IE920198A1

IE920198A1 - NADH and NADPH as energy substitutes

Info

Publication number: IE920198A1
Application number: IE019892A
Authority: IE
Inventors: Joerg Birkmayer; Walter Birkmayer
Original assignee: Joerg Birkmayer
Priority date: 1991-01-24
Filing date: 1992-01-23
Publication date: 1992-07-29
Also published as: CA2059510C; JP2533709B2; EP0496479B1; FI920323A0; NO304672B1; ATE112664T1; DE59200603D1; BR9200207A; AU663479B2; CA2059510A1; ES2061313T3; JPH05262652A; NO920315L; ZA92275B; HU9200213D0; AU1039292A; EP0496479A1; FI920323A; IE69861B1; DE4102240C1

Abstract

Use is described of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide in its reduced form (NADH) and/or nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate in its reduced form (NADPH) and/or a physiologically tolerated salt of the same for energy substitution in humans or animals, as is a foodstuff or confectionary product for human consumption or a feedstuff for animal consumption having a content of the substances mentioned.

Description

Use of NADH and NADPH as energy substitutes.

The present application relates to a novel use of nicotinamide-adeninedinucleotide in its reduced form (NADH) and/or nicotinamide-adeninedinucleotide phosphate in its reduced form (NADPH) and/or a physiologically compatible salt thereof, as well as a food or beverage for human consumption or a feed for animal consumption with a content of said substances.

For some years now, particularly in the sporting sector, the most varied energy-increasing products have been in favour, either in the form of the largely forbidden anabolics for increasing muscle formation, or the relatively harmless, but largely ineffective products such as sports drinks, chocolate bars, etc.

The problem of the present invention is to make available products, which act as highly effective and completely harmless energy substitutes in the human or animal body.

According to the invention this problem is solved by the use of nicotinamide-adenine-dinucleotide in its reduced form (NADH) and/or nicotinamide-adenine-dinucleotide phosphate in its reduced form (NADPH) and/or a physiologically acceptable salt thereof for energy substitution in the human or animal body. According to a preferred embodiment of the invention said substances are added to a food or drink or to a feed.

Alternatively the substances can also be used as the single active ingredient or active ingredient component in a medicament for improving efficiency and/or for retarding deterioration and/or aging processes. A particularly preferred use of said substances is as or in a geriatric product.

With particular preference NADH and/or NADPH and/or the physiologically acceptable salt thereof is administered in a quantity which supplies - 2 the human or animal body with a single dose of 0.01 to 1.0 mg/kg of body weight.

The invention also relates to a food or beverage for human consumption having a content of nicotinamide-adenine-dinucleotide in its reduced form (NADH) and/or nicotinamide-adenine-dinucleotide phosphate in its reduced form (NADPH) and/or a physiologically compatible salt thereof, said substances preferably being contained in a quantity enabling the human body to be supplied with 0.01 to 1.0 mg/kg of body weight of said substances per daily consumption unit.

Finally, the invention relates to a feed for animal consumption having a content of nicotinamide-adenine-dinucleotide in its reduced form (NADH) and/or nicotinamide-adenine-dinucleotide phosphate in its reduced form (NADPH) and/or a physiologically compatible salt thereof, said substances preferably being contained in a quantity such that the animal body is supplied with 0.01 to 1.0 mg/kg of body weight per daily consumption unit.

The daily consumption unit is understood to be that quantity of a food or beverage or feed, which is normally consumed every day by a specific human or animal. As NADH and NADPH are endogenic substances an increase in this quantity in individual cases is not critical, because any overdoses will not have harmful effects on the organism.

The invention is based on the finding that NADH and NADPH, apart from other energy-rich molecules such as adenine triphosphate (ATP), store in the body the energy released by energy-supplying nutrients such as carbohydrates, fats and proteins and make same available to biosynthetic processes.

The most important function of NADH is its driving force for cell respiration. When using oxygen NADH forms water and three ATP molecules in accordance with the following formula; - 3 NADH + H+ +1/2 02 + 3 P + 3 ADP-> NAD+ + 3 ATP + 4H20 Thus, with one NADH molecule three ATP molecules are obtained, which have an energy of in all approximately 21 kilocalories. This process is called oxidative phosphorylation. The quantitative significance of this process for the human body can be demonstrated by a simple mathematical example. A person weighing 70kg requires roughly 2800 kilocalories daily when at rest. This energy quantity can be obtained by the hydrolysis of approximately 384 mole of ATP corresponding to 190 kg of said substance. However, the ATP quantity present in the human body is only 50g. Therefore the organism must produce the remaining 189.95kg every day.

The supply of NADH or NADPH makes this work much easier for the organism, because it consequently has greater energy reserves. It is also possible to stimulate the many other metabolic reactions catalyzed by the two coenzymes NADH and NADPH. As ATP plays an important part in regulating the vascular tonus, muscle contraction, in cardiovascular functions, in neurotransmission and in thrombocyte aggregation, which are all central parameters for the well-being and efficiency of humans and animals, an increase in the number of ATP molecules by supplying NADH or NADPH not only leads to an energy substitution, but to an improvement in the general state of health and to a retarding of deterioration and aging processes.

The use of the inventive compounds is completely harmless for the human and animal organism, because they are endogenic substances. Thus, in clinical tests on humans up to 20 times higher concentrations were administered than the indicated individual dose maximum in humans in the form of intravenous injections. No side-effects were observed. Research has shown that if the organism is supplied with too much NADH or NADPH, + + it is immediately oxidized to NAD or NADP and this is a reversible equilibrium reaction. - 4 At present there is no clear picture concerning further possible action mechanisms of NADH or NADPH leading to the further positive effects on the organism described in the following description of cases.

Case Descriptions Case 1: Tennis professional, aged 24, male, was given 5mg of NADH twice weekly in tablet form. After three weeks subjective and objective increase in the body efficiency and physical fitness, reduced fatigue after matches, reduced sleep requirement, increased alertness and attentiveness.

Case 2: Manager, aged 49, male, with a fourteen hour working day, was given a chocolate bar containing lOmg of NADPH once weekly. After taking three times there was a clear increased efficiency, reduced fatigue, able to stop drinking coffee, reduced sleep requirement, increased physical and intellectual activity at the end of the working day.

Case 3: Artist, aged 70, male, uninterested in work, inactive, sleeps until noon, was given twice weekly (for consumption in one day) one litre of a refreshing drink containing 15mg of NADH. After three weeks, active, energy-laden, gets up early, works all day, has a good mood and feels physically and intellectually better. After stopping NADH administration for four weeks, a return to the previous state with the. old complaints. Treatment resumed with tablets containing 5mg of NADPH twice weekly. After one week clear improvement and after fourteen days restoration of the original active well-being.

Case 4: Six year old racehorse, which had not been successful for a long time and lacking interest in food or movement. Following a six week administration period of feed pellets with a content of 0.5 mg/kg of body weight per daily consumption unit, clear increase in food and movement, much fresher and more active, with a first racing success after ten weeks treatment.

The features disclosed in the description and claims can be essential to the realization of the different embodiments of the invention, either singly or in the form of random combinations.

Claims

1. Use of nicotinamide-adenine-dinucleotide in its reduced form (NADH) and/or nicotinamide-adenine-dinucleotide phosphate in its reduced form (NADPH) and/or a physiologically compatible salt thereof for energy substitution in the human and animal body.

2. Use according to claim 1 as an additive to a food or drink.

3. Use according to claim 1 as an additive to a feed.

4. Use according to claim 1 as an active ingredient or active ingredient component in a medicament for improving efficiency and/or for delaying deterioration and/or aging processes.

5. Use according to claim 4 as or in a geriatric product.

6. Use according to one of the claims 2 to 5, characterized in that NADH and/or NADPH and/or the physiologically compatible salt thereof is administered in a quantity giving the animal or human body a single dose of 0.01 to 1.0 mg/kg of body weight.

7. Food or beverage for human consumption with a content of nicotinamide-adenine-dinucleotide in its reduced form (NADH) and/or nicotinamide-adenine-dinucleotide phosphate in its reduced form (NADPH) and/or a physiologically compatible salt thereof.

8. Food or beverage according to claim 6, characterized in that said substances are contained in a quantity providing the human body with 0.01 to 1.0 mg/kg of body weight thereof per daily consumption unit.

9. Feed for animal consumption with a content of nicotinamide-adeninedinucleotide in its reduced form (NADH) and/or nicotinamide-adeninedinucleotide phosphate in its reduced form (NADPH) and/or a - 7 physiologically compatible salt thereof.

10. Feed according to claim 8, characterized in that said substances are contained in a quantity supplying the animal body with 0.01 to 1.0 mg/kg of body weight per daily consumption unit. - 8

11. Use of nicotinamide-adenine-dinucleotide in its reduced form (NADH) and/or nicotinamide-adenine-dinucleotide phosphate in its reduced form (NADPH) and/or a physiologically compatible salt thereof substantially as 5 herein described.

12. The features described in the foregoing specification, or any obvious equivalent thereof, in any novel selection. 1 0 - 9 ABSTRACT Use of nicotinamide-adenine-dinucleotide in its reduced form (NADH) and/or nicotinamide-adenine-dinucleotide phosphate in its reduced form (NADPH) and/or a physiologically compatible salt thereof for energy substitution in the human or animal body, as well as a food or drink for human consumption or a feed for animal consumption having a content of said substances.