Feasibility of two levels of protein intake in patients with colorectal cancer: findings from the Protein Recommendation to Increase Muscle (PRIMe) randomized controlled pilot trial

The Role of Diet and Nutrition in Cancer Development and Management: From Molecular Mechanisms to Personalized Interventions

Diet plays a crucial role in cancer development and progression, beyond traditional risk factors. This review aims to summarize current evidence on the role of diet and specific nutrients in cancer development and progression, focusing on molecular mechanisms. We also discuss the potential of personalized dietary interventions, based on tumor and patient characteristics, in enhancing cancer prevention and treatment strategies. The review covers the impact of calories, protein, sugar, and other dietary components on signaling pathways and growth factors involved in carcinogenesis. We examine the influence of obesity, insulin resistance, and other metabolic factors on cancer risk and outcomes. The article also explores current dietary strategies, including calorie restriction, ketogenic diets, and the role of the gut microbiome in modulating response to anticancer therapies. Finally, we highlight the need for further research to develop targeted, personalized dietary recommendations based on an individual's tumor profile, stage of disease, and other clinical factors. Integrating such personalized dietary approaches into cancer prevention and treatment holds promise for improving patient outcomes and quality of life.

Muscle loss in cancer cachexia: what is the basis for nutritional support?

Cancer cachexia (CC) is characterized by significant skeletal muscle wasting, and contributes to diminished quality of life, while being associated with poorer response to treatment and with reduced survival. Chronic inflammation plays a central role in driving CC progression, within a complex interplay favoring catabolism. Although cachexia cannot be fully reversed by conventional nutritional support, nutritional intervention shows promise for the prevention and treatment of the syndrome. Of special interest are nutrients with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory potential and those that activate pathways involved in muscle mass synthesis and/or in the inhibition of muscle wasting. Extensive research has been carried out on novel nutritional supplements' power to mitigate CC impact, while the mechanisms through which some nutrients or bioactive compounds exert beneficial effects on muscle mass are still not totally clear. Here, we discuss the most studied supplements and nutritional strategies for dealing with muscle loss in CC.

Nutritional Counseling During Chemotherapy Treatment: A Systematic Review of Feasibility, Safety, and Efficacy

Dietary interventions during chemotherapy hold promise for clinical and supportive care outcomes. We systematically investigated the feasibility, safety, and efficacy of nutritional counseling conducted during chemotherapy. Studies prospectively implemented nutrition counseling during chemotherapy. Articles were identified from three databases-EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and SCOPUS-from inception to 1 October 2024. Feasibility, safety, and efficacy of outcome data were extracted. Among 44 publications, 39 studies recruited 98 ± 80 participants (range 15-360); 38/39 (97%) were randomized controlled trials. One-third (31%) were among patients with breast cancer. Interventions were divided into individualized nutritional counseling (n = 21), nutrition counseling plus exercise (n = 13), and nutrient-specific dietary patterns (n = 10). Many had goals to achieve established nutrition guidelines. Feasibility was high based on attendance at counseling sessions, retention, and/or food log analysis. Overall, there were minimal adverse events related to the interventions. Many studies showed between-group differences favoring the intervention group for body weight (8/24, gain or loss, according to goals), nutritional status (8/9), quality of life (3/10 without and 6/9 with exercise), cancer-related fatigue (7/10), chemotherapy tolerance (6/11), and treatment responses (3/13). In conclusion, nutritional interventions were feasible and safe for patients undergoing chemotherapy and demonstrated preliminary efficacy to improve nutritional status, fatigue, chemotherapy tolerance, and other outcomes.