JP7709260B2 - Fatigue reducing agent and food and drink composition for reducing fatigue - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a fatigue-reducing agent that contains acetic acid derived from vinegar as an active ingredient, and in particular to a fatigue-reducing agent that can reduce physical fatigue before going to bed. The present invention also relates to a food and drink composition for reducing fatigue that contains the fatigue-reducing agent, particularly a food and drink composition for reducing fatigue that takes the form of a beverage.

In modern Japanese society, the number of people who are aware of fatigue and lethargy is increasing. In particular, in recent years, as IT and 24-hour society have progressed, there are more opportunities for stress, and the number of people who suffer from symptoms in which fatigue does not easily recover even after resting or sleeping is increasing, which has become a problem.
It is believed that fatigue can be not only physical fatigue, but also mental fatigue, and even a combination of physical and mental fatigue. In particular, the increasing fatigue felt by modern people is thought to be partly due to poor sleep quality and increased stress. However, it is difficult to improve the quality of sleep in modern society, and while exercising can be considered a way to relieve stress, it actually creates new problems such as further accumulation of physical fatigue.

There are many medicines, quasi-drugs, and supplements on the market that claim to reduce fatigue, but for modern people, it is important to find more natural ways to relieve fatigue.

Vinegar is said to have anti-fatigue effects (see, for example, Patent Document 1), but there have been few reports of testing it on humans, and there is not enough knowledge about what kind of fatigue it relieves.

JP 2007-204445 A

The present invention aims to discover a substance that has a fatigue-reducing effect, and to provide a fatigue-reducing agent that contains the substance as an active ingredient, and a food and beverage composition for reducing fatigue that contains the fatigue-reducing agent.

As a result of research conducted by the present inventors to solve the above problems, they discovered that acetic acid derived from vinegar has the effect of reducing fatigue, particularly the physical fatigue before going to bed, and thus completed the present invention.
Specifically, the present invention is as follows.

[1] A fatigue reducing agent, comprising acetic acid derived from vinegar as an active ingredient, wherein the fatigue includes physical fatigue before going to bed.
[2] The fatigue reducing agent according to [1], wherein the fatigue includes mental fatigue after waking up.
[3] The fatigue reducing agent according to [1] or [2], wherein the vinegar is black vinegar.
[4] The fatigue reducing agent according to any one of [1] to [3], which is administered at least once a day in an amount of 620 mg or more per day calculated as acetic acid.
[5] The fatigue reducing agent according to [4], which is administered continuously for one week or more.
[6] The fatigue reducing agent according to any one of [1] to [5], wherein the fatigue is evaluated by a visual analogue scale (VAS) test.
[7] A food or drink composition for reducing fatigue, comprising the fatigue reducer according to any one of [1] to [6], wherein the fatigue includes physical fatigue before going to bed.
[8] The food and drink composition for reducing fatigue according to [7], which is in the form of a beverage.
[9] The food or drink composition for reducing fatigue according to [7] or [8], having an acetic acid content of 500 to 3,500 mg.
[10] A method (excluding medical procedures) for exerting a fatigue reducing effect, comprising administering a fatigue reducing agent according to any one of [1] to [6] or a food or beverage composition according to any one of [7] to [9], wherein the fatigue includes physical fatigue before going to bed.

The fatigue-reducing agent and food and beverage composition for reducing fatigue according to the present invention uses acetic acid derived from vinegar as an active ingredient, making it possible to easily ingest the agent and food and beverage composition for reducing fatigue, and in particular reducing physical fatigue before going to bed.

FIG. 1 is a graph showing the results of VAS test evaluation of physical fatigue in the example beverage group and the placebo beverage group. FIG. 2 is a graph showing the results of the VAS test evaluation of mental fatigue in the example beverage group and the placebo beverage group.

[Fatigue Relief Agent]
The fatigue reducing agent according to this embodiment contains acetic acid derived from vinegar as an active ingredient. The fatigue reduced by this embodiment includes physical fatigue before going to bed.

In this embodiment, "fatigue" refers to a state of decreased physical activity and thinking ability accompanied by a unique discomfort caused mainly by physical and mental activity and a desire for rest. "Feeling of fatigue" refers to a sense of awareness of the presence of fatigue, and in many cases, discomfort and a decreased will to be active are observed.
"Physical fatigue" refers to the sense of being aware of a reduced ability to perform physical activities, among the above fatigues. Such a sense can be evaluated not only as "physical fatigue" but also as a decrease in the will to perform physical activities, such as general malaise, lethargy, or weakness.
"Physical fatigue before going to bed" refers to physical fatigue felt within 30 minutes before going to bed.

The fatigue reducing agent according to the present embodiment can be particularly suitably applied to the physical fatigue felt before going to bed on the day of exercise stress. Here, the exercise stress refers to physical activity that gives the above-mentioned physical fatigue. The exercise stress to which the present embodiment is applied is preferably an exercise stress that maintains a heart rate at which the exercise intensity is 50% or more (preferably 50 to 70%) for 10 minutes or more (preferably about 30 to 60 minutes) based on the calculation formula of the Karvonen method. In addition, the exercise stress is preferably performed within 7 to 14 hours before going to bed.
Here, it is believed that the physical fatigue after exercise usually recovers over time, and various fatigue substances such as creatine kinase and lactic acid are reduced by metabolism over time, and the heart rate, blood flow, etc. also approach a steady state. However, according to the findings of the present inventors, the fatigue that was thought to have been recovered from once returns before going to bed. In response to such a phenomenon, the fatigue reducing agent of the present embodiment reduces the physical fatigue after exercise and before going to bed, making it particularly suitable as an application subject.

It is preferable that the feeling of fatigue that is reduced by this embodiment further includes a feeling of mental fatigue after waking up.
In this embodiment, "mental fatigue" refers to a sense of being aware of a state of decline in mental activity, particularly among the above fatigue. Such a sense can be evaluated as "mental fatigue," as well as a decline in concentration and thinking ability, emotional instability, and the like. Furthermore, when mental fatigue is combined with physical fatigue, it can also be evaluated as a decline in the will to be physically active, such as a general feeling of malaise, lethargy, or weakness.
"Mental fatigue after waking up" refers to mental fatigue felt within 30 minutes after waking up.

It is more preferable that the mental fatigue after waking up that is reduced by one aspect of this embodiment includes the mental fatigue after waking up the next morning following the exercise stress.
When physical fatigue accumulates due to exercise load, etc., the ability to move decreases and the will to be active decreases, making it difficult to move even if one wants to, which accumulates mental stress and can lead to a state in which physical fatigue and mental fatigue are combined. If it is only mental fatigue, it is possible to exercise to relieve the stress that causes it, but if physical fatigue and mental fatigue are combined, a new problem may arise in which exercise actually accumulates even more fatigue.
According to a preferred aspect of this embodiment, it is also possible to suitably reduce the sense of mental fatigue felt upon waking up the next morning following an exercise load.

Here, mental fatigue is thought to be caused not only by external mental stress, but also by a decline in the quality of sleep. The mechanism by which mental fatigue after waking up is reduced in this embodiment is not entirely clear, but the fatigue-reducing agent of this embodiment can reduce physical fatigue before going to bed, which may improve sleep quality and reduce mental fatigue after waking up. However, the effect of reducing mental fatigue after waking up in a preferred embodiment of this embodiment is not limited to this mechanism of action.

Although the fatigue sensation is a subjective feeling of an individual, it is preferable to evaluate it as objectively as possible, and for example, it can be evaluated in accordance with the Anti-Fatigue Clinical Evaluation Guidelines (Japan Society of Fatigue Science). In addition, the fatigue sensation is preferably evaluated by quantifying the sensation of the recipient, and is preferably evaluated by a VAS (Visual Analogue Scale) test. More specifically, when evaluating physical fatigue sensation based on a VAS, on a scale of 0 to 10.0 cm (usually on a line with a length of 10.0 cm), a state in which there is no physical fatigue at all is set to "0" cm, and the maximum physical fatigue that can be experienced is set to "10.0" cm, and the physical fatigue felt by the recipient at a specific time point (immediately after exercise, a certain time after exercise, before going to bed, and after waking up) is evaluated within the range of 0 (not at all) to 10.0 (maximum physical fatigue that can be experienced). Such a VAS makes it possible to evaluate symptoms such as fatigue and the degree of recovery from them as parameters.

When evaluating the effect of this embodiment, it is possible to evaluate whether the difference in the scores (usually the average values) between the two groups is a significant difference by calculating the significance probability (p). The significance probability p may be calculated by a method known in statistics, such as a t-test. Generally, a significant difference is considered to be p<0.05 (5%), but evaluation can also be performed using p≦0.1 as a criterion for a value suggesting a significant difference.

The active ingredient of the fatigue reducing agent according to this embodiment is acetic acid derived from vinegar.
The above-mentioned vinegar is defined by the vinegar quality labeling standard, and includes brewed vinegar and synthetic vinegar, and brewed vinegar further includes grain vinegar such as rice vinegar, rice black vinegar, barley black vinegar, etc.; fruit vinegar such as apple vinegar, grape vinegar, etc. Among these, black vinegar (rice black vinegar and barley black vinegar) is preferable.
In this embodiment, vinegar may be used as an active ingredient as long as it contains an effective amount of acetic acid, or acetic acid that has been roughly purified from vinegar may be used.

The fatigue reducing agent of the present embodiment may consist of only acetic acid derived from vinegar, or may be a formulation of acetic acid derived from vinegar. When preparing a formulation, it can be formulated into any dosage form such as liquid, capsule, powder, granule, tablet, etc., according to a conventional method using a pharma- ceutically acceptable carrier such as water, dextrin, cyclodextrin, or other optional auxiliary agent. In this case, for example, excipients, binders, disintegrants, lubricants, stabilizers, flavorings, odorants, etc. can be used as auxiliary agents. The fatigue reducing agent can also be used by blending it with other compositions (for example, food and beverage compositions described later). The fatigue reducing agent of the present embodiment can be used by blending other components having a fatigue reducing effect with acetic acid derived from vinegar as necessary as active ingredients.

When the fatigue reducing agent of this embodiment is formulated, the content of acetic acid derived from vinegar is not particularly limited and can be set appropriately depending on the purpose, administration method, dosage, etc.

The method of administration of the fatigue reducing agent according to this embodiment is preferably oral administration.
The number of times of administration of the fatigue reducing agent can be appropriately set according to the symptoms of fatigue, but for example, the number of times of administration is preferably once or more per day. The dosage is preferably 500 mg or more per day, and more preferably 620 mg or more, calculated as acetic acid. The upper limit of the dosage is not particularly limited, but can be 3500 mg or less per day, calculated as acetic acid.

The fatigue-reducing agent is preferably administered for two or more consecutive days, and particularly preferably for one or more consecutive days. The timing of administration may be after or during physical activity or exercise stress that causes physical fatigue, or may be before activity from the viewpoint of preventing symptoms such as fatigue. For example, the fatigue-reducing agent may be administered to the recipient in advance before exercise stress that causes physical fatigue.

The fatigue reducing agent according to the present embodiment described above can reduce physical fatigue before going to sleep, and preferably also mental fatigue after waking up. Furthermore, administering such a fatigue reducing agent can be used as a method (excluding medical procedures) for exerting an effect of reducing fatigue (particularly physical fatigue before going to sleep) (corresponding to one aspect of the method for exerting an effect of reducing fatigue according to the present invention).

[Food and drink composition for reducing fatigue]
The food and drink composition for reducing fatigue according to this embodiment contains the fatigue reducing agent according to the above embodiment. The fatigue reduced by this embodiment includes physical fatigue before going to bed.
The method, frequency, amount, and period of ingestion of the food and drink composition are not particularly limited, but are preferably the same as those of the fatigue reducing agent described above.

Here, food and drink refers to those that are unlikely to be harmful to human health and are taken orally or by administration through the digestive tract in normal social life. Therefore, in this embodiment, "food and drink" broadly includes general foods taken orally, health foods (functional food and drink), health functional foods (foods for specified health uses, foods with functional claims, foods with nutrient functions), etc. Food and drink according to this embodiment is preferably a food and drink that can display the fatigue-reducing effect of acetic acid derived from vinegar on the food and drink or its packaging, and is particularly preferably a health functional food (foods for specified health uses, foods with functional claims, foods with nutrient functions).

The form of the food and drink composition is not particularly limited, but it is preferably in the form of a drink or capsule because of the ease of intake, and is particularly preferably in the form of a drink.Among the drinks, vinegar drinks, nutritional drinks, sports drinks, fruit drinks, vegetable drinks, mixed vegetable and fruit juice drinks, functional drinks, carbonated drinks, milk drinks, coffee drinks, tea drinks, etc. can be exemplified, and in particular, as drinks that have various physiological effects and contribute to health, vinegar drinks, nutritional drinks, sports drinks, etc. are preferred because they have good taste and are expected to reduce fatigue.
When provided in the form of a beverage, it can be provided as a so-called RTD (Ready to Drink) beverage that can be consumed as is, or it can be provided as a so-called concentrated type beverage that can be diluted with water or the like and consumed.

When the food and drink composition according to this embodiment is in the form of an RTD beverage, for example, adding the amount per serving to a container containing 150 to 600 mL or 150 to 600 g allows efficient ingestion in a short period of time. Examples of such containers include containers containing 500 mL or 500 g, 350 mL or 350 g, and 200 mL or 200 g.
Furthermore, the acetic acid content in the food and beverage composition according to this embodiment is preferably 500 to 3,500 mg, and particularly preferably 620 to 1,000 mg, per bottle or individual package, taking into consideration the amount to be taken per serving.

In addition to the fatigue reducing agent, general food ingredients used in the manufacture of foods and beverages can be appropriately added to the food and beverage composition according to this embodiment, such as various carbohydrates, sweeteners, acidulants, salt, emulsifiers, thickeners, flavorings, amino acids, fruit juices, etc.
Examples of carbohydrates include sugars such as sucrose, isomerized sugar, glucose, fructose, palatinose, trehalose, lactose, and xylose; sugar alcohols such as sorbitol, xylitol, erythritol, lactitol, palatinite, reduced starch syrup, and reduced maltose syrup; and molasses such as brown sugar syrup may also be used.
Sweeteners include high-intensity sweeteners such as sucralose, aspartame, stevia, and acesulfame potassium.
In addition, acidulants such as citric acid, lactic acid, malic acid, etc.; emulsifiers such as sucrose fatty acid esters, glycerin fatty acid esters, lecithin, etc.; thickeners (stabilizers) such as carrageenan, xanthan gum, guar gum, pectin, locust bean gum, etc.; and fruit juices such as lemon juice, orange juice, berry juice, etc. may be added.
In addition to these, it is possible to add vitamins such as vitamin A, B vitamins, vitamin C, vitamin D, and vitamin E; minerals such as calcium, iron, manganese, and zinc; and the like.

The food and drink composition according to the present embodiment can be produced according to a conventional method. For example, in the form of a beverage, vinegar as is or acetic acid roughly refined from vinegar is added, and other food ingredients are appropriately added to prepare a beverage concentrate, which is then sterilized and filled into a container.
Sterilization methods include airflow sterilization, high-pressure sterilization, heat sterilization, etc. When heat sterilization is performed, the sterilization temperature can be, for example, 110 to 130°C, or further 115 to 125°C.
Examples of containers include paper containers, PET bottles, cans (aluminum, steel), bottles (glass), and retort pouches.

According to the food and beverage composition for reducing fatigue according to the present embodiment described above, the food and beverage composition can be easily ingested, thereby reducing physical fatigue before going to sleep, and preferably also reducing mental fatigue after waking up. Furthermore, ingesting such a food and beverage composition can be used as a method (excluding medical procedures) for exerting an effect of reducing fatigue (particularly physical fatigue before going to sleep) (corresponding to one aspect of the method for exerting an effect of reducing fatigue according to the present invention).

The present invention will be explained in more detail below by showing manufacturing examples, test examples, etc., but the present invention is not limited to the following manufacturing examples, test examples, etc.

[Production Example] Production of Example Beverage and Placebo Beverage A beverage concentrate having the composition shown in Table 1 was prepared, heat sterilized, and filled into 200 mL paper cartons to produce two types of black vinegar beverages (Example beverage and placebo beverage).
In the example beverage, black vinegar (manufactured by Yokoi Brewery Co., Ltd., product name "Brown Rice Black Vinegar No. 2") was used, while in the placebo beverage, an equal amount of the black vinegar from which the acetic acid had been removed (8-fold concentrated black vinegar with reduced acetic acid) was blended, and the flavor and other properties were adjusted to be equivalent to those of the example beverage.

[Test Example] Verification of the effect of black vinegar beverage intake on reducing fatigue The example beverage and placebo beverage obtained in the above production example were used to verify the effect of reducing fatigue as follows. An ergometer (AERO BIKE (registered trademark) ai, Combi Corporation) was used for exercise load, and a self-assessment scale, VAS (Visual Analog Scale), was used to evaluate the effect of reducing physical and mental fatigue.

Nineteen randomly selected healthy adult men and women (39.84±3.93 years old) were used as subjects. Subjects were required to have not habitually exercised in the past year, and exercising once a week or less was defined as "not habitually exercising."
All subjects were randomly divided into two groups, Group A and Group B, and a total of two tests were conducted, one in which subjects consumed the example beverage and one in which subjects consumed a placebo beverage (crossover test). Subjects consumed one 200 mL bottle of the example beverage (acetic acid content: 659.4 mg/bottle) or one placebo beverage (acetic acid content: 59.0 mg/bottle) per day at their own discretion.

The test to confirm the effect of reducing fatigue was carried out according to the following schedule (see Table 2).
(1) Group A was administered the example beverage, and Group B was administered a placebo beverage for one week (200 mL/bottle, one bottle per day, at the discretion of the subject, at any time between waking up and going to bed).
(2) Exercise stress test after the intake period (2-1) Exercise stress at 60% intensity for 50 minutes (2-2) Fatigue sensation survey (VAS) immediately after exercise
(2-3) Fatigue sensation survey after 60 minutes of exercise (VAS)
(2-4) Fatigue sensation survey (VAS) 7 to 14 hours after exercise and within 30 minutes before going to bed
(2-5) Survey on fatigue within 30 minutes after waking up (VAS)
(3) A one-week period (washout period) was provided during which the subject was not allowed to take the example beverage or the placebo beverage.
(4) Group A and Group B were switched (Group A: placebo beverage, Group B: example beverage), and tests (1) and (2) were conducted (crossover test).

Exercise load was performed using an ergometer, and the exercise intensity of the Aerobike (registered trademark) was set to 60%. This condition assumes exercise near the AT (Anaerobic Threshold), which is the boundary between aerobic exercise and anaerobic exercise. Therefore, this condition is designed to evaluate not only mild exercise but also everyday life labor. The test was performed under constant heart rate conditions, with the target heart rate set to achieve 60% exercise intensity using the Karvonen method. More specifically, the target heart rate was set to achieve 60% exercise intensity using the formula: target heart rate = {(220 - age) - resting heart rate} x exercise intensity (0.6) + resting heart rate.

In this test example, the VAS test was conducted by having the subject write their own state on a line between 0.0cm and 10.0cm in response to the questions "Are you physically tired?" and "Are you mentally tired?" at specific points (immediately after exercise, 60 minutes after exercise, before going to bed, and after waking up), with 0.0cm representing a state of complete absence and 10.0cm representing the maximum physical (or mental) fatigue that can be experienced. To evaluate the VAS test, the position on the line written by the subject was measured with a ruler, and the value measured to the first decimal point was used.

The numerical values of the VAS evaluation results at the above specific time points for each of the cases where the example beverage was consumed and the placebo beverage was consumed were tabulated for all subjects, and the average value was calculated. In addition, whether the difference between these average values was significant or not was evaluated by calculating the significance probability (p). The significance probability p was calculated by performing a t-test using SPSS14.0. The evaluation was performed with the following criteria: p≦0.05 was considered to be a significant difference, and p≦0.1 was considered to be a significant tendency.
The results are shown in Figures 1 and 2.

(Results/Discussion)
Regarding physical fatigue, the average VAS score of the placebo group was 4.0, while that of the example group was 3.0. Since the significance probability of both groups was p=0.027, it was recognized that the physical fatigue before going to bed was significantly reduced in the example group. Here, in the placebo group, the value before going to bed (average VAS score: 4.0) was higher than that 60 minutes after exercise load (average VAS score: 3.2), and the phenomenon of physical fatigue returning before going to bed was observed, but no recurrence was observed in the example group.

In addition, regarding mental fatigue, the significance probability for the mental fatigue after waking up in both the placebo beverage group (mean VAS result: 1.4) and the example beverage group (0.9) was p=0.093, indicating a tendency for mental fatigue after waking up to be reduced in the example beverage group.

The present invention makes it possible to easily ingest the product while reducing fatigue, particularly physical fatigue before going to bed.

Claims (8)

A fatigue reducing agent, comprising acetic acid derived from vinegar as an active ingredient, the fatigue including physical fatigue 7 to 14 hours after exercise load and before going to bed;
The sense of physical fatigue 7 to 14 hours after the exercise load and before going to bed is greater than the sense of physical fatigue 60 minutes after the exercise load,
The fatigue reducing agent is administered at least once a day for at least one week continuously, and at an amount of at least 500 mg per day calculated as acetic acid.
Fatigue reducer. The fatigue reducing agent according to claim 1 , wherein the fatigue includes mental fatigue after waking up on the day following the exercise load . The fatigue reducing agent according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the vinegar is black vinegar. The fatigue reducing agent according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the agent is administered in an amount of 620 mg or more per day in terms of acetic acid. The fatigue reducing agent according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , wherein the fatigue is evaluated by a visual analogue scale (VAS) test. A food and drink composition for reducing fatigue, comprising the fatigue-reducing agent according to any one of claims 1 to 5 , wherein the fatigue includes physical fatigue 7 to 14 hours after exercise and before going to bed,
The sense of physical fatigue 7 to 14 hours after the exercise load and before going to bed is greater than the sense of physical fatigue 60 minutes after the exercise load,
The food and drink composition for reducing fatigue is ingested at least once a day for at least one week in a row, and is ingested at 500 mg or more per day in terms of acetic acid.
A food and drink composition for reducing fatigue. The food or beverage composition for reducing fatigue according to claim 6 , which is in the form of a beverage. 8. The food and drink composition for reducing fatigue according to claim 6 or 7 , which contains 500 to 3,500 mg of acetic acid per serving.