Title:  Liver fat accumulation inhibitory composition, food additive for liver fat accumulation, inhibition, and method of inhibiting liver fat accumulation

United States Patent:  6,468,556

Issued:  October 22, 2002

Inventors:  Noda; Tsuneyuki (Kurume, JP); Toba; Masamichi (Tosu, JP); Imada; Takuma (Saga, JP); Masaki; Kyosuke (Sendai, JP); Shimizu; Seiichi (Otsu, JP)

Assignee:  Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (Tokyo, JP)

Appl. No.:  486830

Filed:  March 3, 2000

PCT Filed:  August 31, 1998

PCT NO:  PCT/JP98/03911

371 Date:  March 3, 2000

102(e) Date:  March 3, 2000

PCT PUB.NO :  WO99/12538

PCT PUB. Date:  March 18, 1999

A method of inhibiting liver fat accumulation which comprises administering a conjugated linoleic acid homolog to a mammal or making the mammal ingest it; and a liver fat accumulation inhibitory composition characterized by containing an effective amount of a conjugated linoleic acid homolog together with a support for medicinal preparations or foods. The administration or ingestion of CLA inhibits the total lipid content and the triglyceride content in the liver from increasing, and hence can effectively prevent diseases attributable to fatty liver, such as chronic hepatitis and hepatic cirrhosis.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

To attain the above object, the present inventors have intensively studied and found that accumulation of liver fat is successfully inhibited by feeding or administering a conjugated linoleic acid. The present invention has been completed based on this novel knowledge.

That is, the present invention includes:

(1) a liver fat accumulation inhibitory composition characterized by containing an effective amount of a conjugated linoleic together with a support for medicinal preparations or foods.

(2) The liver fat accumulation inhibitory composition according to the item (1), wherein the conjugated linoleic acid is at least one selected from cis-9,trans-11-octadecadienoic acid, trans-10,cis-12-octadecadienoic acid, an isomer thereof, and an avirulent salt and ester thereof;

(3) The liver fat accumulation inhibitory composition according to the item (1) or (2), which is in the form of a food;

(4) The liver fat accumulation inhibitory composition according to the item (1) or (2), which is in the form of a pharmaceutical;

(5) A food additive for liver fat accumulation inhibition characterized by containing a conjugated linoleic acid as an active ingredient.

(6) A method of inhibiting liver fat accumulation, which comprises administering or feeding an effective amount of a conjugated linoleic acid to mammals; and

(7) Use of a conjugated linoleic acid for preparation of a pharmaceutical composition or food additive for inhibiting liver fat accumulation.

According to the present invention, there can be provided a liver fat accumulation inhibitory composition, containing an effective amount of a conjugated linoleic acid (hereinafter referred to as "CLA") together with a support for medicinal preparations or foods; a food additive for liver fat accumulation inhibition, containing CLA as an active ingredient; and a method of inhibiting liver fat accumulation, using CLA.

More particularly, according to the present invention, there can be provided the above composition and additive, wherein CLA is at least one selected from cis-9,trans-11-octadecadienoic acid, trans-10,cis-12-octadecadienoic acid, an isomer thereof, and an avirulent salt and ester thereof; the above composition and additive, which are in the form of a food; the above composition and additive, which are in the form of a pharmaceutical; and a method of inhibiting liver fat accumulation, which comprises administering or feeding an effective amount of CLA to animals for subject.

Preferred composition of the present invention includes, for example, those containing CLA in the amount within a range from 0.2 to 90% (% by weight, the same rule applies correspondingly to the following) on a dry weight basis.

With the above constitution, accumulation of liver fat can be remarkably inhibited by feeding or administering the composition of the present invention. The reason is not clear at present, but is considered as follows. That is, since the amount of glutathione stored in the liver, which may be related to elimination of a free radical in the living body, shows significantly a high value, the capability of synthesizing glutathione is improved or consumption of glutathione is inhibited by feeding or administering CLA, thereby inhibiting liver fat accumulation. Any way, the present invention provides a novel composition or additive for inhibiting liver fat accumulation, or a novel method of inhibiting liver fat accumulation, which is very effective in the fields of pharmaceuticals and foods.

Claim 1 of 4 Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A method of inhibiting liver fat accumulation in mammals which comprises administering to a mammal a composition containing from about 0.5 to 20 mg/kg of body weight of the mammal of a conjugated linoleic acid to inhibit liver fat accumulation in the mammal.

 

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