JP2024006381A - Immunity enhancement regulator - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an immunity enhancement regulator capable of suppression of an allergic symptom, suppression of a cold symptom and increase of saliva IgA.

SOLUTION: A regulator for enhancing immunity includes inulin as an active ingredient. Specifically, a dosage of inulin for enhancing immunity is 3 to 8 g for saliva IgA or a cold symptom, and 8 to 20 g for an allergic symptom, per day.

SELECTED DRAWING: None

COPYRIGHT: (C)2024,JPO&INPIT

Description

The present invention relates to a regulator that improves immunity and contains inulin as an active ingredient.

In recent years, with the establishment of systems such as foods for specified health uses and foods with functional claims, there has been a great deal of interest in foods with health claims and food materials that have these functions. In addition to supplements and so-called health foods, many general foods labeled with physiological functions are now sold on the market.

Dietary fiber is one such supplement or health food material. The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare recommends that adult men consume 21g of dietary fiber per day and adult women 18g per day, so general foods that contain dietary fiber and are labeled as rich in dietary fiber. There are many foods on the market that display physiological functions. Dietary fiber is broadly divided into two types: insoluble dietary fiber and water-soluble dietary fiber. Inulin is a representative example of water-soluble dietary fiber. The typical physiological function of dietary fiber is to regulate the intestines, but water-soluble dietary fibers such as inulin have also been confirmed to have other functions, such as reducing neutral fat and suppressing increases in blood sugar levels. ing. Their functions include water-soluble dietary fiber serving as food for intestinal bacteria, increasing a group of so-called good bacteria, and short-chain fatty acids being produced when these bacteria metabolize water-soluble dietary fiber. It is thought that the effect of improving the intestinal environment contributes.

Due to the spread of the new coronavirus infection in 2020, consumers' awareness of health management and immunity measures has increased. There have also been reports that foods containing lactic acid bacteria that have the effect of improving the intestinal environment and fermented foods can improve immune function, leading to analysis that the market for foods that support physical condition and immunity has expanded.
Regarding the relationship between food and improving immune function, numerous studies have shown that probiotics such as lactic acid bacteria have immunomodulatory functions. Prebiotics, including dietary fiber, are also thought to induce immunomodulatory functions through the gastrointestinal tract.

Immune functions include functions to prevent pathogens from invading, functions to prevent pathogens from multiplying even if they invade, functions to immediately respond to pathogens once exposed, and functions to distinguish abnormalities.The human body is equipped with various immune systems. There is. Due to the spread of viruses, attention has been focused on infection prevention, which is a part of the immune system. Mucosal immunity plays an important role in preventing infection, and immunoglobulin A (IgA) is characteristic of mucosal immunity.

Various tests have been conducted on inulin, a typical water-soluble dietary fiber, and it has been shown that it directly or indirectly affects immune function. IgA is no exception, and there is a report that the amount of IgA in the intestines increases in rats when they ingest a large amount of inulin.
In humans, it has been reported that rugby players with an average body weight of 93 kg ingested about 11 g of inulin per day, and the IgA concentration in their saliva increased, but this has not been published in the literature and the details are unknown (non-patent literature). 1), and it has been reported that secretory IgA such as salivary IgA decreases with high-intensity training (Non-Patent Document 2), and the effect of inulin in this literature is that it suppresses the decrease in secretory IgA. It is thought that there are.
In fact, it has been reported that soldiers who consumed ice cream containing 2.3g of lactic acid bacteria and inulin were able to suppress the decrease in salivary IgA levels after training. However, it also decreased when ice cream containing neither lactic acid bacteria nor inulin was ingested, and the effect of inulin is unclear (Non-Patent Document 3).
Furthermore, in the UK, middle-aged men and women (45-65 years old) with an average BMI of 25 were given 4 g of inulin and 4 g of fructooligosaccharides per day for 4 weeks, but no changes were observed in salivary IgA (non-specific). Patent Document 4).

Most of what is commonly referred to as ``cold symptoms'' are said to be ``acute upper respiratory tract inflammation'' caused by a virus that infects the mucous membranes and causes inflammation. It is a disease in which acute inflammation occurs in the upper respiratory tract, which is the airway from the nasal cavity to the pharynx and larynx.Subjective symptoms include nasal symptoms such as sneezing, runny nose, and stuffy nose, and pharyngeal symptoms such as sore throat, as well as coughing and phlegm. Symptoms include fever, headache, and general malaise. In order to prevent colds, it is effective to maintain and improve the mucosal immune function of the upper respiratory tract.

Although there are not many research examples on the relationship between "cold symptoms", which are the result of maintenance and improvement of immune function, and food, the effects of some lactic acid bacteria have been recognized (Patent Document 1).
Currently, the effect of dietary fiber on cold symptoms has not been confirmed. For example, when athletes were given β-glucan, no effect on the incidence of upper respiratory tract inflammation was observed (Non-Patent Document 5). Healthy people over 70 years of age were given 1.8 g of inulin and 4.2 g of fructooligosaccharide, but no effect on cold symptoms was confirmed (Non-Patent Document 6).

Allergies such as asthma, hay fever, and food allergies, which are serious problems mainly in developed countries, often develop in mucous membrane tissues such as the mouth and stomach. Attempts are being made to prevent allergies. The blood concentration of IgE antibodies, which are antibodies that cause immediate allergic reactions, is widely used as an indicator of allergies.

Feeding mice a diet rich in dietary fiber (guar gum and cellulose) has been shown to reduce serum IgE (Non-Patent Document 7), but feeding dogs a diet rich in inulin has no effect on serum IgE. (Non-patent Document 8).

Patent No. 6999061

The 13th European Nutrition Conference, FENS (2019) Medicine 6 Science in Sports 6 Exercise (1999), 31(1):67-73 British Journal of Nutrition (2021), 126(12):1794-1808 British Journal of Nutrition (2012), 108(10), 1818-1828 Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise (2008), 40(8), 1463-1471 Journal of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (2002), 26(8), 372-376 Cell Reports(2016), 15, 2809-2824 British Journal of Nutrition (2006), 96(5), 936-944

Dietary fiber has a low possibility of laxation and has an intestinal regulating effect, and among them, inulin has a characteristic that it has little effect on taste and can be easily used in general foods. If inulin has the function of maintaining and improving mucosal immunity, it is clear that it can contribute to improving the QOL of consumers. As a result of intensive research, the inventors have discovered that ingestion of inulin can increase saliva IgA, suppress cold symptoms, and suppress allergic symptoms, and have completed the present invention.

That is, the present invention is specifically as follows.
<1> A regulator that improves immunity and contains inulin as an active ingredient.
<2> The regulator having immunity improvement according to <1>, wherein the dose of inulin is 3 g or more and 8 g or less per day for salivary IgA or cold symptoms, and 8 g or more and 20 g or less for allergic symptoms.
<3> The dose of inulin is more than 0.036 g but less than 0.117 g per kg of body weight for salivary IgA or cold symptoms, and 0.13 g or more and less than 0.34 g for allergic symptoms, <1> or <2 ＞The regulator having immunity improvement according to ＞.
<4> Improving immunity according to any one of <1> to <3>, wherein the dose of the fructooligosaccharide component having a number average molecular weight of 400 to 800 is 50% or less of the total inulin per day. A conditioning agent with
<5> The immunostimulating agent according to any one of <1> to <4>, which suppresses the secretion rate of salivary IgA, suppresses cold symptoms, or suppresses allergic symptoms.
<6> The immunostimulating agent according to any one of <1> to <5>, wherein the salivary IgA secretion rate increases before and after ingestion.
<7> The adjustment according to any one of <1> to <6>, wherein the suppression of cold symptoms is at least one of nasal congestion, headache, malaise, chills, and overall clinical symptoms as determined by VAS test method. agent.
<8> The regulating agent according to any one of <1> to <7>, wherein the suppression of allergic symptoms suppresses a decline in memory before and after ingestion.

The functional food of the present invention has inulin as an active ingredient and is highly versatile and can be widely applied to foods and drinks in general.The functional food of the present invention is also highly versatile and can be applied to a wide range of foods and drinks in general. It can also be expected to help with maintenance and disease prevention. Inulin, which can be used in the present invention, is a substance that is contained in wheat and Asteraceae plants, and has been eaten for a long time.It is highly safe for the human body, and can be used continuously over a long period of time without worrying about side effects. Can be taken.

It is a graph showing the amount of change in IgA secretion rate in saliva in test subjects who ingested 5 g of inulin or placebo per day. It is a graph showing changes in allergic symptoms in test subjects who ingested 15 g of inulin or placebo per day.

(inulin)
As used herein, inulin is a fructan polymer represented by GFn (G: glucose, F: fructose, n: number of fructose (n≧2)), and has two or more molecules of D on the fructose side of sucrose. - It means a structure in which fructose is dehydrated and polymerized through β-(2→1) bonds. Inulin is usually sold as a collection with different degrees of polymerization. For example, although there are some differences depending on the type of plant, inulin derived from plants is known to have a distribution of polymerization degrees ranging from about 8 to 60, with an average polymerization degree of around 30. .
The inulin used in the present invention preferably has an average degree of polymerization of 5 or more and 30 or less, more preferably 8 or more and 20 or less, and most preferably 10 or more and 18 or less. If the average degree of polymerization is low, the hygroscopicity will be high, and if the chain length is long, the solubility will be poor, so a limited range is preferable.

The inulin used in the present invention has a low content of low polymers (inulin with an average degree of polymerization of 4 or less), specifically, the proportion of the total inulin used is 15% or less, more preferably 10% or less, Most preferably, it is 5% or less. Low polymers of inulin are called fructooligosaccharides, and since oligosaccharides sometimes exhibit laxative effects, it is preferable to use a small amount.
Inulin used in the present invention is preferably purified by treating sugar with an enzyme, from the viewpoint of solubility and flavor. In addition, the proportion of fructo-oligosaccharide, which is a low polymer of inulin (average degree of polymerization of 4 or less), and oligofructose, which is a decomposition product of inulin, in the total inulin is 50% or less, from the viewpoint of maintaining flavor and keeping hygroscopicity low. , preferably 40% or less, more preferably 30% or less, more preferably 20% or less, most preferably 10% or less.
The average degree of polymerization of the fructooligosaccharide in the present invention is 3 or more and 5 or less, and the number average molecular weight is 343 or more and 990 or less. The molecular weight can be measured by a known method using HPLC or the like.

The inulin used in the present invention is not particularly limited to those extracted from plants, chemically synthesized, or produced by enzymes, and regardless of its origin, it can improve immunity. It can exert an improving effect. When focusing on the degree of polymerization of inulin, the properties differ depending on the degree of polymerization, with low polymers (especially polymerization degree of 4 or less) having a sweet taste, and high polymers (especially polymerization degree of 30 or more) having a characteristic of being difficult to dissolve in water. ing. Therefore, the distribution of the degree of polymerization affects processing characteristics, taste quality, and texture. Therefore, the average degree of polymerization is preferably 5 or more and 30 or less, more preferably 8 or more and 18 or less. It is desirable that the content of low polymers be low, specifically 5% or less based on the inulin used.

Inulin used in the present invention can be analyzed by known methods. For example, as a method for measuring fructan, the AOAC999.03 method is a method of measuring fructan in food by treating it with an enzyme and measuring spectrophotometry. Furthermore, the AOAC997.08 method is a method for measuring fructans in foods by treating them with enzymes and analyzing them by cation exchange chromatography. When measuring water-soluble dietary fiber, enzymatic HPLC method can also be used.
Furthermore, the degree of polymerization of inulin can be measured using known methods. For example, in the AOAC997.08 method, the average degree of polymerization can be obtained by measuring the quantitative ratio of glucose and fructose before and after treatment with an enzyme.
The GPC method (gel permeation chromatography), also called SEC or GFP, is widely used as a method for measuring the molecular weight of polymers. This method can also measure the molecular weight of inulin, that is, the degree of polymerization. Further, the degree of polymerization can be measured by various methods such as a method using light scattering, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and a method using physical phenomena such as viscosity, vapor pressure, and freezing point depression.

The immunity improvement regulator of the present invention may contain dietary fibers other than inulin, such as indigestible dextrin and polydextrose, within a range that does not impair the effects of the present invention, but may not contain them.

(Dose per day)
In the present invention, the amount of inulin administered or ingested per day is preferably 2.3 g or more and 37.5 g or less. The lower limit is preferably 2.3 g or more, more preferably 4.5 g or more. The upper limit is preferably 37.5 g or less, more preferably 25 g or less, and most preferably 15 g or less. Specifically, for saliva IgA or cold symptoms, the amount is preferably 3 g or more and 8 g or less, more preferably 4.5 g or more and 5.5 g or less. Furthermore, for allergic symptoms, the amount is preferably 8 g or more and 20 g or less, more preferably 9 g or more and 11 g or less. These ranges are preferable because immunity is improved.
The above dose is a daily dose, and may be taken in several doses, for example, in the morning, noon and night, but it is preferably taken or administered at once. The administration or intake period is not particularly limited, but is preferably 1 month or longer, more preferably 2 months or longer, and most preferably 3 months or longer.

(Dose per 1 kg of body weight)
In the present invention, the amount of inulin administered or ingested per 1 kg of body weight is preferably more than 0.036 g and less than 0.117 g, more preferably 0.04 g and less than 0.10 g, for salivary IgA or cold symptoms. . Furthermore, for allergic symptoms, the amount is preferably 0.13 g or more and 0.34 g or less, more preferably 0.20 g or more and 0.30 g or less. These ranges are preferable because immunity is improved.
(subject)
The immunopotency-improving regulator of the present invention is intended for administration or ingestion by humans, preferably by normal healthy individuals.

(salivary IgA)
In this specification, the saliva test was conducted as follows.
Saliva collection was performed using Salivet (Salimetrics LLC). Saliva was obtained by biting cotton 60 times at 1 second intervals to soak the cotton in saliva. The salivet was weighed, the amount of saliva secreted per minute (g/min) was calculated, and after centrifugation, it was stored frozen at -20°C until measurement. At a later date, the sIgA concentration (μg/mL) was calculated using a stress marker analyzer CUBE reader (manufactured by SOMA), and the sIgA secretion rate (μg/min) was calculated by multiplying by the salivary secretion amount.

(Suppression of cold symptoms)
In this specification, suppression of cold symptoms was evaluated by visual analog scale (VAS) method. The following items related to cold symptoms were evaluated: ``sore throat,'' ``throat discomfort,'' ``throat swelling,'' ``rough throat,'' and ``hoarse voice.''

VAS
VAS (Visual Analog Scale) clearly shows the minimum and maximum symptoms of a person's subjective sensations, such as fatigue and pain, expresses the degree of sensation as a straight line, and shows where the symptoms are as a person's actual feeling at that time. This is a method of showing the points as points. This method is widely used in the medical field, etc., and is often used especially for the sensation of pain, and is used as a highly sensitive sensation that expresses pain. Specifically, if you draw a 100mm line horizontally on an A4 sheet of paper, and set "Not at all" to the left end and "Most" to the right end, mark "|" on the line to indicate where the current status is for each item. , and the distance (mm) from the starting point to "|" is used as the score for that item.
During the test period, participants will record in a diary every day whether they feel like a cold, sore throat, abdominal pain, cough, stuffy nose, fever, headache, fatigue, diarrhea, or chills. The number of symptomatic days and incidence of cold symptoms were evaluated.

(allergy symptoms)
In this specification, allergic symptoms were measured using the Japan Allergic Rhinitis Standard QOL Questionnaire JRQLQ.

JRQLQ
The RQLQ developed by Juniper et al. is used worldwide as a disease-specific questionnaire for allergic rhinoconjunctivitis, but the JRQLQ was created as a QOL questionnaire suitable for Japan. The JRQLQ has a total of 17 items in 6 areas: Area 1 (Daily Life), Area 2 (Outdoor Activities), Area 3 (Social Life), Area 4 (Sleep), Area 5 (Physical), and Area 6 (Mental Life). configured. Furthermore, 4 items of nasal symptoms, 2 items of ocular symptoms, and overall condition were examined using FRS (facial expression rating scale). Total scores and QOL scores for each domain were calculated. A high score indicates that the QOL of allergic rhinitis was low. It is also used in the medical field as an index to objectively evaluate the QOL and treatment satisfaction of hay fever patients.

In the present invention, the food composition or drink composition having the function of improving and regulating immunity includes, for example, carbonated drinks, various fruit juices, fruit juice drinks and soft drinks containing fruit juice, fruit pulp drinks and fruit drinks containing fruit particles, and vegetables including various vegetables. General drinks such as soy milk/soy milk drinks, coffee drinks, tea drinks, powdered drinks, concentrated drinks, sports drinks, nutritional drinks, and alcoholic drinks containing the above-mentioned drinks; instant noodles, cup noodles, retort/cooked foods , ready-to-eat canned foods, microwave foods, instant miso soup/suimono, canned soups, freeze-dried foods, and other instant foods; cigarettes and other beverages/goods; bread, macaroni/spaghetti, noodles, cake mixes, fried chicken powder, bread crumbs , flour products such as gyoza wrappers; confectionery such as caramel candies, chewing gum, chocolate, cookies and biscuits, cakes and pies, snacks and crackers, Japanese sweets, rice sweets, bean sweets, and dessert sweets; soy sauce, miso, and sauces. , basic seasonings such as processed tomato seasonings, mirin, vinegars, and sweeteners; complex seasonings and foods such as flavor seasonings, cooking mixes, curry ingredients, sauces, dressings, noodle soups, and spices. Oils and fats such as butter, margarines, mayonnaise, and vegetable oils; Milk and dairy products such as milk and processed milk, milk drinks, yogurts, lactic acid bacteria drinks, cheese, ice creams, infant formula, and cream; Freezing materials Frozen foods such as food, semi-cooked frozen foods and cooked frozen foods; processed marine products such as canned seafood, canned fruits and pastes, fish hams and sausages, fish paste products, seafood delicacies, dried seafood, and tsukudani; livestock; Agricultural processed products such as canned goods and pastes, canned meat, canned fruits, jams and marmalade, pickles and boiled beans, dried agricultural products, and cereals (processed grain products); Commercial foods such as baby food, furikake and ochazuke seaweed; liquid preparations Tablets; Capsules; Granules; Powders; Fine granules and the like.

The food composition or beverage composition of the present invention may optionally contain antioxidants, flavors, acidulants, colorants, emulsifiers, preservatives, seasonings, sweeteners, spices, pH adjusters, stabilizers, vegetable oils, animal oils. , sugar and sugar alcohols, vitamins, organic acids, fruit juice extracts, vegetable extracts, grains, beans, vegetables, meat, seafood, and other additives and materials may be blended singly or in combination of two or more. can. The blending amounts of these materials and additives can be appropriately determined within a range that does not impair the purpose of the present invention.

The food composition or beverage composition of the present invention includes a molded container (PET bottle) containing polyethylene terephthalate as a main component, a metal can, a paper container composited with metal foil or plastic film, a pouch such as an aluminum pouch, a plastic container, It can be provided by being filled in ordinary packaging containers such as vinyl containers, PTP (Press Through Package) packaging, and bottles such as glass bottles, and the capacity thereof is not particularly limited.

The food composition and beverage composition of the present invention include functional foods (drinks) and health foods (drinks). In this specification, "health food (beverage)" means a food or drink that has some effect on health or can be expected to have some effect, and "functional food (beverage)" refers to Among "health foods (drinks)," those that fully express the various biological regulatory functions mentioned above (i.e., the regulatory functions of physiological systems such as the digestive system, circulatory system, endocrine system, immune system, or nervous system) means a food or beverage that is designed and processed so that it can

There is no particular restriction on the amount of inulin to be added to the food composition or beverage composition as long as it does not impair the effects of the present invention, and is usually 0.1 to 10% by weight based on the food composition or beverage composition. , or 1 to 5% by weight.

The present invention will be explained in more detail with reference to Production Examples and Examples below. However, the present invention is not limited to this. In this specification, unless otherwise specified, % indicates weight %.

[Production example 1: Oat milk with inulin]
Oat milk containing inulin was obtained by adding 1.5% to 3.0% inulin to 97.0% to 98.5% oats and heating and filling the mixture. Oat milk is attracting attention as a non-animal milk for people with dairy allergies and vegetarians. In addition, oat milk contains a lot of vitamin D and calcium that activate macrophages, which are responsible for eating and destroying bacteria and viruses that enter the body, and when inoculated with inulin, it improves immunity. can be expected. In addition, the addition of inulin had the effect of softening the harsh taste and harshness characteristic of grains and smoothing the mouthfeel.

[Production example 2: Bliss balls containing inulin]
Bliss balls containing inulin were obtained by mixing 30% dried prunes, 17.5% almonds, 5% Teff powder, 7.5% cocoa powder, 10% inulin, and 30% oatmeal and solidifying the mixture into a ball. The addition of inulin improves the overall cohesiveness and makes it easier to form into a ball. It also had the effect of softening the rough and harsh taste peculiar to oatmeal and smoothing the mouthfeel. Oatmeal contains fats and oils that contain B vitamins, which are useful for recovering from fatigue, vitamin E, which has an antioxidant effect, minerals such as magnesium and zinc, and beta-glucan, which can improve immunity, and when taken at the same time as inulin, it improves immunity. can be expected.

[Example 1: Functional verification]
This study was a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, parallel-group comparison study to examine the effects of inulin intake on allergies and mucosal immunity in healthy adults. Subjects ingested a prescribed amount of inulin or a placebo (maltodextrin) each day. Before and after ingestion, saliva samples were collected and tests such as VAS and JRQLQ were conducted.

(Test 1)
Fifty healthy adult men and women over the age of 60 were divided into 25 and 25 participants based on gender and age to ensure that there was no significant bias between the test substance group and the placebo group. After ingesting 5 g of inulin (test product group) or 5 g of a placebo for 6 weeks, a saliva test was conducted. The analysis was conducted with 22 people in the test product group and 22 people in the placebo group, excluding a few people who were excluded for reasons such as taking supplements that could affect the results. The average weight of all subjects was 60.27 kg. The results are shown in Figure 1. FIG. 1 is a graph showing the amount of change in IgA secretion rate in saliva in test subjects who ingested 5 g of inulin or placebo per day.
In the difference values before and after ingestion, the amount of change was significantly greater in the test substance group than in the placebo group.
A similar trend was also observed in similar tests on healthy adult men and women aged 20 years or older.

There are reports that there is a positive correlation between salivary IgA secretion and serum IgA concentration, and IgA, a type of immunoglobulin, has extremely important biological effects such as inhibiting mucosal epithelial adhesion of microorganisms and neutralizing antibodies against viruses and toxins. It has a defensive function. Furthermore, when intestinal Peyer's patches receive immune stimulation, a homing phenomenon occurs in which IgA-producing cells reach various mucosal surfaces such as the nasal mucosa and oral mucosa via the blood. Secretory IgA (s-IgA) in the oral mucosa acts as a primary defense mechanism to prevent microorganisms and viruses from entering the body. Based on these facts, it is considered that IgA in saliva can be used as an indicator of human immune competence.
Also, depending on the conditions at the time of saliva collection, if the secretion rate of saliva itself increases, the salivary IgA concentration will decrease relatively, and if the oral cavity becomes dry or saliva secretion is suppressed, the concentration will decrease relatively. It gets expensive. Therefore, it may be difficult to evaluate based on the measured value of salivary IgA concentration, and salivary IgA secretion rate is said to be a useful index.

(Test 2)
Fifty healthy adult men and women aged 20 years or older were assigned to each group based on gender and age, with 25 participants in order to avoid significant bias between the test substance group and the placebo group. Before ingestion and after ingestion of 5 g of inulin (test product group) or 5 g of placebo for 4 weeks, a VAS test was conducted for cold symptoms. Participants were asked to record in a drinking diary the presence or absence of cold symptoms, such as ``sore throat'' and ``sore throat''. Excluding a few people who were excluded for reasons such as failure to collect questionnaires, analysis was conducted with 21 people in the test product group and 23 people in the placebo group. The average weight of all subjects was 56.89 kg. The results are shown in Table 1. Table 1 shows the number of days with cold symptoms in test subjects who ingested 5 g of inulin or placebo per day.

Compared to the placebo group, significantly lower values were observed in the test product group for site-specific symptoms such as nasal congestion and headache, and for systemic symptoms such as malaise and chills. Furthermore, significantly lower values were observed in "overall clinical symptoms."
Cohen et al. reported that subjects with high levels of mental stress were more likely to develop cold symptoms than those without, and that mental stress was also associated with the preventive effect on cold symptoms. Conceivable. It is thought that inulin intake improved the intestinal environment and alleviated mental stress, resulting in a reduction in cold symptoms.

(Test 3)
Fifty healthy adult men and women over the age of 20 with allergic symptoms were assigned to each group based on gender and age, with 25 participants in order to avoid significant bias between the test substance group and the placebo group. Before the intake and after 4 weeks of ingesting 15 g of inulin (test product group) or 15 g of the placebo, a JRQLQ questionnaire test was conducted. The analysis was conducted with 20 people in the test product group and 24 people in the placebo group, excluding a few people who were excluded for reasons such as taking supplements that could affect the results. The results are shown in Figure 2. FIG. 2 is a graph showing changes in allergic symptoms in test subjects who ingested 15 g of inulin or placebo per day.

In a group comparison based on the difference before and after intake, a significantly lower change in memory decline was observed in the test product group compared to the placebo group.
The JRQLQ has been proven to reflect well the QOL of patients with perennial allergic rhinitis and to be useful in daily clinical practice.

The food having the function of improving and regulating immunity according to the present invention has inulin as an active ingredient and is highly versatile and can be widely applied to foods and drinks in general. In addition, inulin's intestinal regulating effects can be expected to not only improve immunity but also maintain health and prevent diseases.

Claims (8)

A regulator that improves immunity and contains inulin as an active ingredient. 2. The immunostimulating agent according to claim 1, wherein the dose of inulin is 3 g or more and 8 g or less per day for salivary IgA or cold symptoms, and 8 g or more and 20 g or less for allergic symptoms. The immunization according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the dose of inulin is more than 0.036 g and less than 0.117 g per kg of body weight for salivary IgA or cold symptoms, and from 0.13 g to 0.34 g for allergic symptoms. Conditioner with power enhancement. The immunostimulating agent according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the dose of the fructooligosaccharide component having a number average molecular weight of 400 to 800 is 50% or less of the total inulin per day. The immunostimulating agent according to any one of claims 1 to 4, which suppresses salivary IgA secretion rate, suppresses cold symptoms, or suppresses allergic symptoms. The regulator having immunity improvement according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the salivary IgA secretion rate increases before and after ingestion. The agent according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the suppression of cold symptoms is at least one of nasal congestion, headache, malaise, chills, and general clinical symptoms as determined by a VAS test method. The regulating agent according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the suppression of allergic symptoms suppresses a decline in memory before and after ingestion.