ergo-log.com

Definition: "An ergogenic aid is any substance or phenomenon that enhances performance "

12.12.2024

Protein supplement protects body against cancer during treatment

If you have cancer and are undergoing chemotherapy or surgery, you could try increasing your protein intake - for example, by incorporating protein shakes into your diet. Protein supplementation reduces the burden on your body that cancer treatments entail.

Meta-study
Canadian nutritional scientists at the University of Alberta traced 23 trials in the scientific literature in which oncologists treated cancer patients with radiation, chemotherapy and surgery - and examined whether supplementation with extra proteins could reduce the impact of those treatments. A total of 3701 subjects participated in the trials.

Intensive cancer treatments fight tumors but often also take a toll on the body. They break down muscle mass - and the more muscle mass people with cancer lose, the greater their risk of death. The hope behind the trials was that protein supplementation could reduce this breakdown of muscle mass.

The length of the trials varied considerably. Some lasted as little as 5 days to 3 weeks. The subjects in those trials received chemotherapy or underwent surgery. Other trials took longer. There were even trials that lasted about a year.

Results
In 85 percent of the trials in which researchers looked at the effect of extra proteins on muscle mass, extra proteins inhibited the breakdown of muscle mass. The reliability of those trials was not great, and so the Canadians pay little attention to them. Instead, they focus on the trials that looked at body weight.

In the average trial, protein supplementation reduced body weight loss by 1.5 kilos.

Click on the figures below for a larger version.

The effect of supplementation depended on the amount of protein, the experts above explain. More protein meant more muscle mass retention. The best results were achieved in trials in which subjects consumed more than 40 grams of protein daily. In those trials, the test subjects consumed 2 protein shakes per day.

Another factor was the duration of the supplementation period. The longer the supplementation lasted, the greater the effect. The largest effects were reported by trials that lasted longer than 13 weeks. In those trials, subjects in the protein group retained an average of 5.2 kilos more of their body weight.

The researchers also looked at the type of cancer and type of treatment. They found significant positive effects of supplementation on body weight in lung cancer, surgery and chemotherapy.

Surviving cancer
Of the 16 trials in which researchers also looked at the survival chances of their patients, 8 trials found no effect and 1 trial resulted in conflicting outcomes.

In the other 7 trials, protein supplementation increased the chance of survival.

Conclusion
The researchers think that oncologists would do well to enrich their patients' diets with protein supplements. Some scientists and dietitians are wary of high-protein diets for cancer, but the researchers think those concerns are unfounded.

"High-protein supplementation proves safe for these patients, dispelling concerns that it might fuel tumor growth", write the Canadians.

"These (erroneous) fears, stemming from concerns regarding protein potentially activating the mTOR pathway are unfounded, as exercise, widely considered beneficial, also activates mTOR to promote muscle growth. Animal studies showed that protein intake does not affect tumor response to chemotherapy or immune responses." [J Cachexia Sarcopenia Muscle. 2023 Oct;14(5):2003-15.]

Source:
Am J Clin Nutr. 2024 Dec;120(6):1311-24.

More:
Muscle mass is key factor in surviving incurable cancer 29.04.2017
Maintain muscle mass and live longer 05.08.2016
Muscle mass extends life expectancy 14.06.2014
The more muscle you have the longer you live 01.10.2012
Strong muscles protect against cancer 12.11.2009

Archives:
Surviving Cancer
Protein

Every intensive training session is a chemo lite Every time you do intensive exercise, your body produces substances that kill cancer cells.	Two leg press sessions per week reduce the side effects of radiation and chemotherapy during breast cancer treatment Latvian researchers at Riga Eastern Clinical University Hospital are calling for the use of intensive strength training during cancer treatment.	Meta-study | Healthier diet after cancer increases chances of survival If people who have survived cancer eat healthier, they reduce their risk of death in general.