Calpis Co., Ltd.

The Calpis Food Industry Co., Ltd.

Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha Corporation

Toshiaki Takano

Akihiro Masuyama

Naoyuki Yamamoto

Yoshinori Moriyama

Teppei Nakamura

Seiji Tsuboi

Yoshiko Masujima

Hideo Nojima

Yoshinori Sekoguchi

Yoshio Saito

Akio Miyata

Kazuo Nishikawa

Kohji Ohki

Mamoru Morikawa

Yasukata Takeda

Katsutoshi Noguchi

Takeshi Furukawa

Keita Ueno

Tatsuhiko Hirota

Yasunori Nakamura

Toshiyuki Kai

Akira Futami

Yuji Naito

Hiroshi Ichikawa

Satomi Akagiri

Toshikazu Yoshikawa

The present invention provides an agent having a suppressive action against the thickening of the heart wall, a prophylactic agent for heart failure containing the above described agent, and functional foods expected to have a prophylactic effect for heart failure. The agent for suppressing heart wall thickening comprises Xaa Pro Pro as an active ingredient.

Prophylactic agent for heart failure

Disclosed are agents for phase-adjusting or enhancing the amplitude of an endogenous melatonin secretion rhythm and for improving a circadian rhythm, as well as functional food containing such an agent, which may prevent or ameliorate various symptoms, such as sleep disorder or prolonged sleep latency. The agent contains whey as the active component.

Functional food for ameliorating endogenous melatonin secretion rhythm and functional food for ameliorating circadian rhythm

The present invention provides an agent for preventing or suppressing hepatic dysfunction which may be taken daily and continuously, has excellent safety, and is capable of effectively preventing and/or suppressing hepatic dysfunction, such as hepatocellular necrosis, and functional food, such as foods for specified health uses, for preventing or suppressing hepatic dysfunction containing this agent. The agent for preventing or suppressing hepatic dysfunction of the present invention contains whey as the active component, and the functional food for preventing or suppressing hepatic dysfunction contains the agent for preventing or suppressing hepatic dysfunction.

Agent for preventing or suppressing hepatopathy and functional food for preventing or suppressing hepatopathy

The invention provides a method for reducing stress comprising administering an anti-stress agent winch can be administered repeatedly and daily without any problems with safety, and which can mitigate and prevent mental and physical symptoms cause by stress. The anti-stress gent comprises as an effective ingredient a tripeptide, particularly Ile-Pro-Pro and/or Val-Pro-Pro and/or a salt thereof, having angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitory activity.

Antistress agents and functional foods

Lactic acid bacteria of the genus Lactobacillus having the following specific properties: (1) an increased amount of acidity of lactic acid when storing a product cultured by the bacteria at 10.degree. C. for two weeks being 0.5% or less; (2) an activity of cell membrane bound adenosine triphosphatase-being 5 .mu.mol.Pi/min/mg protein or less; and (3) the bacteria having neomycin resistance. Furthermore, a fermented milk product containing the lactic acid bacteria is disclosed.

Fermented milk product

Lactic acid bacteria of the genus Lactobacillus having the following specific properties: (1) an increased amount of acidity of lactic acid when storing a product cultured by the bacteria at 10.degree. C. for two weeks being 0.5% or less; (2) an activity of cell membrane bound adenosine triphosphatase being 5 .mu.mol.multidot.Pi/min/mg protein or less; and (3) the bacteria having neomycin resistance.

Lactobacillus helveticus mutants having low increase in acidity of

An angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor contains as an effective constituent Val-Pro-Pro and contains 3 to 10 amino acid residues. A method for producing the aforementioned angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor involves fermenting a foodstuff material containing Val-Pro-Pro as a constituent component with lactic acid bacteria.

Angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor and method for preparing same

Lactic acid bacteria Lactobacillus casei C-2254 (FERM P-9109; FERM BP-1723) and Bifidobacterium longum are cultivated in mixture or are mixed after being separately cultivated, and thus a bifidobacteria-containing lactic acid bacteria-fermented milk with an elevated survival rate of Bifidobacterium longum is obtained.

Method of preparation of bifidobacteria-containing fermented milk

Growing community of inventors

Kawasaki, Japan

Toshiaki Takano