Dietary Amino Acids and Immunonutrition Supplementation in Cancer-Induced Skeletal Muscle Mass Depletion: A Mini-Review.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Narrative mini-review summarizing mechanistic concepts and consensus guidelines without systematic search methodology.
PubMed 32067606 · doi:10.2174/1381612826666200218100420
What was done
Narrative mini-review evaluating clinical recommendations for daily protein intake and examining the proposed biochemical mechanisms of amino acid and immunonutrition supplements (including L-leucine, BCAAs, whey protein, HMB, arginine, glutamine, and creatine) in counteracting cancer-induced skeletal muscle wasting.
What was found
The abstract reports that current cancer consensus guidelines recommend a daily protein intake between 1.0 and 2.0 g/kg/day, though optimal doses for individual amino acids are not established. Proposed mechanisms described include mTORC1 activation by L-leucine and its derivatives to stimulate muscle protein synthesis, inflammation reduction by arginine and glutamine to support food intake, and immediate energy provision alongside muscle water retention by creatine. No quantitative clinical trial outcome numbers are provided in the abstract.
Why it matters
Provides a mechanistic summary of how targeted nutritional supplementation may support muscle preservation strategies in cancer patients experiencing cachexia and systemic inflammation.
Limits
As a narrative review, it lacks systematic search criteria, meta-analytic data synthesis, or study-level quality assessments. The abstract does not provide primary clinical trial efficacy data, adverse effect profiles, or specific dosing thresholds for individual amino acids.
Cited by
- supports Cancer cachexia involves the mobilization of skeletal muscle proteins for gluconeogenesis and direct tumor utilization of glutamine.