Patent Abstract:
triglycerides and cholesterol in the bloodstream are important factors in the development in the development of cardiovascular disease . the present invention discloses a nutritional supplement comprising a sterol and an omega - 3 fatty acid , or an ester thereof , for lowering cholesterol and triglyceride levels in the bloodstream of a subject . preferably , the sterol and omega - 3 fatty acid are together in the form of an ester .

Detailed Description:
the sterols used to prepare the nutritional supplement of the present invention are preferably phytosterols , and preferably have a perhydrocyclopentanophenanthrene ring system as shown below in the compound of formula i : wherein the dashed line is a single or double bond and r is a ( c 1 - c 10 ) alkyl , substituted ( c 1 - c 10 ) alkyl , ( c 2 - c 10 ) alkenyl or substituted ( c 2 - c 10 ) alkenyl group . in the present application , the term “ sterols ” includes sterols in reduced form ( stanols ), preferably β - sitostanol or fucostanol ( reduced fucosterol ). one or more sterols can be used to prepare the nutritional supplement . the term “ phytosterols ” includes sterols from terrestrial or marine plants , seaweed , microalgae , etc . preferably , the sterol is stigmasterol , sitosterol or fucosterol , as shown below , or β - sitostanol or fucostanol fucosterol is abundant in brown algae . prior to esterification with the omega - 3 fatty acid , fucosterol can be reduced to fucostanol . preferably , the reduction is carried out using hydrogen gas in the presence of a suitable catalyst such as palladium on charcoal ( pd / c ), but other reduction processes that ultimately yield a food - quality ester , after purification if necessary , may be used . the nutritional supplement of the present invention comprises one or more omega - 3 fatty acids , and is preferably an ester of an acid of the formula : wherein r 1 is a ( c 3 - c 40 ) alkenyl group comprising at least one double bond , more preferably 2 to 5 double bonds . more preferably , the omega - 3 fatty acid is stearidonic acid 18 : 4ω3 ( sa ), eicosapentaenoic acid 20 : 5ω3 ( epa ) or docosahexaenoic acid 22 : 6ω3 ( dha ). omega - 3 fatty acids , such as epa and dha , are long - chain polyunsaturated fatty acids ( lcpufas ) that are abundant in oily fish such as menhaden , salmon , tuna , and sardine , as well as in certain plants and microbes , such as articular fungi and microalgae . the preferred source of omega - 3 fatty acids for the present invention is fish oil , more preferably a highly refined fish oil concentrate having approximately 65 % omega - 3 fatty acid content which is predominantly epa and dha in the form of triglyceride esters . these triglycerides are preferably converted to lower alkyl esters by known methods and used in an esterification with a sterol to form esters , which can be further purified if necessary , for use as nutritional supplements . the cardiovascular effects of dietary fish oils have long been recognized [ 18 , 19 ]. omega - 3 fatty acids lower plasma triglyceride concentrations principally by inhibiting synthesis of triacylglycerol and vldl by the liver [ 20 ]. in addition , omega - 3 fatty acids are anti - thrombotic and are protective against cardiac arrhythmias [ 21 ]. the benefits of fish oil consumption are illustrated by the finding of the diet and reinfarction trial ( dart ) which showed a reduction of 29 % in the overall mortality in survivors of a first myocardial infarction who consumed fish rich in omega - 3 fatty acids at least twice weekly [ 22 ]. two recent studies demonstrate the efficacy of omega - 3 fatty acid supplementation . in a randomized , double - blind , placebo - controlled trial patients with coronary artery disease who ingested a 1 . 5 g / day fish oil supplement ( 55 % epa and dha ) for two years had less progression and more regression of their disease based on coronary angiography compared to patients ingesting the placebo [ 23 ]. in the gissi - prevenzione trial , omega - 3 fatty acid supplements in patients who had myocardial infarction reduced cardiovascular death by 30 % [ 24 ]. although omega - 3 fatty acids are anti - atherogenic , they do not lower plasma cholesterol and in some incidences may slightly increase ldl - cholesterol [ 25 ]. safety and toxicological studies spanning several years have shown that fish oils are safe to consume . recently , fatty acids such as the omega - 3 fatty acids from fish oil were granted gras ( generally regarded as safe ) status in the united states , which permits their addition to foods low in long - chain polyunsaturated fatty acids . the typical north american diet contains about 0 . 15 grams omega - 3 fatty acids whereas inuit may ingest up to 10 grams of omega - 3 fatty acids daily . a daily intake of 2 to 3 grams of omega - 3 fatty acids has consistently been shown to lower plasma triglycerides [ 18 ]. therefore , a suitable daily intake of omega - 3 fatty acid in the present invention is about 0 . 1 to about 10 grams , preferably about 2 to about 3 grams , but clearly greater amounts can be tolerated , and may be beneficial . phytosterols are considered safe for human consumption . a typical daily intake in north america is about 100 to 300 milligrams . however , a dose of greater than 3 grams of the phytosterol esters are required to have significant impact on plasma cholesterol levels [ 13 ]. such doses are safe with no known side effects . in the present invention , a preferred daily intake of phytosterol is about 2 to about 3 grams . phytosterol esters prepared using fish oil as the source of omega - 3 fatty acids contain a significant amount of epa and dha . such esters can simultaneously reduce serum cholesterol and serum triglyceride levels . the triglyceride - lowering ability of the omega - 3 fatty acid component of the ester is dependent on its entry into the circulatory system . a lipid esterase in the intestinal lumen may be responsible for release of the omega - 3 fatty acid from the phytosterol , which would make both species available for uptake into the circulatory system . there is a non - specific lipid esterase , secreted into the intestinal lumen during digestion that is active against a variety of molecular species including cholesterol esters , monoglycerides , and esters of vitamin a [ 26 ]. at least one additive , such as listed below , can be included for consumption with the nutritional supplement of the invention and may have , for example , antioxidant , dispersant , antimicrobial , or solubilizing properties . a suitable antioxidant is , for example , vitamin c , vitamin e or rosemary extract . a suitable dispersant is , for example , lecithin , an alkyl polyglycoside , polysorbate 80 or sodium lauryl sulfate . a suitable antimicrobial is , for example , sodium sulfite or sodium benzoate . a suitable solubilizing agent is , for example , a vegetable oil such as sunflower oil , coconut oil , and the like , or mono -, di - or tri - glycerides . additives include vitamins such as vitamin a ( retinol , retinyl palmitate or retinol acetate ), vitamin b1 ( thiamin , thiamin hydrochloride or thiamin mononitrate ), vitamin b2 ( riboflavin ), vitamin b3 ( niacin , nicotinic acid or niacinamide ), vitamin b5 ( pantothenic acid , calcium pantothenate , d - panthenol or d - calcium pantothenate ), vitamin b6 ( pyridoxine , pyridoxal , pyridoxamine or pyridoxine hydrochloride ), vitamin b12 ( cobalamin or cyanocobalamin ), folic acid , folate , folacin , vitamin h ( biotin ), vitamin c ( ascorbic acid , sodium ascorbate , calcium ascorbate or ascorbyl palmitate ), vitamin d ( cholecalciferol , calciferol or ergocalciferol ), vitamin e ( d - alpha - tocopherol , d - beta - tocopherol , d - gamma - tocopherol , d - delta - tocopherol or d - alpha - tocopheryl acetate ) and vitamin k ( phylloquinone or phytonadione ). other additives include minerals such as boron ( sodium tetraborate decahydrate ), calcium ( calcium carbonate , calcium caseinate , calcium citrate , calcium gluconate , calcium lactate , calcium phosphate , dibasic calcium phosphate or tribasic calcium phosphate ), chromium ( gtf chromium from yeast , chromium acetate , chromium chloride , chromium trichloride and chromium picolinate ) copper ( copper gluconate or copper sulfate ), fluorine ( fluoride and calcium fluoride ), iodine ( potassium iodide ), iron ( ferrous fumarate , ferrous gluconate or ferrous sulfate ), magnesium ( magnesium carbonate , magnesium gluconate , magnesium hydroxide or magnesium oxide ), manganese ( manganese gluconate and manganese sulfate ), molybdenum ( sodium molybdate ), phosphorus ( dibasic calcium phosphate , sodium phosphate ), potassium ( potassium aspartate , potassium citrate , potassium chloride or potassium gluconate ), selenium ( sodium selenite or selenium from yeast ), silicon ( sodium metasilicate ), sodium ( sodium chloride ), strontium , vanadium ( vanadium sulfate ) and zinc ( zinc acetate , zinc citrate , zinc gluconate or zinc sulfate ). other additives include amino acids , peptides , and related molecules such as alanine , arginine , asparagine , aspartic acid , carnitine , citrulline , cysteine , cystine , dimethylglycine , gamma - aminobutyric acid , glutamic acid , glutamine , glutathione , glycine , histidine , isoleucine , leucine , lysine , methionine , ornithine , phenylalanine , proline , serine , taurine , threonine , tryptophan , tyrosine and valine . other additives include animal extracts such as cod liver oil , marine lipids , shark cartilage , oyster shell , bee pollen and d - glucosamine sulfate . other additives include unsaturated free fatty acids such as γ - linoleic , arachidonic and α - linolenic acid , which may be in an ester ( e . g . ethyl ester or triglyceride ) form . other additives include herbs and plant extracts such as kelp , pectin , spirulina , fiber , lecithin , wheat germ oil , safflower seed oil , flax seed , evening primrose , borage oil , blackcurrant , pumpkin seed oil , grape extract , grape seed extract , bark extract , pine bark extract , french maritime pine bark extract , muira puama extract , fennel seed extract , dong quai extract , chaste tree berry extract , alfalfa , saw palmetto berry extract , green tea extracts , angelica , catnip , cayenne , comfrey , garlic , ginger , ginseng , goldenseal , juniper berries , licorice , olive oil , parsley , peppermint , rosemary extract , valerian , white willow , yellow dock and yerba mate . other additives include enzymes such as amylase , protease , lipase and papain as well as miscellaneous substances such as menaquinone , choline ( choline bitartrate ), inositol , carotenoids ( beta - carotene , alpha - carotene , zeaxanthin , cryptoxanthin or lutein ), para - aminobenzoic acid , betaine hcl , free omega - 3 fatty acids and their esters , thiotic acid ( alpha - lipoic acid ), 1 , 2 - dithiolane - 3 - pentanoic acid , 1 , 2 - dithiolane - 3 - valeric acid , alkyl polyglycosides , polysorbate 80 , sodium lauryl sulfate , flavanoids , flavanones , flavones , flavonols , isoflavones , proanthocyanidins , oligomeric proanthocyanidins , vitamin a aldehyde , a mixture of the components of vitamin a 2 , the d vitamins ( d 1 , d 2 , d 3 and d 4 ) which can be treated as a mixture , ascorbyl palmitate and vitamin k 2 . the nutritional supplement of the invention is typically a viscous oil and can be added to a foodstuff composition during processing of the foodstuff . such a foodstuff composition is often referred to as a functional food , and can be any food that will tolerate the physicochemical properties of the nutritional supplement , for example , margarine , cooking oil , shortening or mayonnaise . it can also be packaged for consumption in softgel , capsule , tablet or liquid form . it can be supplied in edible polysaccharide gums , for example carrageenan , locust bean gum , guar , tragacanth , cellulose and carboxymethylcellulose . the nutritional supplement can also be microencapsulated . microencapsulation can be carried out , for example , using a gelatin such as bovine gelatin in a co - extrusion process , prior to processing into a foodstuff composition , for example baked goods , candy , margarines and spreads , ice cream , yogurts , frozen desserts , cake mixes and pudding mixes . the packaging of the nutritional supplement should preferably provide physical protection from such effects as ph , particularly basic conditions , oxidation and degradation by light . this latter effect can be minimized for example by changing the mesh size of the microencapsulation or inclusion of a suitable dye . the nutritional supplement can also be stored in a light - opaque container to minimize photodegradation . the example below describes synthesis of an ester of the invention . esterification can be performed according to known methods , such as acid catalysis ( u . s . pat . no . 5 , 892 , 068 : higgins iii , issued apr . 6 , 1999 ). preferably however , a base is used to promote esterification , more preferably transesterification . more preferably , the base is a metal ( c 1 - c 10 ) alkoxide , even more preferably sodium methoxide or ethoxide . a mixture of dry stigmasterol ( 3 g , 7 . 27 mmol ) and a highly concentrated mixture of epa and dha omega - 3 fatty acids in ethyl ester form ( epax ™ 5500 , pronova ; 4 . 3 g , 12 . 6 mmol ) were heated while being stirred magnetically at 140 to 145 ° c . for 2 hours under vacuum ( 5 mm ). subsequently the vacuum was disconnected and powdered sodium methoxide ( 40 mg , 0 . 75 mmol ) was added quickly in one portion . the vacuum was connected immediately and the mixture was stirred at 140 to 145 ° c . for an additional 4 hours . hexane ( 25 ml ) was added to precipitate the residual stigmasterol and the mixture was centrifuged for 5 minutes at 15 , 000 g ( 0 ° c . ), the supernatant was removed and the pellet was washed again with 5 ml of hexane . the remaining precipitate was centrifuged off and the supernatants combined . the organic phase was washed with water ( 5 ml ), dried over sodium sulfate and the solvent removed under reduced pressure . tlc ( hexane / diethylether / acetic acid ( 90 : 10 : 1 ), r f 0 . 71 . the yield was 5 . 9 g ( 85 %). the ester product was a viscous oil . when the experiment was repeated using freshly made sodium ethoxide , almost the same level of conversion was obtained as with sodium methoxide . however , this was not seen with commercially available sodium ethoxide , which performed more poorly than sodium methoxide . 1 criqui , m . h . triglycerides and cardiovascular disease : a focus on clinical trials . 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