Reversal of cancer-related wasting using oral supplementation with a combination of β-hydroxy-β-methylbutyrate, arginine, and glutamine
Section snippets
Methods
The efficacy of the amino acid nutrient mixture was evaluated in a randomized, double blind, and nitrogen-controlled study that was conducted at three study sites (North Shore University Hospital, Manhasset, New York; the Veteran Affairs Medical Center, Reno, Nevada; and the University of Nevada School of Medicine, Las Vegas, Nevada) between January 1999 and May 2000 for a total of 24 weeks. Written informed consent was obtained from each patient volunteer prior to initiation of nutritional
Patient characteristics
A total of 49 patients with cancers were recruited and screened from the three locations (Table 1). A summary of patient cancer diagnoses in Table 1 demonstrates the heterogeneous patient population randomized into each treatment group. Nine were recruited from Reno, Nevada, 11 from Las Vegas, Nevada, and 29 from Manhasset, New York. Twenty-five patients were randomized to the control group and 24 were randomized to the HMB/Arg/Gln group (Table 1). Seventeen patients withdrew (11 control; 6
Comments
Cancer cachexia is characterized by increased fat and muscle losses, by increased or normal metabolic rates, by increased proteolysis, by decreased protein synthesis and increased or normal glucose turnover rates. This disordered metabolic state culminates in weight loss and, more importantly, lean tissue loss, which in turn results in increased morbidity and decreased survival. Prior attempts at reversing cachexia with nutritional support or pharmacological intervention have generally not been
Acknowledgements
Supported by a grant from the National Institutes of Health (1R43CA83443-01) and in part by a grant from Metabolic Technologies, Inc.
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