Oral nutritional supplements containing n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids affect quality of life and functional status in lung cancer patients during multimodality treatment: an RCT

• Published in: European journal of clinical nutrition Vol. 66; no. 3; pp. 399 - 404
• Main Authors: van der Meij, B S, Langius, J A E, Spreeuwenberg, M D, Slootmaker, S M, Paul, M A, Smit, E F, van Leeuwen, P A M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 01.03.2012; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: 692/699/67/1612; 692/700/459/1994; 692/700/784; Activities of Daily Living; Aged; Biological and medical sciences; Cancer patients; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung; Clinical Nutrition; Cognition - drug effects; Cognitive ability; Combined Modality Therapy; Development and progression; Dietary Proteins - administration & dosage; Dietary Supplements; Docosahexaenoic Acids - pharmacology; Double-Blind Method; Eicosapentaenoic Acid - pharmacology; Energy Intake; Epidemiology; Fatty acids; Fatty Acids, Omega-3 - pharmacology; Feeding. Feeding behavior; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Global health; Hand Strength; Health aspects; Health Status; Humans; Internal Medicine; Interpersonal Relations; Intervention; Lung cancer; Male; Medical sciences; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Metabolic Diseases; Middle Aged; Motor Activity; Neoplasm Staging; Original; original-article; Physical Fitness; Physiological aspects; Pneumology; Polyunsaturated fatty acids; Public Health; Quality of Life; Tumors of the respiratory system and mediastinum; Unsaturated fatty acids; Vertebrates: anatomy and physiology, studies on body, several organs or systems; Netherlands; RCT; eicosapenaenoic acid; n-3 fatty acids; lung neoplasms; quality of life; Human; Lung disease; Respiratory disease; Lung cancer; Oral administration; Lipids; Metabolic diseases; Malignant tumor; n-3 fatty acid; Quality of life; Treatment; Unsaturated fatty acid; Bronchus disease; Cancer; Food supplement
• ISSN: 0954-3007; 1476-5640; 1476-5640
• DOI: 10.1038/ejcn.2011.214

Background/Objectives: Our objective was to investigate effects of an oral nutritional supplement containing n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (FAs) on quality of life, performance status, handgrip strength and physical activity in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) undergoing multimodality treatment. Subjects/Methods: In a double-blind experiment, 40 patients with stage III NSCLC were randomised to receive 2 cans/day of a protein- and energy-dense oral nutritional supplement containing n-3 polyunsaturated FAs (2.02 g eicosapentaenoic acid+0.92 g docosahexaenoic acid/day) or an isocaloric control supplement, during multimodality treatment. Quality of life, Karnofsky Performance Status, handgrip strength and physical activity (by wearing an accelerometer) were assessed. Effects of intervention were analysed by generalised estimating equations. P -values <0.05 were regarded as statistically significant. Results: The intervention group reported significantly higher on the quality of life parameters, physical and cognitive function (B=11.6 and B=20.7, P <0.01), global health status (B=12.2, P =0.04) and social function (B=22.1, P =0.04) than the control group after 5 weeks. The intervention group showed a higher Karnofsky Performance Status (B=5.3, P =0.04) than the control group after 3 weeks. Handgrip strength did not significantly differ between groups over time. The intervention group tended to have a higher physical activity than the control group after 3 and 5 weeks (B=6.6, P =0.04 and B=2.5, P =0.05). Conclusion: n-3 Polyunsaturated FAs may beneficially affect quality of life, performance status and physical activity in patients with NSCLC undergoing multimodality treatment.