Loading
Fish oil rich in EPA was expected to slow cancer-related muscle wasting by damping inflammation. Randomised trials and a Cochrane review found no convincing effect on weight or survival, though fish oil is safe and sits comfortably inside general nutritional support.
Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) inhibits the inflammatory cascade (IL-6, TNF, proteolysis-inducing factor) implicated in cancer cachexia, and early uncontrolled studies in pancreatic cancer were encouraging. A 2007 Cochrane review of randomised trials found insufficient evidence that oral EPA improves weight, lean mass, quality of life or survival compared with placebo or standard nutritional support; the largest trials showed no benefit. Adherence to the fishy supplements is poor in anorexic patients. EPA-enriched oral nutritional supplements remain an option within dietitian-led nutrition therapy, and ESPEN guidance considers them for patients on chemotherapy at risk of weight loss, but they are not a treatment for established cachexia, for which multimodal programmes and new drugs such as GDF-15 blockade are being tested.
EPA competes with arachidonic acid, reducing pro-inflammatory eicosanoids and cytokine-driven muscle proteolysis; the effect in patients is too small to change body weight.
Query for this technology: (TITLE:"Fish oil EPA for cancer weight loss" OR ABSTRACT:"Fish oil EPA for cancer weight loss") AND (cancer OR tumor OR tumour OR oncology OR carcinoma OR lymphoma OR leukemia OR leukaemia OR myeloma OR sarcoma OR melanoma OR glioma). Results are unfiltered search hits about Fish oil (EPA) for cancer weight loss, not a curated reading list.
Shares Cachexia-directed therapy (GDF-15 blockade), Cancer cachexia, Non-small-cell lung cancer and the tags complementary, supportive-care.
Shares Diet, exercise and lifestyle roadmap: causes established → interventions that disappointed → exercise proven as treatment, Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma and the tags complementary, supportive-care.
Shares Nutrition support and cachexia management and the tags complementary, supportive-care.
Shares Diet, exercise and lifestyle roadmap: causes established → interventions that disappointed → exercise proven as treatment and the tags complementary, supportive-care.
Shares Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma and the tags complementary, supportive-care.
Shares Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma and the tags complementary, supportive-care.
Shares Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, Non-small-cell lung cancer and the tags complementary, supportive-care.
Shares Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, Non-small-cell lung cancer and the tags complementary, supportive-care.