BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to synergistic amino acid formulations for enhancing pancreatic viability.

Description of Related Art

Type 2 Diabetes is a chronic condition affecting millions of people in the US. Type 2 Diabetes affects the way the body metabolizes sugar (glucose), resulting in either resisting the effects of insulin or deficient insulin production to maintain a normal glucose level. There have been several attempts to cure the disease and currently there is no single drug based/statistically validated method which can live up to the claim of curing the disease. The challenge currently the medical and healthcare providers face is controlling and stopping the disease progression.

Most prior art and medicinal approaches have been to find synthetic variants of insulin or other hypoglycemia inducing substances. However, the primary emphasis should be on enhancing the cellular health and viability. Prior art use of amino acids is limited to finding a solution for the glucose insufficiency. Even though multiple amino-acid based blends have been in the market for years, there is not a single product which is completely based on amino acids.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is broadly concerned with amino acid formulations for pancreatic vitality. In one aspect, the formulations comprise a mixture of a plurality of amino acids, wherein the mixture comprises at least one amino acid selected from the group consisting of serine, glutamic acid, and/or carnitine.

The amino acid formulations improve and enhance, pancreatic vitality in subjects in need thereof, or maintain (healthy) pancreatic vitality in healthy individuals. The formulations are useful for methods of enhancing pancreatic islet cell viability. The method generally comprises contacting a pancreatic islet cell with a therapeutically effective amount of an amino acid formulation according to the various embodiments of the invention.

In one aspect, the formulations are useful for decreasing (or stabilizing) blood glucose levels in a subject in need thereof (e.g., one having elevated blood glucose levels). This may include a diabetic or prediabetic individual, as well as a healthy individual under a heavy glucose load (e.g., after too many sweets) or simply wanting to maintain healthy pancreatic function. In general, the current recommended “normal” blood glucose levels (tested while fasting) for non-diabetic individuals should be between 70 to 100 mg/dL, and about 125 mg/dL non-fasting. For diabetic individuals, “normal” fasting blood glucose levels are between 80-130 mg/dL, and less than 189 mg/dL non-fasting. “Non-fasting” refers to glucose levels tested between 1 and 2 hours after the beginning of a meal. Thus, “elevated” levels of blood glucose include those above the thresholds noted above, depending upon the method of testing. Methods of reducing or stabilizing blood glucose levels generally comprise administering a therapeutically effective amount of the amino acid formulation to the subject in need thereof for a therapeutically effective amount of time.

In one aspect, the formulations are useful for decreasing (or stabilizing) A1C levels in a subject in need thereof. This may include a diabetic or prediabetic individual, as well as a healthy individual under a heavy glucose load (e.g., after too many sweets) or simply wanting to maintain healthy pancreatic function. In general, the current recommended “normal” A1C level is below 5.7% for non-diabetic individuals. Diabetic individuals typically present with A1C levels of 6.5% or over. Prediabetic individuals typically present with A1C levels between 5.7-6.4%. Thus, “elevated” A1C levels include those above the thresholds noted for a given individual. Methods of reducing or stabilizing A1C levels generally comprise administering a therapeutically effective amount of the amino acid formulation to the subject in need thereof for a therapeutically effective amount of time.

