04/02/2019 / By Janine Acero
Cancer can accelerate the deterioration of a person’s body like no other. Researchers from China investigated the effects of ingesting a soy-whey protein blend on protein-energy absorption and muscle mass of patients with acute leukemia before they undergo treatment, and published their findings in the journal Nutrition Research.
Patients with acute leukemia often exhibit severe protein-energy malnutrition (PEM) and decrease in muscle mass. The ingestion of a soy-whey protein blend has been shown to promote muscle protein synthesis. The researchers aimed to test the effectiveness of this supplementation on improving the PEM status and muscle mass of acute leukemia patients before they undergo allogeneic stem cell transplantation, commonly known as bone marrow transplant.
The researchers tested their hypothesis on 24 patients who were randomly assigned to a natural diet plus soy-whey blended protein (BP) group and a natural diet only (ND) group.
Their data showed that the protein and energy intake of all 24 participants decreased significantly after transplantation.
In the ND group without the BP intervention, the researchers observed a significant reduction in muscle-related indicators (i.e., anthropometric variables, muscle strength and serum protein) in more than 50 percent of the patients.
Meanwhile, 66 percent of the patients who ingested the soy-whey BP before transplantation exhibited significant increases in arm muscle area. The gripping power value was also significantly higher in the BP group than in the ND group.
The supplementation of the soy-whey BP also increased the levels of serum albumin, globulin and serum total protein to varying degrees.
The researchers noted that the average time to stem cell engraftment was significantly shorter for patients in the BP group (12.2 ± 2.0 days) than for patients in the ND group (15.1 ± 2.9 days).
Based on these findings, the researchers conclude that soy-whey protein blend supplementation can improve the PEM status and muscle mass of leukemia patients.
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Tagged Under: #nutrition, energy malnutrition, fitness, functional food, leukemia, muscle mass, protein blend, research, soy, supplements, surgery recovery, whey