JP2003081854A - Composition for improving constipation - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a composition for improving constipation with which effect for improving constipation is exhibited even when a small amount of the composition is used without depending on dietary therapy and administration of a medicine and which is utilizable for various foods and beverages and is excellent also in general purpose properties. SOLUTION: This composition comprises an aqueous extract obtained by subjecting a soybean hypocotyls to extraction with an aqueous solvent. When the composition is administered to a person having constipation, constipation is safely improved by a small amount of the intake of the composition.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a composition for improving bowel movements.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Due to changes in eating habits and habits of daily life,
A disease called lifestyle-related disease has become a big problem. One of the major diseases is excessive intake of high-energy foods with high lipid content such as meat and eggs, constipation caused by decreased dietary fiber intake, etc., and some people suffer from chronic constipation. Not a few. Some people may not have bowel movements for a week to 10 days as well as constipation for a few days. If you have constipation, your intestines will absorb waste products, which may cause you to feel unwell. When constipation becomes a habit, abnormally fermented gas accumulates in the intestines, causing bloating and pain in the abdomen, and rough skin. In addition, there is a risk that the intestinal mucosa may be adversely affected and a disease such as rectal cancer may develop, so that early treatment is important.

From these viewpoints, many health foods containing dietary fibers such as indigestible dextrin, polydextrose and cellulose are found (Japanese Patent No. 2779616). In addition, health foods containing ingredients such as senna that act as a laxative are on the market. However, diet is often an excessively restricted diet, and it is very difficult to carry out long-term dietary restriction in the modern society accustomed to a European diet. Further, dietary fiber needs to be ingested in a large amount in order to exert the effect of improving bowel movements, and, for example, ingesting a beverage containing a small amount of this may not have a noticeable effect. Furthermore, when added to foods, the texture may be rough, so continuous intake is difficult.
On the other hand, since the laxatives on the market have too strong laxative action, they are difficult to use.

On the other hand, soybean contains trace components such as isoflavone and saponin and is said to have various physiological functions. Recently, isoflavones have been studied for prevention of osteoporosis and cancer, and symptom relief of menopausal disorders. Soybean also contains saponin. Various reports have been made on the physiological action of saponin, and the anti-obesity effect, the liver function improving effect, and the like as well as the antioxidant effect have been reported. However, the effects of these trace components on improving bowel movements have not yet been investigated. From the above, there is a demand for a composition for improving bowel movements, which exhibits a marked bowel movement improving effect even when ingested in a small amount, can be easily continuously ingested, and is easily added to foods.

[0005]

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems and exerts an excellent effect of improving bowel movements in a small amount regardless of diet therapy and drug administration, and has general versatility applicable to a wide range of foods and drinks. Another object is to provide an excellent composition for improving bowel movements.

[0006]

Means for Solving the Problems As a result of intensive studies on the above problems, the present inventors have surprisingly found that an aqueous extract (isoflavone, saponin, oligo, etc.) obtained by extracting soybean or soybean hypocotyl with an aqueous solvent. It was found that the administration of (containing sugar) to a person with constipation improves the bowel movement safely with a small amount of ingestion and completed the present invention. That is, the present invention provides (1) a composition for improving bowel movements, which comprises an aqueous extract derived from soybeans, (2) an isoflavone in a dry weight of 0.3 in the aqueous extract.
The composition for improving bowel movements according to (1) above, wherein the composition comprises -20% by weight and saponin 0.5-30% by weight. (3) The composition for improving bowel movements according to (2), wherein the aqueous extract contains 5 to 40% by weight of oligosaccharide in a dry weight. (4) The composition for improving bowel movements according to any one of (1) to (3) above, wherein the aqueous extract is derived from soybean hypocotyl or soybean whey. (5) Isoflavone and saponin are 0.3-by weight conversion.
A composition for improving bowel movements, which is contained in a ratio of 20: 0.5 to 30. (6) A composition for improving bowel movement containing isoflavone, saponin and oligosaccharide in a weight ratio of 0.3 to 20: 0.5 to 30. (7) The above (3), wherein the oligosaccharide is soybean oligosaccharide,
The composition for improving bowel movements according to either (4) or (6). (8) The above (1), which further contains a raw material having an intestinal regulating action.
The bowel movement-improving composition according to any one of to (7).

[0007]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION The present invention is described in detail below.
The composition for improving bowel movements of the present invention is characterized by containing an aqueous extract derived from soybean. First, the soybean-derived aqueous extract will be described. In the present invention, as the extraction raw material of the aqueous extract derived from soybean, whole soybean, dehulled soybean, dehulled hypocotyl soybean, defatted soybean, soybean hypocotyl and the like can be used.
In particular, it is preferable to use soybean hypocotyl having a relatively high content of trace components such as isoflavone and saponin as the raw material.
The place of production of soybean and the presence or absence of processing before extraction are not limited, and drying treatment, heat treatment, or the like can be performed. In particular, considering the flavor of the composition after extraction, it is preferable to use a heat-treated raw material having no blue odor or astringency for extraction because of its excellent versatility.
The heat treatment may be carried out to the extent that the green odor and astringency in the raw state are suppressed, and any heating method such as dry heat heating or wet heat heating may be used. For example, as described in JP-A-10-4904, a roasting machine such as a gas roaster or a hot-air roaster can be used to roast the raw materials until a desired color tone is obtained.

Next, a method for preparing an aqueous extract from an extraction raw material will be exemplified. Extraction raw material is crushed even if it is whole grain,
Any of those subjected to physical treatment such as pressing and expansion and crushing can be used for extraction. Especially when using a lipid-containing raw material, if it is subjected to extraction without destroying the surface layer of the raw material by physical treatment, it is possible to prevent leakage of lipids and oil-soluble components containing about 10% by weight inside the extracted raw material. This is preferable because it is possible to obtain an aqueous extract excellent in versatility in terms of solubility and storability of flavor.

As the solvent used for extraction of the aqueous extract,
It is appropriate to use an aqueous solvent such as water or a hydrous alcohol (eg methanol, ethanol, propanol), and water is particularly preferable. As the extraction method, various methods such as immersion extraction, stirring extraction or countercurrent extraction may be used. On the other hand, extraction with a highly hydrophobic organic solvent such as hexane and acetone is not preferable because the lipid and oil-soluble components contained in the extraction raw material are leaked out and the hydrophobic malodorous component is simultaneously extracted. The extraction temperature with the aqueous solvent is not particularly limited, but from the viewpoint that the active ingredient can be efficiently extracted, 4 to 150 ° C, preferably 80 to 100 ° C is suitable. In addition, it is desirable that the solid-liquid separation of the extraction liquid and the extraction residue after extraction is performed without squeezing the extraction residue in order to prevent the lipid, oil-soluble components, etc. contained in the extraction residue from seeping out. The extract can be processed as a neat solution, as a concentrated solution, or as a dry powder to obtain an "aqueous extract".

It is also possible to use soy whey as an aqueous extract. Interpreted broadly as soy whey,
Separated soy protein whey, concentrated soy protein acid or alcohol immersion liquid, "Kure" at the time of soy milk / tofu production, etc. are also included. Separated soybean protein whey is generated as a by-product during the production of separated soybean protein, for example, soybean milk is prepared from defatted soybean powder, and an acid such as hydrochloric acid is added to the soybean protein to isoelectrically precipitate the soybean protein, It can be obtained by collecting the supernatant. The dipping solution of concentrated soybean protein can be obtained, for example, by adding acid or alcohol to defatted soybean powder, heating and stirring, and eluting components other than soybean protein. Kure is soy milk
It is a by-product during the production of tofu, and is obtained by, for example, adding hot water to whole soybeans, heating and stirring the mixture, and eluting components other than soybean protein.

The obtained aqueous extract is added to a wide variety of compositions such as medicines and foods and drinks. However, for beverages and desserts in the acidic range of pH 2 to 5.5, white turbidity or precipitation may occur during production or storage due to insolubilization of proteins, etc., and there is an effect of improving bowel movements, but a cosmetic product Value may be lost. In such cases, it is preferred to treat the aqueous extract with a means that further enhances its solubility upon acidification. As a means for enhancing the solubility, a method of further encapsulating the aqueous extract with cyclodextrin to further enhance the solubility can be used.

As a more preferable method for increasing the solubility in acidification, pH is adjusted to pH 2 to 5.5 with a pH adjuster, cooled if necessary (preferably 10 ° C. or lower), filtered, centrifuged, etc. Thus, a method of obtaining an "acid-soluble extract" in which components that are insoluble in acid are not removed and turbidity or precipitation does not occur even in an acidic region can be mentioned. In this case, as the pH adjuster, any inorganic acid or organic acid that is normally allowed to be used in the food manufacturing industry can be used. In addition, when the aqueous extract is adjusted to be acidic, if the active ingredients such as isoflavone precipitate (coprecipitate) along with insoluble substances such as proteins and there is a large loss of the active ingredients, the aqueous extract is prepared in advance before pH adjustment. It is possible to prevent the loss of the active ingredient by lowering the molecular weight of the protein by allowing a protease to act. The acidic soluble extract thus obtained may be used as it is as a stock solution, or as a concentrated solution or a dry powder. The acid-soluble extract has improved solubility in the acidic range of pH 2 to 5.5, and is particularly suitable for use in acidic drinks having a pH of 5.5 or less such as lactic acid bacteria drinks and fruit drinks.

The composition of the soybean-derived aqueous extract of the present invention per dry weight varies depending on the raw material and the extraction conditions, but generally the lipid content is 2% by weight or less, and isoflavone 0.3-.
20% by weight, saponin 0.5 to 30% by weight, and oligosaccharides (total amount of raffinose and stachyose) become 5 to 40% by weight. Under the above more preferable extraction conditions, the lipid content is generally 1% by weight or less, the isoflavone content is 3 to 20% by weight, the saponin content is 1.5 to 20% by weight, and the oligosaccharide content is 10 to 25% by weight.

The obtained aqueous extract exerts an excellent bowel movement-improving effect even when ingested in a small amount, and therefore, the aqueous extract can be added to various compositions to prepare the composition for bowel movement improvement of the present invention. The amount added to the composition is 0.0 as a dry weight.
It may be 5 to 80% by weight, preferably 0.1 to 50% by weight. If it is less than 0.05% by weight, it is necessary to ingest a large amount as a composition, which is not practical. On the other hand, if it exceeds 80% by weight, the unique flavor derived from soybeans becomes noticeable, and it becomes difficult for some people to take.

The daily intake of the composition for improving bowel movement of the present invention may be appropriately set depending on the form of the composition, but in order to obtain a small and significant improving effect, 5-100 mg of isoflavone is obtained. , 3 to 100 as saponin
It is preferable to set it as mg, and as the oligosaccharide, 20 to 50
More preferably, it is 0 mg. If the intake amount is less than these numerical ranges, it is difficult to obtain a significant improvement effect, and if the intake amount exceeds these numerical ranges, the intake amount of the composition increases, and problems such as excessive calories may occur. There is.

Although the mechanism by which the composition for improving bowel movements of the present invention exerts an excellent effect of improving bowel movements even when ingested in such a small amount, the trace amount of physiologically active substances such as isoflavone and saponin contained in soybean is not clear. Is concentrated as an aqueous extract, and due to the synergistic effect of their coexistence, it is speculated that even a small amount of ingestion may exert a strong effect of improving constipation.

As a soybean-derived component capable of exhibiting a bowel movement-improving effect, soybean oligosaccharide is known, and its main components are raffinose and stachyose. Whole soybean contains about 1% raffinose and about 4% stachyose,
About 2% raffinose and about 6 stachyose in soybean hypocotyl
%, So that when the aqueous extract of the present invention contains soybean oligosaccharide, coexistence with isoflavone and saponin can further act synergistically.

In order to obtain a bowel movement-improving effect of only soybean oligosaccharides, it is necessary to ingest 1 to 3 g of oligosaccharides per day, which is 20 to 6 when converted to soybeans.
About 0g, soybean hypocotyl corresponds to about 12-40g,
A large amount of intake is required. However, the aqueous extract of the present invention exerts an excellent effect as a soybean oligosaccharide even if it is ingested in a small amount.

The above aqueous extract can be made into a composition for improving bowel movements by adding it to various compositions, that is, adding it to oral medicines and foods and drinks. Examples of oral drugs include general drug forms such as tablets, capsules, granules, powders and drinks. Examples of food include tablets, cookies, biscuits, crackers, cereals,
Western sweets such as snacks, chips, candy, gum and chocolate, bakeries such as bread and cakes, Japanese sweets such as buns, dumplings, sheep cans, rice crackers, oysters and hail, frozen desserts such as ice cream and ice lollies. , Ramen, udon, soba, noodles such as noodles, cooked rice, dairy products such as milk, yogurt, cheese, cream, spreads such as jam, peanut cream, butter, margarine, tea leaf drinks, coffee, Drinks such as milk drinks, soy milk, fruit drinks, and vegetable drinks, and desserts such as pudding, jelly, bavarois, mousse, and almond tofu can be mentioned. The method of adding the aqueous extract is not particularly limited, and may be used according to the production method of each composition.

As described above, the composition for improving bowel movements of the present invention can be obtained by adding an aqueous extract derived from soybean, but isoflavone and saponin,
Furthermore, it is also possible to add and mix oligosaccharides to the composition to prepare a composition for improving bowel movements. The content ratio of isoflavone and saponin in the composition is 0.3 in terms of weight.
-20: 0.5-30 is preferable, and 3-20: 1.5-
20 is more preferable. When an oligosaccharide is further added, it is preferably 5 to 40, and 10 to 20 relative to the above ratio.
Is more preferable. In this case, a commercially available high-purity product can be used as each component.

Furthermore, by adding other raw materials having an intestinal regulating action to the above composition, more excellent effects can be obtained. As the raw material exhibiting an intestinal regulating action, generally known ones which produce an intestinal regulating action as an effect can be used alone or in combination, and examples thereof include lactic acid bacteria, oligosaccharides other than soybean oligosaccharides, dietary fiber and gluconic acid. Is mentioned. Examples of lactic acid bacteria include the genus Lactobacillus (Lactobacillus casei, the same Acidophilus, the same Helveticus, the same plantarum, the same kefir,
The same, Mali, the same, Bulgaricus, etc.), Streptococcus (Streptococcus thermophilus, etc.), Lactococcus (Lactococcus lactis, Lactococcus cremoris, etc.), Bifidobacterium (Bifidobacterium bifidum, the same)・ Longum, the same breve, the same cateneratum, etc.) that are generally used as yogurt or an intestinal stabilizer. Examples of oligosaccharides other than soybean oligosaccharides include fructooligosaccharides, maltooligosaccharides, galactooligosaccharides, mannooligosaccharides, isomaltooligosaccharides, xylooligosaccharides, and milk fruit oligosaccharides. As dietary fiber, cellulose, hemicellulose, indigestible dextrin, polydextrose,
Pectin, gums, chitin, chitosan, wheat germ, bran and the like can be mentioned.

Further, depending on the form of the composition to be added, if necessary, sugar raw materials, fats and oils raw materials, protein raw materials, minerals, vitamins, sweeteners, seasonings, acidulants, emulsifiers, excipients and other foods. It is possible to mix and combine food raw materials and food additives that are recognized by the Sanitation Law.

Since the composition for improving bowel movements of the present invention is made of soybean-derived extracts and ingredients rather than chemical compounds such as pharmaceuticals, there are no problems such as side effects, and consumers can continue with peace of mind. Can be ingested. Further, the present invention can effectively utilize soybean hypocotyl and soybean whey that have been conventionally discarded as by-products at a low price in order to obtain a bowel movement-improving effect, and a by-product aimed at improving constipation which is a typical modern disease. It is also very effective as a new usage method of.

[0024]

EXAMPLES Examples of the present invention will be shown below, but the technical scope of the present invention is not limited thereto.

<Production Example 1> (Preparation of Aqueous Extract from Soybean Hypocotyl) 10 kg of soybean hypocotyl was heated to 140 ° C. with a hot air using a gas roaster.
Dry heat treatment was performed for 0 minutes. Soybean hypocotyl 10k that was heat treated by dry heat
100 kg of hot water was added to g, and the mixture was heated and extracted at 98 ° C for 10 minutes. After that, the extract is separated, 100 kg of hot water is added to the residue, and 98
It was extracted by heating at 0 ° C for 10 minutes. Then, both extracts were mixed, concentrated under reduced pressure, and spray-dried to obtain 4 kg of an extracted powder. Table 1
The composition of the dry solids is shown in Table 1. The saponins and oligosaccharides were analyzed by the Kjeldahl method for proteins, the chloroform-methanol extraction method for lipids, the direct ash method for ash, and the soy isoflavone food standard analysis method of the Japan Health and Nutrition Food Association for isoflavones. Is HPL
It was measured by the C method. The amount of oligosaccharide was the total amount of raffinose and stachyose. The following Production Examples 2 to 4 were similarly measured.

<Production Example 2> (Preparation of acid-soluble extract from soybean hypocotyl) 80 kg of soybean hypocotyl was heated with a hot air at 140 ° C. using a gas roaster.
Dry heat treatment was performed for 0 minutes. Soybean hypocotyl 80k processed by dry heat treatment
800 kg of hot water was added to g, and the mixture was heated and extracted at 98 ° C for 10 minutes. After that, the extract is separated, and 800 kg of hot water is added to the residue, and 98
It was extracted by heating at 0 ° C for 10 minutes. Then both extracts were mixed and
After cooling to ℃ and adjusting to pH 3.5 with hydrochloric acid, it was cooled to 10 ℃ and kept for 30 minutes. Then, unnecessary substances were removed by continuous centrifugation, neutralized with sodium hydroxide, concentrated under reduced pressure and spray-dried to obtain 20 kg of an acidic soluble extract. Table 1 shows the component composition in the dry solid content.

<Production Example 3> (Preparation of soybean whey) To dehulled soybeans, quadruple amount of hot water at 90 ° C was added, and the temperature was raised to 80 ° C.
While maintaining the above, weak stirring was added about once every 15 minutes, and the mixture was immersed for 2 hours to obtain soybean whey.

<Production Example 4> (Preparation of dry-heat-heated soybean hypocotyl) 80 kg of soybean hypocotyl was heated with hot air at 140 ° C. for 2 times using a gas roaster.
Dry heat treatment was performed for 0 minutes to obtain dry heat soybean hypocotyls. Table 1
The composition of the dry solids is shown in Table 1.

[0029] (Table 1) (Unit:% by weight) ──────────────────────────────────   Composition Production Example 1 Production Example 2 Production Example 3 Production Example 4 ──────────────────────────────────   Protein 20.4 15.4 9.4 42.1   Lipid 0.9 0.4 0.1 9.9   Ash 6.8 12.7 15.9 4.4   Carbohydrate 71.8 71.5 74.6 43.7   Isoflavone 4.1 3.9 0.5 1.2   Saponin 12.4 2.0 0.8 2.1   Oligosaccharide 15.8 14.1 27.2 8.7 ────────────────────────────────── * Carbohydrate = 100- (protein + lipid + ash)

<Example 1> (Preparation of soybean hypocotyl tea) The soybean hypocotyls prepared according to the formulation shown in Table 2 were used with a gas roaster.
The heated soybean hypocotyl, which had been subjected to dry heat treatment with hot air at ℃ for 20 minutes, was mixed with barley and green tea to prepare tea leaves. To 10 g of this tea leaf was added 990 g of water, and the mixture was extracted with stirring at 98 ° C. for 5 minutes and then solid-liquid separated with a filter cloth to obtain soybean hypocotyl tea. The solid content of this beverage is 0.2% by weight
Therefore, if 200 ml is drunk, 220 mg of soybean hypocotyl aqueous extract can be ingested. That is, isoflavone 9.0m
Equivalent to ingestion of g, saponin 27.3mg, oligosaccharide 34.8mg active ingredient. The content of the soybean hypocotyl aqueous extract in this beverage was 55% by weight based on the dry weight.

[0031] (Table 2) (Unit: g) ─────────────── Raw material blending amount ─────────────── Heated soybean hypocotyl 5.0 Barley 4.5 Green tea 0.5 Water 990.0 ─────────────── Total 1000.0 ───────────────

<Example 2> (Preparation of tablets) Using the soybean hypocotyl aqueous extract obtained in Production Example 1, Table 3
The raw materials were mixed in the formulation shown in (1) and granulated and compressed to give tablets containing the soybean hypocotyl aqueous extract. By eating 3 g of this tablet, 240 mg of the soybean hypocotyl aqueous extract can be ingested. That is, this corresponds to ingestion of the active ingredients of isoflavone 9.8 mg, saponin 29.8 mg, and oligosaccharide 37.9 mg. The content of the soybean hypocotyl aqueous extract in this tablet was about 8% by weight based on the dry weight.

[0033] (Table 3) (Unit:% by weight) ───────────────── Raw material mix ratio ───────────────── Soybean hypocotyl aqueous extract 8.0 Eggshell calcium 5.4 Glucose 82.8 Citric acid 0.8 Sucrose fatty acid ester 2.5 Fragrance 0.5 ───────────────── Total 100.0 ─────────────────

<Example 3> (Preparation of acidic beverage) Using the soybean hypocotyl acidic soluble extract obtained in Production Example 2,
Raw materials were mixed with the composition shown in Table 4, dissolved and sterilized to obtain a beverage containing the soybean hypocotyl acidic soluble extract. This beverage has a pH of 3.
7 and the solid content was 10.1% by weight. This acidic beverage 200
200 g of soybean hypocotyl acidic soluble extract can be ingested. That is, isoflavone 7.8 mg, saponin 4.0 mg,
Equivalent to ingestion of the active ingredient of 28.2 mg of oligosaccharide. The content of the aqueous extract of soybean hypocotyl in the acidic beverage was about 1% by weight based on the dry weight.

[0035] (Table 4) (Unit:% by weight) ────────────────── Raw material mix ratio ────────────────── Soy hypocotyl acidic soluble extract 0.1 Granulated sugar 10.0 Citric acid 0.4 Vitamin C 0.1 Perfume 0.25 Water 89.15 ────────────────── Total 100 ──────────────────

<Test Example 1> (Confirmation of Constipation Improvement Effect 1) 20 subjects with constipation (21 to 59 years old: women of average age 40 years,
For the number of bowel movements less than 3 times a week before the test 3 times or less), 600 ml of soybean hypocotyl tea prepared in Example 1 (660 mg as an aqueous extract of soybean hypocotyl) was drunk for 1 month. The intake of the active ingredient is equivalent to isoflavone 27.1 mg, saponin 81.8 mg, and oligosaccharide 104.3 mg. A questionnaire survey was conducted on changes in the number of bowel movements per week before and after ingestion. The results are shown in Table 5.

(Table 5) ──────────────── Change in number of bowel movements ──────────────── Number of bowel movements increased 15 No change in defecation frequency 5 people ────────────────

<Test Example 2> (Confirmation of Constipation Improvement Effect 2) 5 subjects with constipation (46-66 years old: female of average age 57 years old,
With respect to the number of bowel movements less than 3 times a week before the test (3 times or less), the tablets prepared in Example 2 were ingested 3 g / day for 6 months. In this case, the intake of the active ingredient is equivalent to 9.4 mg of isoflavone, 4.8 mg of saponin, and 33.8 mg of oligosaccharide per day. A questionnaire survey was conducted on changes in the frequency of defecation before and after eating. The results are shown in Table 6.

(Table 6) ──────────────── Change in number of bowel movements ──────────────── Number of bowel movements increased 5 No change in defecation frequency 0 ────────────────

From the results of Test Example 1 and Test Example 2, the composition containing the aqueous extract derived from soybean hypocotyl of the present invention is effective for improving bowel movements, and even if it is ingested in a small amount, an excellent effect is obtained. Demonstrated.

<Test Example 3> Using the soybean hypocotyl aqueous extract obtained in Production Example 1, the raw materials were mixed at the compounding ratios shown in Formulations 1 to 4 in Table 7, and granulated and tableted. After that, I got a tablet.

[0042] (Table 7) (Unit:% by weight) ───────────────────────────────   Raw materials Mix 1 Mix 2 Mix 3 Mix 4 ───────────────────────────────   Soybean hypocotyl aqueous extract − − 8.0 8.0   Xylooligosaccharide 20.0 − 20.0 −   Spore lactic acid bacteria-2.0-2.0   Eggshell calcium 5.4 5.4 5.4 5.4   Glucose 70.8 88.8 62.8 80.8   Citric acid 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.8   Sucrose fatty acid ester 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5   Fragrance 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 ───────────────────────────────   Total 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 ───────────────────────────────   * We used spore lactic acid bacteria containing 6 billion cells / g.

32 female volunteers with constipation (26 to 35 years old: average age 29 years old, less than 3 times of defecation per week) were divided into 8 persons for each composition, and tablets were used for one day as in Test Example 2. 3 g was ingested, and a questionnaire survey was conducted on changes in the number of bowel movements up to 4 weeks after the start of ingestion. The results are shown in Table 8.

[0044] (Table 8) (Unit: people) ──────────────────────────────                     3 times a week or less 4-5 times a week 6-7 times a week ──────────────────────────────   2 weeks Formulation 1 2 3 3           Formula 2 1 3 4           Formula 3 0 1 7           Formulation 4 0 2 6 ──────────────────────────────   4 weeks Formulation 1 1 3 4           Formula 2 0 2 6           Formula 3 0 8           Formula 4 0 8 ──────────────────────────────

[0045]

EFFECTS OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a composition for improving bowel movements, which exhibits excellent effects in improving bowel movements even in a small amount, regardless of diet therapy or drug administration, and can be used in a wide variety of foods and drinks, and has excellent versatility. It became possible to do. In addition, soybean hypocotyl, which has been mostly discarded as a by-product, can be used for the purpose of improving constipation, which is a typical modern disease, which is very beneficial to the food industry and the global environment. It will be.

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification code FI theme code (reference) A61P 1/00 A61P 1/00 // A23L 1/30 A23L 1/30 B (72) Inventor Masao Hashimoto Osaka 1 Sumiyoshi-cho, Izumisano, Japan Fuji Oil Co., Ltd. F-term in Hannan Works (Reference) 4B018 LB04 MD58 ME11 4C084 AA17 MA02 MA52 ZA661 ZA731 4C086 AA01 AA02 BA08 EA01 EA10 MA01 MA04 MA52 NA14 ZA66 ZA73 4C088 BA12 AC59 CA05 MA52 NA14 ZA66 ZA73

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A composition for improving bowel movements, which comprises an aqueous extract derived from soybeans. 2. The composition for improving bowel movements according to claim 1, wherein the aqueous extract contains isoflavone in an amount of 0.3 to 20% by weight and saponin in an amount of 0.5 to 30% by weight in a dry weight. 3. The aqueous extract contains 5 to 5 oligosaccharides in dry weight.
The composition for improving bowel movements according to claim 2, wherein the composition comprises 40% by weight. 4. The composition for improving bowel movements according to claim 1, wherein the aqueous extract is derived from soybean hypocotyl or soybean whey. 5. A composition for improving bowel movement, which comprises isoflavone and saponin in a weight ratio of 0.3 to 20: 0.5 to 30. 6. A composition for improving bowel movement, which comprises isoflavone, saponin, and oligosaccharide in a weight ratio of 0.3 to 20: 0.5 to 30. 7. The oligosaccharide is soybean oligosaccharide, 3.
7. The composition for improving bowel movements according to 4 or 6. 8. The bowel movement-improving composition according to claim 1, further comprising a raw material having an intestinal regulating action.