Methods for inducing weight loss in a human with materials derived from citrus varieties

Abstract

Materials derived from Citrus plants can be administered orally to humans for the purpose of producing or maintaining weight loss as well as for improving the person's physical performance and increasing the person's lean muscle mass. The Citrus materials include those portions of the plant that are normally considered waste or inedible, such as the leaves, peel, and immature, unripe fruit. The materials contain at least one of the alkaloids from the group consisting of synephrine, hordenine, octopamine, tyramine and N-methyltyramine (1). Two species, Citrus aurantium and Citrus reticulata, are particularly useful. The materials can be administered in their natural form or as extracts, and can be administered in various ways including capsules and tablets. The Citrus materials may also be used as a tea. For weight loss and weight control, the materials can be administered concurrently with caloric restriction or in the absence of caloric restriction. The materials may also be administered for the purpose of increasing muscle mass concurrently with a high protein diet as well as with an exercise program.

I claim:  
     
         1 . A weight reduction composition, wherein the improvement comprises at least one of the substances selected from the group consisting of synephrine, hordenine, octopamine, tyramine and N-methyltyramine.  
     
     
         2 . The composition of  claim 1 , wherein the composition is present in an amount of about 1-2000 mg.  
     
     
         3 . The composition of  claim 1 , wherein the composition is present in an amount of about 10-1000 mg.  
     
     
         4 . The composition of  claim 1 , wherein the composition is present in an amount of about 100 mg.  
     
     
         5 . The composition of  claim 1 , wherein the synephrine content is 50% to 100% of substances selected from the group.  
     
     
         6 . The composition of  claim 5 , wherein the synephrine is present in an amount of about 1 to 500 mg.  
     
     
         7 . The weight reduction composition according to  claim 1 , wherein the composition is in the form of a tablet, capsule, sustained release formulation, or powder.  
     
     
         8 . The composition of  claim 1 , further comprising a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier or diluent.  
     
     
         9 . The composition of  claim 1 , wherein said composition is in a tea.  
     
     
         10 . The composition of  claim 1 , wherein said human is overweight or obese.  
     
     
         11 . The composition of  claim 1 , further comprising calorically restricting said human during said administering step.  
     
     
         12 . An improved composition of a material derived from Citrus species and varieties of plants to cause weight loss and control body weight, wherein said material comprises at least one of the substances selected front the group consisting of synephrine, hordenine, octoparnine, tyramine and N-methyltyramine.  
     
     
         13 . The composition of  claim 12 , wherein the material is in a fresh state, a dried state, a concentrated liquid form or a concentrated powder form.  
     
     
         14 . The composition according to  claim 12  wherein said material is the whole fruit of at least one of the plant species  Citrus aurantium  or  Citrus reticulata  in a fresh state, a dried state, a concentrated liquid extract, or a concentrated powder extract.  
     
     
         15 . The composition according to  claim 12  wherein the material is the peel of the fruit of at least one of the plant species  Citrus aurantium  or  Citrus reticulata  in a fresh state, a dried state, a concentrated liquid extract, or a concentrated powder extract.  
     
     
         16 . The composition according to  claim 12  wherein the material comprises the leaves of at least one of the plant species  Citrus aurantium  or  Citrus reticulata  in a fresh state, a dried state, a concentrated liquid extract, or a concentrated powder extract.  
     
     
         17 . A physical performance enhancing composition wherein the improvement comprises at least one of the substances selected from the group consisting of synephrine, hordenine, octopamine, tyramine and N-methyltyramine.  
     
     
         18 . The composition according to  claim 17  wherein the substances are contained in material from Citrus species and varieties of plants.  
     
     
         19 . The composition according to  claim 17  wherein the material is in a fresh state, a dried state, a concentrated liquid form or a concentrated powder form.  
     
     
         20 . The composition according to  claim 17  wherein said material is whole fruit of at least one of the plant species  Citrus aurantium  or  Citrus reticulata  in a fresh state, a dried state, a concentrated liquid extract, or a concentrated powder extract.  
     
     
         21 . The composition according to  claim 17  wherein the material is the peel of the fruit of at least one of the plant species  Citrus aurantium  or  Citrus reticulata  in a fresh state, a dried state, a concentrated liquid extract, or a concentrated powder extract.  
     
     
         22 . The composition according to  claim 17  wherein the material comprises the leaves of at least one of the plant species  Citrus aurantium  or  Citrus reticulata  in a fresh state, a dried state, a concentrated liquid extract, or a concentrated powder extract.  
     
     
         23 . The physical performance enhancing composition according to  claim 17  wherein the amount of the substances is from 1 to 500 mg  
     
     
         24 . The composition of  claim 23 , wherein the synephrine content is 50% to 100% of the substances selected from the group.  
     
     
         25 . The composition of  claim 17 , wherein the synephrine is present in an amount of about 1 to 500 mg.  
     
     
         26 . The weight reduction composition according to  claim 17 , wherein the composition is in the form of a tablet, capsule, sustained release formulation, or powder.  
     
     
         27 . The composition of  claim 26 , further comprising a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier or diluent.  
     
     
         28 . A composition of a material to increase muscle mass wherein the improvement comprises at least one of the substances selected from the group consisting of synephrine, hordenine, octopamine, tyramine and N-methyltyramine.  
     
     
         29 . The composition according to  claim 28  which further comprises Citrus plant material.  
     
     
         30 . The composition according to  claim 29  wherein the material is in a fresh state, a dried state, a concentrated liquid form or a concentrated powder form.  
     
     
         31 . The composition according to  claim 29  wherein said material is whole fruit of at least one of the plant species  Citrus aurantium  or  Citrus reticulata  in a fresh state, a dried state, a concentrated liquid extract, or a concentrated powder extract.  
     
     
         32 . The composition according to  claim 29  wherein the material is the peel of the fruit of at least one of the plant species  Citrus aurantium  or  Citrus reticulata  in a fresh state, a dried state, a concentrated liquid extract, or a concentrated powder extract.  
     
     
         33 . The composition according to  claim 29  wherein the material comprises the leaves of at least one of the plant species  Citrus aurantium  or  Citrus reticulata  in a fresh state, a dried state, a concentrated liquid extract, or a concentrated powder extract.  
     
     
         34 . The composition according to  claim 29  wherein the composition is in the form of a tablet, capsule, sustained release formulation, tea, or powder.  
     
     
         35 . The composition according to  claim 28  wherein the composition is in an amount of from 1 to 200 mg.  
     
     
         36 . The composition of  claim 28 , wherein said synephrine is in a concentration of 50% to 100% weight by volume of substances selected.  
     
     
         37 . The composition of  claim 28 , further comprising a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier or diluent.  
     
     
         38 . The composition of  claim 28 , wherein the synephrine is present in an amount of about 1 to 200 mg.  
     
     
         39 . The composition of  claim 28 , wherein the composition amount is about 4-2000 mg.  
     
     
         40 . The composition of  claim 28 , wherein the composition is present in an amount of about 10-1000 mg.  
     
     
         41 . The composition of  claim 28 , wherein the composition is present in an amount of about 100 mg.  
     
     
         42 . The composition of  claim 28 , wherein said human is overweight or obese.  
     
     
         43 . The composition of  claim 28 , further comprising a high protein diet to said human during said administering step.  
     
     
         44 . A method for stimulating thermogenesis in humans wherein the improvement comprises administering by mouth to a subject at least one of the substances selected from the group consisting of synephrine, hordenine, octopamine, tyramine and N-methyltyramine in therapeutically effective amounts.  
     
     
         45 . The method according to  claim 44  further comprising plant material containing at least one of said substances.  
     
     
         46 . The method according to  claim 45  wherein the amount of the substances is about three to four percent by weight which is effective to increase the metabolic rate of the subject without inducing increased caloric intake.  
     
     
         47 . The method according to  claim 44  wherein the dosage is at least 0.02 mg per kg of ideal weight which is effective to increase the metabolic rate of the subject without inducing increased caloric intake.  
     
     
         48 . A method of treatment for fostering weight reduction wherein the improvement comprises administering to a subject in need of the treatment a therapeutically effective amount of a weight reducing composition, comprising at least one of the substances selected from the group consisting of synephrine, hordenine, octopamine, tyramine and N-methyltyramine in a total daily dosage amount of 1 to 500 mg.  
     
     
         49 . The method according the  claim 48  wherein the weight reduction composition consists of plant material which contains at least one of the substances selected from the group consisting of synephrine, hordenine, octopamine, tyramine and N-methyltyramine.  
     
     
         50 . The method according to  claim 48  wherein the amount of substance from said group is about 0.02 to 0.10 mg of per kg of ideal weight.  
     
     
         51 . The method of  claim 48  wherein the subject is on a hypocaloric diet.  
     
     
         52 . A method for reducing the weight of a human, wherein the improvement comprises administering to the human a thermogenically effective dose of at least one of the substances selected from the group consisting of synephrine, hordenine, octopamine, tyramine and N-methyltyramine.  
     
     
         53 . A method for reducing the adipose tissue mass/lean mass body mass ratio of a human, wherein the improvement comprises administering to the human a thermogenically effective dose of at least one of the substances selected from the group consisting of synephrine, hordenine, octopamine, tyramine and N-methyltyramine.  
     
     
         54 . A method for increasing the muscle mass of a human, comprising administering to the human a thermogenically effective dose of a composition further comprising at least one of the substances selected from the group consisting of synephrine, hordenine, octopamine, tyramine and N-methyltyramine.  
     
     
         55 . The method according to  claim 54  wherein the total daily dosage is about 500 mg.  
     
     
         56 . The method of  claim 54  wherein the subject is on a high protein diet.  
     
     
         57 . A method of treatment for fostering improved physical performance wherein the improvement comprises administering to a subject in need of the treatment an efficacious amount of a composition comprising at least one of the substances selected from the group consisting of synephrine, hordenine, octopamine, tyramine and N-methyltyramine.  
     
     
         58 . The method according to  claim 57  wherein the dose administered to the human is thermogenically effective.  
     
     
         59 . The method according to  claim 57 , wherein about 4 to 2000 mg/day are administered.  
     
     
         60 . The method according to  claim 57 , wherein about 10 to 1000 mg/day are administered.  
     
     
         61 . The method according to  claim 57 , wherein about 100 mg/day are administered.  
     
     
         62 . The method according to  claim 57 , wherein said composition is in a tea.  
     
     
         63 . The method according to  claim 57 , wherein said human is overweight or obese.  
     
     
         64 . The method according to  claim 57 , wherein the subject is on a high protein diet.