Sweet Whey Protein Enteric Nervous System Development
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Solution Overview
Problem
Preterm, low birth weight, and extremely low birth weight infants often experience immature or impaired enteric nervous system development, leading to gastrointestinal dysfunctions such as slow intestinal transit, constipation, and increased risk of necrotizing enterocolitis, due to delayed maturation of the enteric nervous system, which is critical for gastrointestinal motility and barrier function.
Innovation Solution
Administration of sweet whey protein (SWP), which may be modified to remove caseino-glyco-macropeptide (CGMP), as a significant portion of the daily protein intake to promote healthy development and repair of the enteric nervous system, thereby preventing and treating disorders associated with an immature or impaired enteric nervous system.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If sweet whey protein is administered to promote enteric nervous system development, then neuronal development and gastrointestinal function are improved, but the complexity of nutritional intervention increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent modifies the protein composition parameters by removing caseino-glyco-macropeptide (CGMP) from sweet whey protein to create a optimized formulation. This parameter change enhances the protein's ability to promote enteric nervous system development while maintaining simplicity of administration as part of standard infant nutrition
Solution Approach 2:
Sweet whey protein acts as an intermediary substance that mediates the development of the enteric nervous system. The protein provides specific amino acids and growth factors that indirectly support neuronal development and gastrointestinal maturation without requiring direct intervention in the nervous system
2Reliability
If sweet whey protein is used to treat gastrointestinal disorders in infants, then the effectiveness of treatment is improved, but the cost of nutrition increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes the caseino-glyco-macropeptide (CGMP) component from sweet whey protein that may contribute to gastrointestinal discomfort. This extraction creates a purified protein formulation that is more effective for treating infant gastrointestinal disorders while optimizing the cost-benefit ratio by eliminating potentially harmful components
Data Source
Figure 1~2
AI summary
The present invention relates to administration of sweet whey protein (SWP) for promoting the enteric neuronal development in infants, especially preterm, low birth, very low and extremely low birth weight infants as well as in young children up until the age of six. Administration of the SWP according to the invention prevents and treats disorders associated with an immature or impaired enteric nervous system. The disorders are, notably,dysfunctional gastrointestinal motility manifested as slow intestinal transit, intestinal discomfort, hard stools, constipation and/or gastrointestinal reflux, gut barrier dysfunction, food intolerance or necrotizing enterocolitis.