JP2016199491A - Mood state improver - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a mood state improver which can improve a mood state.SOLUTION: The present invention provides a mood state improver comprising turmeric extract.SELECTED DRAWING: None

Description

  The present invention relates to a mood state improving agent capable of improving a mood state.

  Deterioration of mood (also referred to as emotion) in animals such as humans is a phenomenon caused by a complex combination of physical fatigue and mental stress, and the clear cause is not clear. The mood state is represented by scores by the POMS (Profile of Mode Status) test for each item of “fatigue”, “tension-anxiety”, “depression-depression”, “anger-hostility”, “liveness”, and “confused”. It can be expressed objectively by “total mood disorder” (TMD, Total Mood Disturbance) calculated based on the score (Non-patent Document 1).

  In Patent Document 1, the turmeric-containing component has an action to enhance carnitine palmitoyltransferase (CPT) activity, an action to improve fatty liver, an action to reduce blood neutral fat, an anti-fatigue action, an anti-stress action, an action to reduce body fatigue, etc. It is disclosed to have.

  Patent Document 2 discloses an alcoholic fatigue improving agent containing ornithine or a salt thereof and one or more components selected from the group consisting of turmeric, fermented turmeric extract, and curcumin.

Patent Document 3 discloses a physical strength enhancer containing curcumin.
Patent Document 4 discloses an active oxygen inhibitor composed of astaxanthin and curcumin.

  In Patent Document 5, at least one of group A consisting of curcumin, soybean lecithin and milk thistle seed extract, at least one of group B consisting of amla extract, wheat bran, tea leaf extract and sesame extract, and pomegranate seed extract , Ginger extract, soybean isoflavone, wizzania root extract, and at least one member of group C consisting of bacopa monnieri leaf and / or stem extract, a nutritional composition, an oxidative stress reducing agent, aging It is disclosed to be effective as an inhibitor, a nourishing tonic and the like.

  However, none of the above Patent Documents 1 to 5 suggests whether or not the mood state of a subject can be improved by ingesting or administering turmeric or a turmeric extract.

  In Patent Document 6, a subject who orally ingests or administers a migratory fish extract (such as salmon extract) has a decreased score of “total mood disorder” (TMD), that is, a mood state is improved. Is disclosed. However, the extract of migratory fish has a unique taste, so that there is a problem that the application range is limited.

JP 2008-133272 A JP 2011-105698 A JP 2007-314440 A JP 2014-19660 A JP 2013-1666 A International Publication WO2005 / 087022

Written by Kazuhito Yokoyama, POMS abbreviated version guide and case explanation (published January 28, 2005), Kaneko Shobo

  There is no known satisfactory method for improving the mood state. Then, this invention makes it the problem which should be solved to provide the mood state improving agent which can improve a mood state.

As a result of intensive studies to solve the above problems, the present inventors have significantly improved the mood state by ingesting the turmeric extract, and the mood state improving action by the turmeric extract is patented. The present inventors have found that the fatigue improving action described in Document 1 etc. is a different action, and have completed the present invention. That is, the present invention includes the following inventions.
(1) A mood state improving agent characterized by containing a turmeric extract.
(2) The mood state according to (1), wherein the turmeric extract is a water-soluble turmeric extract extracted using at least one selected from the group consisting of water and a hydrophilic organic solvent as an extraction solvent. Improver.
(3) The mood state improving agent according to (1) or (2), wherein the turmeric extract contains bisaclone.
(4) The mood state improving agent according to any one of (1) to (3), which is formulated into a form for oral or nasal ingestion or administration together with at least one other component.

  It is possible to improve the mood state by ingesting the mood state improving agent or the composition containing the mood state improving agent of the present invention.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail.
The mood state improving agent of the present invention is characterized by containing at least a turmeric extract.
The mood state improving agent of the present invention may contain components other than the turmeric extract.
In one embodiment, the mood state improving agent of the present invention comprises a turmeric extract.
The mood state improving agent of the present invention can be formulated together with at least one other component.

  In the present invention, “containing” includes a mixed state or a coexisting state. The coexistence state refers to a state in which each is separated before use but is in a combined state in which they are mixed and used at the time of use.

<Turmeric extract>
In the present invention, the turmeric extract refers to an extract (turmeric extract) of a plant raw material derived from a plant belonging to the genus Turmeric belonging to the genus Gingidae, and further volatilizes the extraction solvent by heating and / or reduced pressure as necessary. It may be dried. These heating, decompression and drying methods are not particularly limited, and for example, conventionally known methods can be used.

  Examples of the plant material include Curcuma longa (turmeric), Curcuma aromatica, Curcuma zedoaria, Curcuma phaeocaulis, Curcuma kwangsiens, Curcumin, and Curcuma urum. These rhizomes may be collected from the soil, and may be used in the form of an appropriate part of the rhizome as it is or cut into an appropriate size or shape, or in the form of a pulverized product. it can. These plant materials may be appropriately dried.

  The extraction method of the turmeric extract from plant raw material is not specifically limited, A conventionally well-known method can be used. The extraction solvent is preferably at least one selected from the group consisting of water and a hydrophilic organic solvent, and examples thereof include water, a hydrophilic organic solvent, a mixed solvent of water and a hydrophilic organic solvent, and the like. The hydrophilic organic solvent may be a mixed solvent of plural kinds of hydrophilic organic solvents. “Water” includes hot water. Examples of the hydrophilic organic solvent include at least one alcohol (may be a mixed solvent of a plurality of alcohols), and the alcohol is not particularly limited, but ethanol is preferable.

  In the present invention, the mixing ratio of the mixed solvent of the hydrophilic organic solvent and water is not particularly limited. For example, the weight ratio is preferably in the range of 10:90 to 90:10, and more preferably in the range of 20:80 to 50:50. preferable. The temperature at the time of extraction is not particularly limited.

  The turmeric extract extracted using at least one selected from the group consisting of water and a hydrophilic organic solvent as the extraction solvent is extracted with a hydrophobic organic solvent such as ethyl acetate as the extraction solvent. Compared to products, compounds containing higher water solubility are contained. Therefore, these extracts are clearly different from each other in the component composition contained.

  In the present invention, a turmeric extract extracted using at least one selected from the group consisting of water and a hydrophilic organic solvent as an extraction solvent may be referred to as a “water-soluble turmeric extract”.

  In the present invention, as the turmeric extract, the turmeric rhizome extract obtained as described above can be used as it is, and the turmeric rhizome extract is further processed by dilution, concentration, drying and the like. It is also possible to use ones that have been subjected to. A conventionally well-known method can be used for methods, such as dilution, concentration, and drying.

  The turmeric extract used in the present invention preferably contains bisaclone. Bisaclone is preferably contained in an amount of 0.15% by weight or more based on the total amount of the turmeric extract. The amount of bisaclone in the turmeric extract is determined by mixing the turmeric extract with ethyl acetate and distilling off the ethyl acetate from the supernatant obtained by centrifugation. It can obtain | require by attaching | subjecting to chromatography (HPLC).

  In the present invention, bisaclone is a compound classified as a bisaborane-type sesquiterpene, and means a compound having the following planar structural formula or a salt thereof. Bisaclone has an asymmetric carbon at the position indicated by * in the planar structural formula, and therefore there are several kinds of optical isomers. Bisaclone in this specification is a concept that includes any optical isomers. is there.

  The turmeric extract used in the present invention preferably has a curcumin content of 0.5% by weight or less, and more preferably does not contain curcumin.

<Mood state improver>
When the mood improving agent of the present invention is intended for humans, the “mood state” typically means “fatigue”, “tension-anxiety”, “depression-depression”, “anger-hostility”, “ Each item of “lively” and “confused” is expressed as a standardized score (T score) by the POMS shortened version test (Non-Patent Document 1), and “fatigue”, “tension-anxiety”, “depression-depression”, “ The state of mood expressed by “total mood disorder” (TMD) obtained by subtracting the score of “liveness” from the total value of the scores of the five items of “anger-hostility” and “confused”. Point to. And “improvement of mood state” refers to a decrease in the “total mood disorder” (TMD) compared to a control test in which the agent for improving mood state of the present invention is not administered or ingested, more preferably This means that the value obtained by subtracting the score of “fatigue” from the “total mood disorder” (TMD) decreases. In other words, the mood-improving agent of the present invention preferably improves the TMD obtained by the POMS shortened test (Non-Patent Document 1) in a human (for example, an adult) (decreases the TMD score value). More preferably, it has the effect of lowering the value obtained by subtracting the “fatigue” score obtained by the POMS shortened test (Non-patent Document 1) from the TMD score. The mood improving agent of the present invention preferably contains at least one selected from the group consisting of “tension-anxiety”, “depression-depression”, “anger-hostility” and “confused” in humans. It can be used as a mood state ameliorating agent that improves mood, and more preferably an unpleasant mood consisting of a combination of “tension-anxiety”, “depression-depression”, “anger-hostility” and “confused”.

  The content of the turmeric extract in the mood condition improving agent of the present invention is not particularly limited. For example, the daily intake or dose of the mood condition improving agent of the present invention is preferably one human, particularly one adult. Per day of intake or dose of turmeric extract as bisaclone, preferably 40 μg or more and 24,000 μg or less, more preferably 180 μg or more, most preferably 250 μg or more, more preferably 12,000 μg or less, most preferably 5, It is preferable to contain it so that it may become 000 micrograms or less at the point which can obtain the mood state improvement effect effectively. Here, “daily intake or dose” refers to oral or nasal, preferably oral, typically in the case of ingestion or administration, in which the mood-improving agent of the present invention is combined with other ingredients. The amount of the composition is 0.1 g to 500 g. The mood state improving agent of the present invention may be continuously ingested or administered, or may be ingested or administered when necessary.

  The route for administering the mood state improving agent of the present invention to an animal such as a human is not particularly limited, but is preferably an oral or nasal route, and more preferably an oral route.

  The mood state improving agent of the present invention may be ingested or administered as it is to humans or other animals, or may be ingested or administered in the form of various compositions obtained by formulation together with at least one other component. Good.

<Formulation>
The composition in which the mood state improving agent of the present invention is formulated with at least one other component is a composition having a mood state improving action, and more preferably a mood state improving composition. Here, “mood state improvement” is as described above.

  The composition further includes one or more components other than the mood state improving agent of the present invention. Although it does not specifically limit as other ingredients, Preferably, it is taken or administered orally or nasally such as pharmaceuticals (for humans or animals), food and drink, feed, food additives, health foods, supplements, feed additives, etc. Is an acceptable component. Other components include, for example, fructose glucose liquid sugar, dextrin, acidulant, vitamins, thickener, turmeric pigment, inositol, fragrance, cyclic oligosaccharide, sweetener, mineral, antioxidant, emulsifier, etc. Other ingredients mentioned with respect to specific examples of the various compositions to be mentioned.

  Examples of the acidulant include citric acid, malic acid, gluconic acid, tartaric acid, and salts thereof.

  Examples of vitamins include niacin, vitamin B1, vitamin B6, vitamin C, vitamin E, and the like.

  Thickeners include thickening polysaccharides such as gellan gum, xanthan gum, pectin, guar gum and the like.

  The turmeric pigment is obtained by extracting from the rhizome part of turmeric with hot ethanol, hot oil or propylene glycol, or room temperature to hot hexane or acetone, and mainly contains curcumin. . The amount of turmeric pigment in the composition is from about 3 mg to 50 mg, more preferably from about 5 mg to 40 mg, particularly preferably about curcumin per single intake or dose, preferably per oral intake or dose. An amount of turmeric pigment of 6 to 30 mg is preferably blended.

Examples of the mineral include magnesium, calcium, sodium, potassium and the like.
Examples of the antioxidant include vitamin C and enzyme-treated rutin.

  Examples of the sweetener include sugars such as fructose, glucose, and liquid sugar, and high-intensity sweeteners such as honey, sucralose, acesulfame potassium, thaumatin, and aspartame.

  Said composition comprising the mood-improving agent of the present invention and at least one other component is preferably a composition formulated for oral or nasal ingestion or administration, more preferably oral. A composition formulated for ingestion or administration. Here, compositions formulated for oral or nasal ingestion or administration include various forms such as pharmaceuticals (for humans or animals), foods and drinks, feeds, food additives, health foods, supplements, feed additives, etc. Can be.

  The shape of the composition is not particularly limited, and may be any property such as liquid, fluid, gel, semi-solid, or solid.

  When the composition is used as a medicine, it is in the form of a pharmaceutical composition comprising the mood condition improving agent of the present invention and at least one other pharmaceutically acceptable ingredient such as a pharmaceutical additive. It is preferable that it is formulated. The pharmaceutical composition may take the form of oral solid preparations such as capsules, tablets (including coated tablets such as sugar-coated tablets or enteric tablets or multilayer tablets), powders or granules, or oral liquid preparations. Or may be in the form of parenteral preparations such as injections, drops, suppositories and the like. These preparations can be produced by a method known per se.

  Additives for pharmaceutical preparations usually used in solid preparations such as capsules, tablets, powders or granules include, for example, excipients (for example, lactose, sucrose, glucose, starch, crystalline cellulose, etc.), binders ( For example, starch paste solution, hydroxypropyl cellulose solution, carmellose solution, gum arabic solution, gelatin solution, sodium alginate solution, etc.), disintegrant (eg starch, carmellose sodium, calcium carbonate etc.), lubricant (eg stearin Magnesium sulfate, talc, stearic acid, calcium stearate, etc.), surfactant (eg, polysorbate 80, polyoxyethylene hydrogenated castor oil, etc.), thickener (eg, hydroxyethyl cellulose, hydroxypropyl cellulose, polyvinyl alcohol, polyethylene glycol, etc.) ) Etc. It is, but is not limited thereto. Tablets or granules are coated with a coating agent (eg, gelatin, sucrose, gum arabic, carnauba wax, cellulose acetate phthalate, methacrylic acid copolymer, hydroxypropylcellulose phthalate, carboxymethylethylcellulose, hydroxypropylmethylcellulose, etc.). May be. The capsule may be a microcapsule or a soft capsule in addition to a hard capsule. The solid preparation can be produced by a conventionally known method.

  Liquid preparations include, for example, sugars (eg, sucrose, sorbit, fructose, etc.), glycols (eg, polyethylene glycol, propylene glycol, etc.), dispersing or thickening agents (eg, gelatin, gum arabic, hydroxyethyl cellulose, hydroxypropyl). Cellulose, polyvinyl alcohol, polyethylene glycol, etc.), emulsifier (eg, glycerin fatty acid ester, sucrose fatty acid ester, etc.), solubilizer (eg, gum arabic, polysorbate 80, etc.), pH adjuster (eg, citric acid, citric acid, etc.) Trisodium, etc.), preservatives (for example, p-hydroxybenzoates, etc.) and the like may be blended.

  When the composition obtained by formulating the mood state improving agent of the present invention and at least one other component is a food or drink, the food or drink contains the mood state improving agent of the present invention and food hygiene. It can be set as the form containing at least 1 sort (s) of other component accept | permitted as food / beverage products, such as a top food additive and normal foodstuff. When the composition obtained by formulating the mood state improving agent of the present invention and at least one other component is a food additive, the food additive includes the mood state improving agent of the present invention, It can be set as the form containing at least 1 sort (s) of other component accept | permitted as food additives, such as an additive accepted on food hygiene.

  The food or drink or food additive includes, for example, a capsule, a tablet (coated tablet such as a sugar-coated tablet or a multilayer tablet, or a mouthpiece). Including a disintegrating agent), a powder or a granule, or a solid composition, or a liquid composition. Examples of the additive include excipients (eg, lactose, dextrin, corn starch, crystalline cellulose, etc.), lubricants (eg, magnesium stearate, sucrose fatty acid ester, glycerin fatty acid ester, etc.), disintegrating agents (eg, Carboxymethyl cellulose calcium, anhydrous calcium hydrogen phosphate, calcium carbonate, etc.), binder (eg starch paste solution, hydroxypropyl cellulose solution, gum arabic solution etc.), solubilizer (eg gum arabic, polysorbate 80 etc.), sweetness (For example, sugar, fructose, glucose liquid sugar, honey, aspartame, etc.), coloring (for example, β-carotene, food tar pigment, riboflavin, etc.), preservative (for example, sorbic acid, methyl paraoxybenzoate, sodium sulfite) Etc.), thickener (eg, algin) Sodium, sodium carboxymethylcellulose, sodium polyacrylate, etc.), antioxidant (eg, dibutylhydroxytoluene, butylhydroxyanisole, ascorbic acid, tocopherol, etc.), flavor (eg, mint, strawberry flavor, etc.), acidulant (eg, Citric acid, lactose, DL-malic acid, etc.), seasonings (eg, DL-alanine, sodium 5′-inosinate, sodium L-glutamate, etc.), emulsifiers (eg, glycerin fatty acid ester, sucrose fatty acid ester, etc.), Examples include pH adjusters (for example, citric acid, trisodium citrate, etc.), vitamins, minerals, amino acids, pigments and the like. The solid composition can be produced according to a conventional method. Moreover, a liquid composition can be manufactured similarly to the liquid formulation as a pharmaceutical suitable for said oral administration.

  Moreover, food / beverage products can be manufactured by mix | blending the mood state improving agent of this invention or the composition containing this mood state improving agent with food / beverage products. Examples of such foods and drinks include confectionery (eg, gum, candy, caramel, chocolate, cookie, snack confectionery, jelly, gummy, tablet confectionery, etc.), noodles (eg, buckwheat, udon, ramen, etc.), and dairy products. (Eg, milk, ice cream, yogurt, etc.), seasonings (eg, miso, soy sauce, etc.), soups, beverages (eg, juice, coffee, tea, tea, carbonated drinks, sports drinks, etc.) Examples thereof include foods and nutritional supplements (for example, energy drinks). The food includes foods containing food additives.

  When the composition obtained by formulating the mood condition improving agent of the present invention and at least one other component is a health food, the health food contains the mood condition improving agent of the present invention, food hygiene It can be set as the form containing at least 1 sort (s) of other component accept | permitted as health foods, such as a top acceptable additive and a normal health food raw material. The health food means a food composition for the purpose of health, health maintenance / promotion, etc., and includes an approved specific functional food and a so-called health food without the approval of the specific functional food. The health food is, for example, a liquid, semi-solid or solid product, and includes confectionery such as cookies, rice crackers, jelly, yokan, yogurt and manju, soft drinks, nutritional drinks, soups and the like. Moreover, you may melt | dissolve in hot water or water as it is, and drink. These liquid or semi-solid and solid products can be produced according to conventional methods.

  When the composition obtained by formulating the mood state-improving agent of the present invention and at least one other component is a supplement, the supplement contains the mood state-improving agent of the present invention and a food hygiene acceptable And at least one other component acceptable as a supplement such as a normal supplement raw material. Supplements mean not only dietary supplements and functional nutritional foods to supplement nutrients, but also health supplements and functional functional foods that have functions that are useful for maintaining, restoring, and promoting health. Also means. Examples of such supplements include tablets, rounds, capsules (including hard capsules, soft capsules, and microcapsules), powders, granules, fine granules, troches, liquids (syrups, milks, suspensions). Including turbidity). These can be produced according to conventional methods.

  When the composition obtained by formulating the mood state improving agent of the present invention and at least one other component is a feed, the feed includes the mood state improving agent of the present invention and a general feed. It can be set as the form containing at least 1 sort (s) of other components accept | permitted as feed, such as an additive and a feed raw material. When the composition obtained by formulating the mood state improving agent of the present invention and at least one other component is a feed additive, the feed additive comprises the mood state improving agent of the present invention, It can be set as the form containing at least 1 sort (s) of other component accept | permitted as feed additives, such as a general feed additive.

  The composition obtained by formulating the mood state improving agent of the present invention and at least one other component is a composition for oral or nasal ingestion or administration as described above, preferably oral Or in the case of a composition for administration, the composition is for example a turmeric extract per daily intake or dose, preferably per daily intake or dose for one human, in particular an adult. Is preferably 40 μg or more and 24,000 μg or less as bisaclone, more preferably 180 μg or more, most preferably 250 μg or more, more preferably 12,000 μg or less, and most preferably 5,000 μg or less. It is preferable in that the improvement action can be obtained effectively. Here, the “daily intake or dose” is typically 0.1 g to 500 g. The composition of the present invention may be continuously ingested and used when necessary.

  When the composition obtained by formulating the mood state improving agent of the present invention and at least one other component is a tablet, the tablet is preferably about 5 tablets and the turmeric extract as bisaclone. The content is 40 μg or more and 24,000 μg or less, more preferably 180 μg or more, most preferably 250 μg or more, more preferably 12,000 μg or less, and most preferably 5,000 μg or less.

  The present invention will be specifically described based on the following experimental results, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

<Materials>
1) Preparation of Turmeric Extract The turmeric extract was prepared by extracting the rhizome part of turmeric (Curcuma longa) with water, and drying the obtained extract under reduced pressure to remove moisture.

The amount of bisaclone in the turmeric extract can be determined by mixing the turmeric extract and ethyl acetate, distilling off ethyl acetate from the supernatant obtained by centrifugation, and using the solution dissolved in acetonitrile as the analysis sample. It calculated | required by attaching | subjecting to chromatography (HPLC). HPLC was performed under the following conditions.
Column: Thermo ODS HYPERSIL (registered trademark) 250 mm × φ4.6 mm (manufactured by Thermo Scientific)
Mobile phase: 65% acetonitrile (20 min) ⇒ 80% acetonitrile (5 min) ⇒ 65% acetonitrile (10 min)
Flow rate: 0.7 ml / min
Temperature: 40 ° C
Detection wavelength: 242 nm

  As a result, it was confirmed that the amount of bisaclone in the turmeric extract was about 0.15% by mass or more and the amount of curcumin was 0.5% by weight or less.

2) Test food Test food 1 is a tablet containing 400 μg of turmeric extract as bisaclone per 5 tablets. Test food 2 is a tablet containing 2,400 μg of turmeric extract as bisaclone per 5 tablets. Each test food is obtained by mixing a turmeric extract, an excipient, a colorant, and a manufacturing agent (fine silicon dioxide, sucrose fatty acid ester), and then tableting into tablets. The placebo food is a tablet prepared by replacing the turmeric extract of the test food with an excipient.

3) Evaluation method of mood state In the shortened version of POMS (Profile of Mode Status), each item of “fatigue”, “tension-anxiety”, “depression-depression”, “anger-hostility”, “liveness”, “confused” Results obtained by evaluating the subject's state in the range of 0 to 4 points with respect to a predetermined number of questions related to the above are totaled for each item to obtain a raw point for each item, and the raw points are standardized Expressed in terms of a score (T score). The larger the raw score or standardized score, the greater the degree of each item. The standardized score was calculated from the mood profile conversion table in the literature appendix (Non-Patent Document 1). “Total Mood Disturbance” (TMD) is an indicator of overall mood status, including “fatigue”, “tension-anxiety”, “depression-depression”, “anger-hostility”, This is a value obtained by subtracting the “liveness” score from the total score of the five items of “confused”.

<Test and results>
For men and women aged 20 to 65 who have a habit of drinking almost daily, take Test Food 1, Test Food 2, or Placebo Food once a day for 5 weeks before dinner for 8 weeks. It was. Forty-eight subjects judged to be eligible for study participation were selected from the results of the pre-examination, and each group was randomly assigned to three groups of 16 and started ingestion. The ingestion period was 8 weeks, and a questionnaire survey with a shortened version of POMS was conducted before ingestion, at 4th and 8th week of ingestion, and 4 weeks after the end of ingestion. Tables 1 to 4 show the average value and standard deviation of the results, and the results of the significant difference test by the student's t test. As shown in Table 1, in the placebo group, a significant increase in the “total mood disorder” score was observed at 4 weeks and 4 weeks after ingestion, compared to before intake, and 8 weeks after ingestion. An increasing trend was observed in the eyes. As shown in Table 2, the amount of change in the 4th week after ingestion of the test food 1 intake group was significantly lower than that in the placebo group. The amount of change in the week showed a trend toward a lower value compared to the placebo group, indicating an improvement in “total mood disorder” by taking the test food. As shown in Table 3, in the placebo group, a significant increase in the “fatigue” score was observed at 8 weeks after ingestion compared to before administration. As shown in Table 4, the change amount from the intake of the test food 1 intake group and the test food 2 intake group before intake 8 weeks was significantly lower than that of the placebo group. An improvement in "fatigue" was shown.

  The improvement of the “total mood disorder” score by the test food 1 and the test food 2 is not only by the improvement of the “fatigue” score, but other evaluation items (“tension-anxiety”, “depression-depression”) ”,“ Anger-hostility ”,“ liveness ”,“ confused ”) scores are the difference between the“ total mood disorder ”score minus the“ fatigue ”score ( Hereinafter, the difference score) was significantly improved in the test food 1 intake group and the test food 2 intake group. Table 5 shows the value of the difference score at each time point before intake, 4 weeks after intake, 8 weeks after intake, and 4 weeks after intake of each test group. Table 6 shows the amount of change from the value before ingestion at the time points of 4 weeks of intake, 8 weeks of intake, and 4 weeks after intake, regarding the difference score of each test group. As shown in Table 5, in the placebo group, a significant increase in the difference score was observed at 4 weeks after ingestion, and an increasing tendency was observed at 4 weeks after ingestion, as compared to before intake. In the placebo group, it is thought that there was some psychological burden due to the start of the study. Moreover, as shown in Table 6, the amount of change in the score of the difference between the intake of the test food 1 intake group and the intake of the 4th week was significantly lower than that of the placebo group. The amount of change in the difference score from the pre-ingestion to the fourth week of ingestion tended to be lower than in the placebo group. From these results, it was clarified that the intake of the test food improved the score of “total mood disorder”-“fatigue”.

  Since the mood state improving agent of the present invention has a mood state improving action, it is useful in applications for improving mood in humans or animals.

Claims (3)

  A mood state improving agent comprising a turmeric extract.   The mood state improving agent according to claim 1, wherein the turmeric extract is a water-soluble turmeric extract extracted using at least one selected from the group consisting of water and a hydrophilic organic solvent as an extraction solvent.   The mood condition improving agent according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the turmeric extract contains bisaclone.