Nutritional Compositions Containing An Elevated Level Of Inositol And Uses Thereof

Abstract

A nutritional composition including no greater than about 7 g/100 kcal of a fat or lipid source; no greater than about 7 g/100 kcal of a protein or protein equivalent source; at least about 5 g/100 kcal of a carbohydrate; and at least about 9 mg/100 kcal of inositol, wherein the inositol comprises exogenous inositol and inherent inositol, and wherein the ratio of exogenous inositol to inherent inositol is at least 75:25.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A nutritional composition for enhancing neurological health and development in a subject, the nutritional composition comprising:
 a fat or lipid;   a protein or protein equivalent;   a carbohydrate; and   inositol,   wherein the inositol comprises exogenous inositol and inherent inositol, and   wherein a ratio of the exogenous inositol to the inherent inositol is at least 75:25.   
     
     
         2 . The nutritional composition of  claim 1 , which further comprises a long chain polyunsaturated fatty acid. 
     
     
         3 . The nutritional composition of  claim 2 , wherein the long chain polyunsaturated fatty acid comprises at least one of docosahexaenoic acid, arachidonic acid, and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         4 . The nutritional composition of  claim 2 , wherein the long chain polyunsaturated fatty acid is present from about 5 mg/100 kcal to about 75 mg/100 kcal. 
     
     
         5 . The nutritional composition of  claim 1  further comprising docosahexaenoic acid, arachidonic acid, phosphatidylethanolamines, sphingomyelin, alpha-lipoic acid, epigallocatechin gallate, sulforaphane, or combinations thereof. 
     
     
         6 . The nutritional composition of  claim 1  further comprising about 10 mg/100 kcal to about 200 mg/100 kcal of lactoferrin. 
     
     
         7 . The nutritional composition of  claim 1  further comprising a prebiotic composition comprising polydextrose and galactooligosaccharides, wherein the prebiotic composition comprises at least 20% w/w polydextrose and galactooligosaccharides and mixtures thereof. 
     
     
         8 . The nutritional composition of  claim 1 , wherein the nutritional composition is an infant formula or a growing up milk. 
     
     
         9 . The nutritional composition of  claim 1 , wherein the nutritional composition comprises:
 no greater than about 7 g/100 kcal of the fat or lipid;   no greater than about 7 g/100 kcal of the protein or protein equivalent;   at least about 5 g/100 kcal of the carbohydrate; and   at least about 9 mg/100 kcal of inositol.   
     
     
         10 . The nutritional composition of  claim 1 , wherein the nutritional composition comprises about 3.5 g/100 kcal to about 4.5 g/100 kcal of the protein or protein equivalent. 
     
     
         11 . The nutritional composition of  claim 1 , wherein the protein or protein equivalent comprises intact proteins and hydrolyzed proteins. 
     
     
         12 . The nutritional composition of  claim 1 , wherein the protein or protein equivalent comprises hydrolyzed proteins, and wherein the degree of hydrolysis is from about 20% to about 80%. 
     
     
         13 . The nutritional composition of  claim 1 , wherein the nutritional composition is protein-free and the protein equivalent comprises free amino acids. 
     
     
         14 . The nutritional composition of  claim 1 , wherein the nutritional composition comprises about 6 g/100 kcal to about 22 g/100 kcal of the carbohydrate. 
     
     
         15 . The nutritional composition of  claim 1 , wherein the carbohydrate comprises a saccharide, a starch, and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         16 . The nutritional composition of  claim 15 , wherein the nutritional composition comprises about 17 mg/100 kcal to about 37 mg/100 kcal of inositol. 
     
     
         17 . The nutritional composition of  claim 1  further comprising an enriched lipid fraction derived from milk. 
     
     
         18 . The nutritional composition of  claim 17 , wherein the enriched lipid fraction comprises milk fat globules. 
     
     
         19 . The nutritional composition of  claim 1  further comprising a pectin or gelatinized pectin. 
     
     
         20 . The nutritional composition of  claim 1 , wherein the nutritional composition comprises:
 about 2 g/100 kcal to about 7 g/100 kcal of the fat or lipid;   about 1 g/100 kcal to about 7 g/100 kcal of the protein or protein equivalent;   about 5 g/100 kcal to about 25 g/100 kcal of the carbohydrate; and   about 12 mg/100 kcal to about 40 mg/100 kcal of inositol.