Research
Micronutrients & recovery
Fish oil and Eicosapentaenoic Acid (EPA) supplementation (2.0-2.2 g/day EPA and 1.5 g/day DHA) can help preserve skeletal muscle and reduce intramuscular adipose tissue in cancer patients, particularly those with advanced lung or pancreatic cancer.
Cancer patients, especially those with lung or pancreatic cancer, may benefit from fish oil supplements providing 2-2.2g of EPA and 1.5g of DHA daily. This can help preserve muscle mass and reduce harmful intramuscular fat during chemotherapy.
GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
During chemotherapy, approximately 69% of patients taking fish oil maintained or gained skeletal muscle (measured by computed tomography imaging) compared with 29% of patient receiving standard-of-care. ... Intramuscular adipose tissue increased by 9.5 ± 5.2 %/100 days in the control group but decreased by 16.4 ± 13.9%/100 days in the fish oil group, which was significantly different.
Why this rating
Multiple studies, including randomized trials, show positive effects on muscle maintenance and intramuscular fat reduction, though some studies show no effect.
Source
Nutrition interventions to treat low muscle mass in cancer
Carla M. Prado et al. · Journal of Cachexia Sarcopenia and Muscle · 2020
narrative_reviewCited 371×
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