Patent: Use of a composition comprising fish oil and juice for the treatment of inflammation

Inflammation in the Body is Indispensable Sometimes

Inflammation is not bad all the time! Think of those times when you have a cut in your finger or bang your elbows against a door and the surrounding area is inflamed-its acute inflammation and this is helpful in the sense that the body sends out an army of white blood cells to surround and protect the area with visible swelling and redness. So, inflammation is nothing but the body’s natural response to protect itself against harmful stimuli and start the healing process. It is of two types-acute and chronic. Acute inflammation starts rapidly and also becomes severe in no time such as in the case of acute bronchitis or appendicitis but also here, inflammation is indispensable without which the infection could become deadly. Chronic inflammation is a response to unwanted substance in the body, a failure to eliminate the causing agent, an autoimmune response to a self-antigen or a chronic irritant of low intensity that stays on such as toxins from cigarette smoke or excess presence of fat cells. This is hazardous and has the ability to develop into serious complications such as atherosclerosis, Alzheimer’s, cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). If we take up the case of atherosclerosis, inflammation inside the arteries paves way for the buildup of fatty, cholesterol-rich plaque that the body considers as abnormal and hence, it tries to eliminate this plaque from the blood flow. If the walls break there are high chances that the plaque would rupture, and the contents might mix up with blood forming a clot that blocks blood flow. Such clots lead to heart attacks and strokes. So, inflammation is a necessary evil that has consequences depending on the type of inflammation that happens in every individual.

Omega-3 fatty acids are one of the best anti-inflammatory agents that also have an immune-modulating effect in diseases and conditions where inflammation is the underlying cause. These nutrients are necessary for an individual not only after birth but also when he/she is a fetus as they are the building blocks of every membrane of the cell in the human body and also regulate most biological functions. Fish oils are the best sources of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) as the body cannot produce these fatty acids on its own and we are forced to procure them through the food that we eat. Alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic aicd (DHA) together comprise the omega-3 family. Walnuts, certain beans and olive oils are great sources of ALA while fish including fish oils and supplements contain DHA and EPA. Oxygenation metabolites such as resolvins and protectins are said to have potent anti-inflammatory and immunoregulatory actions. These metabolites along with other metabolites such as lipoxins and maresins help in resolving the inflammation by removing leucocytes and cellular debris. Multiple research results show that a composition containing low oxidized fish oil and juice in an oil-in-water emulsion is a good cure against inflammation and diseases where inflammation is the underlying cause. The present invention in the patent too consists of a composition of fish oil and juice where the fish oil has a totox value below 20 and omega-3 content above 10% by weight depending on the total weight of the fish oil for fighting against inflammation and diseases whose underlying cause is inflammation. The invention uses the composition and focuses mainly on diseases including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Alzheimer’s disease (AD) including mild cognitive impairment (MCI), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) and obesity/overweight whose underlying cause is inflammation.

ALS: 11 ALS patients were studied, their disability measured before and after therapy and baseline inflammation gene transcription in peripheral blood mononuclear cells was investigated. ALS patients commonly witness inflammation in the spinal cord and here, 3 patients in the study consumed the composition used in the present invention. Results showed that using the composition of this invention lowered expression of inflammatory mRNA and also slowed ALS progress.

COPD: Here, there is an abnormal inflammatory response to inhaled gases and particulates and the key inflammatory cells are macrophages. Individuals with COPD often follow a poor diet, their muscle function is compromised and there are greater chances of malnutrition. Participants aged between 45 and 80 years took part in the study which happened for 6 months. A cell study mimicking COPD-like conditions were conducted. There was an extensive reduction in inflammation after dispensing the oil-and-juice mix.

Asthma, cystic fibrosis, rheumatoid arthritis, post-operative cognitive decline, stroke, coronary disease, diabetes, metabolic frailty, inflammatory bowel disease, traumatic brain injury and recovery from stroke, cachexia and sarcopenia may also be treated with the composition of the present invention. The fish oil used in the invention might be selected from any fish oil preparation whose oxidation level is low and has a mild fishy odor and taste. The juice content is about 20-95% by weight based on the total weight of the composition. The fruits selected for the juice must be high in antioxidants and have minimum levels of metal ions functioning as oxidizing agents. For instance, fruits such as apricots, pomegranates, grapefruit, pineapple, cranberry, raspberry, watermelon, peach, grapes, apple, mango, kiwi, passionfruit and lemons might be used for making the juice. Also, beets, greens such as kale, spinach, parsley and celery, cucumber and carrots might be used. The juice can be fresh-pressed or made by adding water to juice concentrates and juice purees thereby resulting in a normal ready-to-use juice. The composition might further be added with yoghurt powder or other powders such as hemp milk powder, almond milk powder or oat milk powder. This helps in thickening the composition and might be around 5-10% of the total composition by weight. Its mostly that vitamins, mostly vitamin D, are also added as a part of the composition. Emulsifiers such as milk solids, whey protein, oat protein and pea protein are used to stabilize the oil-in-water emulsion comprising of fish oil and juice. The composition for administration may be at a dosage in a range from 300 mg/day to 5000 mg/day of EPA and DHA where the preferred ranges include 3000 mg/day, more preferred includes 2000 mg/day and most preferred includes about 1199 mg/day. The composition might be given as a drink in a volume range of 50-300 ml, preferably 100 ml and more preferably 200 ml. The individual is administered one or several unit doses of the drink per day depending on his/her body weight. The patent was published on December 31st, 2014 and for more information on the patent please visit the following sites:

United States Patent & Trademark Office: http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-bool.html&r=26&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=PTXT&s1=fitness&s2=%22exercise+weight%22&OS=fitness+AND+%22exercise+weight%22&RS=fitness+AND+%22exercise+weight%22

European Patent Office: https://worldwide.espacenet.com/publicationDetails/biblio?DB=EPODOC&II=2&ND=3&adjacent=true&locale=en_EP&FT=D&date=20170616&CC=HK&NR=1221875A1&KC=A1

World Intellectual Property Organization: https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=WO2014209132&_cid=P20-K04XKM-74473-1