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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Albany, California » Western Regional Research Center » Healthy Processed Foods Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #192485
Title: USES OF WATER-SOLUBLE CELLULOSE ETHERS - PATENT #64347A

Author
item Yokoyama, Wallace - Wally
item CONKLIN, JERRY - DOW CHEMICAL, MIDLAND, MI
item LYNCH, STEPHANIE - DOW CHEMICAL, PARIS, FR
item TUROWSKI, MACIEJ - DOW CHEMICAL, MIDLAND, MI

Submitted to: Invention Report
Publication Type: Patent Application
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/31/2006
Publication Date: 2/3/2006
Citation: Yokoyama, W.H., Conklin, J., Lynch, S., Turowski, M. 2006. Uses of water-soluble cellulose ethers - patent #64347 Serial No. 60/711,182. 2/3/06.

Interpretive Summary: Interpretive Summary not required.

Technical Abstract: The invention is the use of certain water-soluble cellulose ethers in foods or taken orally to prevent the suite of diseases known as the metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome diseases are epidemic in the U.S. and their costs to the taxpayer is in the billions of dollars annually. Although it is known that many soluble fibers reduce plasma cholesterol, helps to prevent the acute rise in blood glucose after meals, and reduces abdominal adiposity; it has not been shown previously that some soluble fibers can also prevent insulin resistance and other symptoms of the metabolic syndrome. Insulin resistance is a measurable physiological condition that usually precedes diabetes and is often accompanied by high blood cholesterol, high glucose, high insulin, obesity, abdominal adiposity and hypertension. Dietary water-soluble celluloses reduce many or all of these symptoms of the metabolic syndrome in test animals on high fat diets similar to those consumed by the U.S. population. Not all water-soluble cellulose ethers are able to prevent the metabolic syndrome. The invention describes polymer characteristics that are necessary or best to provide physiological benefits. The soluble polymer described in this disclosure was produced by the Dow Chemical Co.