between the values ​​for T1 and T2, and T2 and T3. As a result, a comparison between T1 and T2 confirmed a significant correlation between the amount of skatole, a putrefaction product, and the pH value of the feces.

[0052] [Table 3]

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Claims

1. An agent for improving intestinal flora, comprising cranberry juice or cranberry extract.

2. The intestinal flora improving agent according to claim 1 , wherein the cranberry juice or cranberry extract contains proanthocyanidins, organic acids, or polysaccharides derived from cranberries.

3. The intestinal flora improving agent according to claim 1 or 2, which exhibits at least one effect selected from the group consisting of improving bowel movements, improving stool odor, improving stool properties, increasing the production of short-chain fatty acids, and ameliorating obesity.

4. The agent for improving the intestinal flora according to claim 3, which exhibits an effect of improving stool odor when the pH of stool is reduced.

5. A food or beverage composition for improving the intestinal flora, comprising cranberry juice or cranberry extract.

6. A food or beverage composition comprising cranberry juice or cranberry extract, which exhibits at least one effect selected from the group consisting of improving bowel movements, improving stool odor, improving stool properties, enhancing production of short-chain fatty acids, and ameliorating obesity.

7. 7. The food or beverage composition according to claim 6, wherein the intestinal flora-improving effect of the cranberry juice or cranberry extract results in at least one effect selected from the group consisting of improved bowel movements, improved stool odor, improved stool properties, enhanced production of short-chain fatty acids, and amelioration of obesity.

8. 8. The food or beverage composition according to claim 6 or 7, which exhibits an effect of improving stool odor when the pH of stool is reduced.

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