Functional food for ameliorating engogenous melatonin secretion rhythm and functional food for ameliorating circadian rhythm

Abstract

The invention provides agents for phase-adjusting or enhancing the amplitude of an endogenous melatonin secretion rhythm and for improving a circadian rhythm, which may be taken daily and continuously, have excellent safety, and may effectively prevent or ameliorate disorders of an endogenous melatonin secretion rhythm or of a circadian rhythm without administration of exogenous melatonin, as well as functional food containing such an agent, which may prevent or ameliorate various symptoms, such as sleep disorder or prolonged sleep latency. The agent for phase-adjusting or enhancing the amplitude of an endogenous melatonin secretion rhythm according to the invention contains whey as the active component. The functional food for improving an endogenous melatonin secretion rhythm according to the invention contains the agent for phase-adjusting or enhancing the amplitude of an endogenous melatonin secretion rhythm. The functional food for improving a circadian rhythm contains the agent for improving a circadian rhythm.

1 . An agent for phase-adjusting or enhancing an amplitude of an endogenous melatonin secretion rhythm comprising whey as an active component.  
   
   
       2 . The agent for phase-adjusting or enhancing an amplitude of an endogenous melatonin secretion rhythm according to  claim 1 , wherein said whey is at least one of acid whey and cheese whey  
   
   
       3 . The agent for phase-adjusting or enhancing an amplitude of an endogenous melatonin secretion rhythm according to  claim 2 , wherein said acid whey comprises fermented milk whey obtained by fermentation of milk with bacteria including lactic acid bacteria.  
   
   
       4 . The agent for phase-adjusting or enhancing amplitude of an endogenous melatonin secretion rhythm according to  claim 3 , wherein said lactic acid bacteria are of the genus  Lactobacillus  sp.  
   
   
       5 . The agent for phase-adjusting or enhancing an amplitude of an endogenous melatonin secretion rhythm according to  claim 4 , wherein said lactic acid bacteria of the genus  Lactobacillus  are of the species  Lactobacillus helveticus.    
   
   
       6 . The agent for phase-adjusting or enhancing an amplitude of an endogenous melatonin secretion rhythm according to  claim 5 , wherein said  Lactobacillus helveticus  is of a strain  Lactobacillus helveticus  CM4 (deposited at National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, International Patent Organism Depositary under Accession Number FERM BP-6060).  
   
   
       7 . The agent for phase-adjusting or enhancing an amplitude of an endogenous melatonin secretion rhythm according to  claim 2 , wherein said acid whey is casein whey containing an aqueous fraction obtained by adding acid to milk.  
   
   
       8 . An agent for improving a circadian rhythm comprising whey as an active component.  
   
   
       9 . The agent for improving a circadian rhythm according to  claim 8 , wherein said whey is at least one of acid whey and cheese whey.  
   
   
       10 . The agent for improving a circadian rhythm according to  claim 9 , wherein said acid whey comprises fermented milk whey obtained by fermentation of milk with bacteria including lactic acid bacteria.  
   
   
       11 . The agent for improving a circadian rhythm according to  claim 10 , wherein said lactic acid bacteria are of the genus  Lactobacillus  sp.  
   
   
       12 . The agent for improving a circadian rhythm according to  claim 11 , wherein said lactic acid bacteria of the genus  Lactobacillus  are of the species  Lactobacillus helveticus.    
   
   
       13 . The agent for improving a circadian rhythm according to  claim 12 , wherein said  Lactobacillus helveticus  is of a strain  Lactobacillus helveticus  CM4 (deposited at National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, International Patent Organism Depositary under Accession Number FERM BP-6060).  
   
   
       14 . The agent for improving a circadian rhythm according to  claim 9 , wherein said acid whey is casein whey containing an aqueous fraction obtained by adding acid to milk.  
   
   
       15 . Functional food for improving an endogenous melatonin secretion rhythm comprising an agent for phase-adjusting or enhancing an amplitude of an endogenous melatonin secretion rhythm according to any one of  claims 1  to  7 .  
   
   
       16 . The functional food according to  claim 15 , wherein said improvement of an endogenous melatonin secretion rhythm comprises prevention or amelioration of sleep disorder or prolonged sleep latency.  
   
   
       17 . Functional food for improving a circadian rhythm comprising an agent for improving a circadian rhythm according to any one of  claims 8  to  14 .  
   
   
       18 . The functional food according to  claim 17 , wherein said improvement of a circadian rhythm comprises prevention or amelioration of sleep disorder or prolonged sleep latency.