TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to an anti-aging agent and a method for anti-aging.

BACKGROUND ART

A human lifespan has been steadily increasing due to, for example, development of medical science and improvement of public health. According to a recent report, it is expected that, in japan, an average lifespan of male will be 84.19 years and that of female 90.93 years, which exceeds 90 years, in 2060. It is reported that a percentage of the population aged 65 and over in the total population (an aging rate) in japan is about 25% and an aging society is rapidly in progress. It is expected that the aging rate will continue to rise in accordance with a rise of the average lifespan, and the aging society will further continue.

Meanwhile, as one of problems that the aging society in japan is facing, it is pointed out that the rise in a healthy lifespan imposing no restricted daily life is smaller compared to the rise of the average lifespan and the difference between the average lifespan and the healthy lifespan is widening. While the aging is a phenomenon that any living being cannot avoid, everyone desires to delay the aging even a little and extend the healthy lifespan so as to live long in good health.

In order to solve such a problem in the aging society, recently, research in a field of anti-aging medicine that considers the aging as one disease and tries to delay the onset itself of the aging by treatment has been actively conducted. The anti-aging medicine covers wider areas, for example, internal secretion, metabolism, arteriosclerosis, nourishment, locomotorium, and sense organs, subjects not only the elderly people but also all ages, and aims to extend one's healthy time with a more youthful physical function than that of one's current age.

Generally, the aging is understood to be the phenomenon where the number of cells decreases with the aging, and physical, physiological, and mental functions decline. A physical change due to the aging begins at about 40 years old after reaching a maturity stage, showing, for example, skin wrinkles, a loss of scalp hair and teeth, a deterioration of eyesight and hearing, a decline of motor function, and a decrease of bone mass. While the aging is not a disease in itself, the decline of physical and physiological functions increases a risk of so-called geriatric diseases such as arteriosclerosis, osteoporosis, and cataract, and causes the aging of the mental functions such as memory and learning accompanied with the decline of the physical function.

In the field of the anti-aging medicine, research on the aging has been advanced in many areas; as a result, several hypotheses for the causes of the aging have been proposed, as shown below. However, all of these are still hypothetical levels, and are not fully elucidated at present.1) Gene Program Theory

A portion referred to as telomere is located at an end of a chromosome that carries gene information, works to correctly copy and pass the gene information during a cell division, gets shorter with each cell division; it is considered that shortening of the telomere to some extent causes a telomere dysfunction, which causes decreased regeneration of cells to decline the organizational functions. That is, the number of times of the cell division is limited by telomere; when the cell division becomes impossible, an activity of the living body is inevitably lost, leading to the aging.2) DNA Damage Theory

It is considered that when DNA is damaged by stimulation such as ultraviolet rays and an atmospheric pollutant and the cell division occurs before the damage is repaired, an accumulation of the damaged and deteriorated information results in the aging. While the damaged DNA is constantly repaired, a repair rate decreases by increasing the age.3) Active Oxygen Theory

It is considered that when a part of the oxygen that is not used inside the living body becomes active oxygen and oxidizes the cells, the oxidized cells cannot work normally, resulting in progress of the aging. It is pointed out that reasons for easily generating the active oxygen include, for example, exposure to ultraviolet rays, stresses, smoking and an atmospheric contamination environment, a diet rich in fats and eating habits with many additives.4) Hormone Theory

It is considered that, in proportion to age, the secretion of specific hormones, for example, “a growth hormone” related to metabolic control, “melatonin” related to sleep, “a sex hormone” related to reproduction of the respective males and females reduces, resulting in the loss of a physiological function with those hormones and the progress of the aging.5) Immune Function Theory

It is considered that, with the aging, a decline of immune function against foreign pathogens and the onset of excessive inflammatory reaction tendency cause the decline of metabolism and cell regeneration, accelerating the aging. For the reason of the decline of the immune function with the aging, the relationship with thymus atrophy is pointed out. The thymus is a central organ for differentiation and growth of T-cells and an immune response manifestation and is known to atrophy with the aging.

According to previous studies, improving a daily lifestyle, having balanced eating habits, and doing moderate exercises are important for suppressing the progress of the aging and keeping youthful healthy condition. Of these, with regard to eating habits, in recent years, food ingredients effective in suppressing the aging have come to be generally known; for example, as the food ingredients that suppress the aging of the brain, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), a vitamin B group (B6, B12, folic acid), lecithin, choline, and tryptophan are known; as the food ingredients that enhance immunity, vitamin A, vitamin E, vitamin C, the vitamin B group (pantothenic acid, B6, B12, folic acid), and zinc are known; as the food ingredients that increase bone mass, calcium, protein, vitamin D, and vitamin K are known; as the food ingredients that remove active oxygen, a carotenoid (lycopene, lutein, vitamin A, and the like), astaxanthin, polyphenols (flavonoid, catechin, isoflavone, sesamin, curcumin, and the like), vitamin E, vitamin C, coenzyme Q, and the like are known. On the other hand, as enzymes that eliminate the active oxygen, superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase, catalase, and the like are known.

Recently, new anti-aging agents for suppressing the aging have been developed. For example, as the anti-aging agent that can suppress skin aging, particularly can improve pigmentation of the skin, the anti-aging agent that includes at least one type selected from a group consisting of (A) ascorbic acid 2-glucoside and its salt, and at least one type selected from a group consisting of (B) adenine, adenosine, adenosine 2′-monophosphate, adenosine 3′-monophosphate, adenosine 5′-monophosphate, cyclic adenosine 3′, 5′-monophosphate, adenosine 5′-diphosphate, and adenosine 5′-triphosphate, and salts of these are reported (Patent Document 1).

As other examples, the anti-aging agent characterized in compounding an extracted material obtained by an enzyme treatment using cellulase in an extraction process of extractingSargassum horneriof the genusSargassumof brown algae with water as an active ingredient is reported (Patent Document 2).Patent Document 1: JP-4129574Patent Document 2: JP-4926448

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

It is an object of the present invention to provide an anti-aging agent and a method for anti-aging that reduces progress of the aging and is effective in recovering youthfulness and is safe in long-term intake.

Solutions to the Problems

The inventor seriously studied in order to solve the above-described problems and found that a nicotinamide mononucleotide as an intermediate metabolite involved in biosynthesis of a coenzyme NAD (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide) has an excellent anti-aging effect. Thus, the present invention was completed.

The present invention is as follows.[1] An anti-aging agent that contains a nicotinamide mononucleotide as an active ingredient.[2] The anti-aging agent according to [1] where the anti-aging agent is used for improving an aging symptom of skin, a dry skin, skin blemishes, freckles, or a rough skin.[3] The anti-aging agent according to [1] where the anti-aging agent is used for improving hormone secretion.[4] The anti-aging agent according to [3] where the hormone is one type, or two or more types selected from a growth hormone, a thyroid gland hormone, an adrenocortical hormone, a sex hormone, prolactin, an antidiuretic hormone, a parathyroid hormone, and melatonin.[5] The anti-aging agent according to [1] where the anti-aging agent is used for reducing active oxygen inside a living body.[6] The anti-aging agent according to any of [1] to [5] where the anti-aging agent is a food product for anti-aging.[7] The anti-aging agent according to any of [1] to [5] where the anti-aging agent is a medical product for anti-aging.[8] A method for anti-aging that includes causing a subject to ingest an effective dose of a nicotinamide mononucleotide, the subject needing the effective dose of the nicotinamide mononucleotide (excluding a medical treatment for human).

Effects of the Invention

The present invention has an excellent anti-aging effect. The present invention ensures the effective improvement of the visual function. The present invention is safe because the nicotinamide mononucleotide as the intermediate metabolite involved in the biosynthesis of in vivo NAD+is contained as the active ingredient. The present invention ensures the long-term intake.

