Copepod oil composition, formulations comprising the oil composition, and the use thereof to reduce accumulation of visceral fat, improve glucose tolerance, and prevent or treat obesity related diseases and disorders

Abstract

This invention relates to an oil composition, preferably obtained from a copepod, and the use thereof to reduce accumulation of visceral fat and counteract impairment of heart function caused by obesity inducing Western diets. The oil composition of the present invention can thus be used to reduce abdominal obesity and improve glucose tolerance and thus to reduce the risk of obesity related diseases such as but not limited to type 2 diabetes or cardiovascular disease, or to prevent or treat such diseases.

Description

FIELD OF INVENTION[0001]The present invention concerns an oil composition, particularly an oil composition that reduces accumulation of visceral fat in the body and improves glucose tolerance and hence may be used to prevent or treat obesity related diseases. Oil compositions of the present invention are comprised in pharmaceutical preparations, dietary supplements, and functional food and feed formulations.BACKGROUND OF INVENTION[0002]The prevalence of human obesity has increased dramatically during the last 2-3 decades in all industrialized and urbanized countries, and obesity is an emerging health threat also to people in developing countries adopting Western life-style and food habits. There are no indications that the present world-wide obesity epidemic is under control, and there are no indications of change to the better in the current trend.[0003]Obesity has a number of consequences for human health, such as age related metabolic decline, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes,...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

"The present invention relates to an oil composition that can reduce visceral fat accumulation and improve glucose tolerance, which are associated with obesity-related diseases. The oil composition can be used in pharmaceutical preparations, dietary supplements, and functional food and feed formulations. The invention is based on the discovery that a high ratio of n-6 to n-3 fatty acids in dietary lipids promotes the accumulation of visceral fat and insulin resistance, which are important factors in the development of obesity-related diseases. The invention provides a way to counteract this negative impact by enriching food with plant or marine oils that are rich in n-3 fatty acids. The oil composition can be used to improve the health of people who are struggling with obesity-related diseases by reducing the risk factors associated with them."

Problems solved by technology

The prevalence of human obesity has increased dramatically during the last 2-3 decades in all industrialized and urbanized countries, and obesity is an emerging health threat also to people in developing countries adopting Western life-style and food habits.

The obvious cause of obesity is a net imbalance over time in the dietary energy intake and the body's energy expenditure.

The physiological and medical consequence of such energy imbalance is worsened by a sedentary lifestyle and by over-eating of foods rich in sugars and saturated fat.

But it has been difficult to predict how individual dietary components would affect the pattern of fat accumulation in the body and obesity related diseases.

It has for instance been almost impossible for experts in the field to predict, based on best available knowledge in biochemistry and physiology, that consumption of fructose-sweetened, but not glucose-sweetened, beverages would promote dyslipidemia and lead to increased visceral adiposity and decreased insulin sensitivity in obese humans (K. L. Stanhope et al.

Despite our knowledge on the importance of life-style and nutrition on human health, the psycho-sociological obstacles are high when it comes to willingness to change bad habits.

It is particularly difficult to change established food priorities in a society, even among people who understand and accept that their life-style and food habits are unhealthy.

However, these drugs lead to increased whole-body adiposity, a paradox in light of the general understanding that visceral adiposity is a conditioning factor in diabetes 2 development.

However, they do not inhibit visceral adiposity selectively and their anti-obesity mode of action is apparently related to their ability to enhance respiratory oxygen consumption and metabolic degradation of fat.

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