Patent ID: 7906488

Claim:
Method of inhibiting the occurrence of hepatic steatosis and liver damage directly resulting therefrom in a healthy subject comprising providing said subject a diet with enhanced levels of a sphingolipid selected from the group consisting of: (a) sphingolipids having the general formula (I) wherein Z is R 3 or —CH(OH)—R 3 ; A is sulphate, sulphonate, phosphate, phosphonate or —C(O)O—; R 1 is H, hydroxyl, alditol, glycosyl, an alcohol, C 1 -C 6 alkyl or amino acid; R 2 is H or unsaturated or saturated (C 1 -C 30 ) alkyl chain; R 3 is unsaturated or saturated (C 1 -C 30 ) alkyl chain; Q 1 is a primary amine group (—NH 2 ), secondary amine group (—NH—) or an amide group (—NH—CO—); and t is 0 or 1; (b) sphingolipids having the general formula (II) wherein Z is R 3 or CH(OH)—R 3 , and R 3 is an unsaturated or saturated (C 1 -C 30 ) alkyl chain, or a precursor, a derivative or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof; and (c) sphingolipids having the general formula (III) wherein Z is R 3 or CH(OH)—R 3 , preferably R 3 ; Q 1 is a primary amine group (—NH 2 ), a secondary amine group (—NH—) or an amide group (—NH—CO—); preferably an amide group, and R 2 is H or unsaturated or saturated (C 1 -C 30 ) alkyl chain; R 3 is an unsaturated or saturated (C 1 -C 30 ) alkyl chain, preferably an unsaturated (C 1 -C 30 ) alkyl chain; or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof.