Colorectal
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See the full rubric →Inflammation Hinders Anabolic Potential of Nutritional Support in Cancer: Findings from the PRIMe trial.
Clinical takeawayIn colorectal cancer (stage II-IV) patients receiving nutritional counseling, target at least 27 grams/day additional protein intake to achieve lean tissue gain. This post-hoc exploratory finding requires prospective validation before practice implementation. IL-6-based personalization is not recommended at this time, as IL-6 is not a standard clinical measure and the proposed effect substantially weakens over 12 weeks.
What it foundIn this post-hoc analysis, baseline IL-6, insulin, and specific amino acids (hydroxyproline, aspartate, taurine) explained 77% of lean tissue response variation at 6 weeks; however, by 12 weeks, IL-6 and methionine explained only 32% of variation, suggesting the effect attenuates over time. Positive lean tissue change occurred at daily protein increase of at least 27 grams.
ContextThis post-hoc mechanistic analysis from a single trial (n=50, stage II-IV colorectal cancer) suggests baseline IL-6 may influence protein anabolism, aligning with known biology. However, the weakening relationship at 12 weeks and post-hoc design indicate the finding is exploratory and may be confounded by unmeasured factors. The concrete finding-27 g/day protein threshold-is most actionable but needs prospective validation.
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Engelen MPKJ … Deutz NEP · American Journal of Clinical Nutrition · IF 6.5 · PubMed ↗