Bifidobacteria for treating diabetes and related conditions

Abstract

This invention relates to new uses of Bifidobacteria (particularly, although not exclusively, probiotic Bifidobacteria), and to food products, feed products, dietary supplements and pharmaceutical formulations containing them. The bacteria are suitable for the treatment of diabetes (particularly Type 2 diabetes), obesity and related conditions, metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance, and impaired glucose metabolism and consequences thereof, lowering tissue inflammation, treating hepatitis, myositis and cardiovascular conditions.

1 . A method of treating one or more of the following diseases and conditions (a) to (k) in a mammal, comprising administering to a mammal in need of such treatment a bacterium of the species  Bifidobacterium animalis  subsp.  lactis  strain 420 (B420) or a mixture thereof:
 (a) treating diabetes;   (b) treating metabolic syndrome;   (c) treating impaired glucose tolerance;   (d) normalising insulin sensitivity;   (e) increasing fed insulin secretion;   (f) decreasing fasted insulin secretion;   (g) treating obesity, controlling weight gain, inducing weight loss, lowering body fat mass and/or lowering mesenteric fat mass;   (h) lowering tissue inflammation;   (i) treating hepatitis;   (j) treating myositis; and   (k) treating cardiovascular disease.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the diabetes is Type 2 diabetes. 
     
     
         3 . The use method of  claim 1 , wherein the tissue is selected from liver tissue, muscle tissue or adipose tissue. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the hepatitis is selected from infectious viral hepatitis, hepatitis caused by other viral diseases, hepatitis caused by severe bacterial infections or amoebic infections, hepatitis caused by medicines, hepatitis caused by toxins such as alcohol, autoimmune hepatitis, and hepatitis caused by congenital metabolic disorders. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the infectious viral hepatitis is selected from hepatitis A, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, hepatitis D or hepatitis E. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the myositis is selected from polymyositis, dermatomyositis, inclusion body myositis, or juvenile myositis. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the cardiovascular disease is selected from aneurysm, angina, atherosclerosis, cerebrovascular accident (stroke), cerebrovascular disease, congestive heart failure (CHF), coronary artery disease, myocardial infarction (heart attack) and peripheral vascular disease. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the mammal in need of the treatment ingests a high-fat diet. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the  Bifidobacterium  is a probiotic  Bifidobacterium  or a mixture thereof. 
     
     
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         58 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the  Bifidobacterium  is used in combination with an additional bacterium of the genus  Lactobacillus.    
     
     
         59 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the additional bacterium is of the species  Lactobacillus acidophilus.    
     
     
         60 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the additional bacterium is  Lactobacillus acidophilus  strain NCFM (ATCC PTA-4797). 
     
     
         61 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the  Bifidobacterium  is used in combination with a prebiotic. 
     
     
         62 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the prebiotic is polydextrose. 
     
     
         63 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the  Bifidobacterium  is used in combination with an antidiabetic drug. 
     
     
         64 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the antidiabetic drug is selected from a biguanide, a sulfonylurea, an alpha-glucosidase inhibitor, a thiazolidinedione, a meglitinide, a dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitor, a glucagon-like peptide-1 analog, an amylin analogs, a fast acting insulin analog, a long acting insulin analog, a dual PPAR agonist or a nSGLT2 inhibitor. 
     
     
         65 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the antidiabetic drug is a biguanide. 
     
     
         66 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the antidiabetic drug is metformin.