Whey Protein Combats Cancer-Induced Weight-Loss

Harry Hirsute · � #1 � 01-17-2008, 07:01 PM

Quote:

Immunotec's new study included 66 patients with advanced lung cancer receiving state of the art chemotherapy or radiotherapy. The patients had already suffered significant involuntary weight-loss prior to treatment.

During a six month treatment period the patients were given either casein, a protein supplement low in cysteine which is widely used in clinical nutrition ("placebo") or IMN 1207, a specially-prepared glutathione enhancing cysteine-rich whey protein isolate supplied by Immunotec Inc.

The results showed that patients in the placebo group continued to lose weight whereas patients treated with IMN 1207 showed a significant increase in body weight. Incidentally, these patients also showed an increase in strength and quality of life parameters.

This study showed for the first time that cancer-related weight loss (cachexia) can be prevented by a single source of protein.

Dr. Gerald Batist, Chair, Department of Oncology, McGill University stated "Having been involved in the early mechanistic studies of the therapeutic use of whey proteins, I'm pleased to see this particular formulation being tested in the clinic. The data to date encourage additional and expanded clinical trials".

Dr. Wulf Droge, Senior Vice-President Research & Development at Immunotec Inc. emphasized that the results of this first trial should be viewed with cautious optimism. A second trial has been initiated to confirm the results.

https://www.npicenter.com/anm/templat...0307&zoneid=28

Xania · � #2 � 01-18-2008, 01:59 AM

Thanks for this Iggy.
I have been thinking of how best to combat husband's gradual weight loss.

Harry Hirsute · � #3 � 01-18-2008, 01:18 PM

Xania,

Iggy might take offense to that! I'm Harry!

Xania · � #4 � 01-18-2008, 01:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Harry Hirsute

Xania,

Iggy might take offense to that! I'm Harry!

Oh,bother! It's not the first time I've done that, either.
Apologies to Harry and to Iggy!

dwd7036 · � #5 � 01-21-2008, 10:28 AM

Thanx for info

Now im confused again as most whey protein has sugar in it this is one of the major things you need to stop your body consuming as it feeds the cancer.

Any thoughts?

Harry Hirsute · � #6 � 01-21-2008, 11:16 AM

dwd7036,

You just need to look around and you'll find quite a few products that have no sugar added.

They often come in unflavored or vanilla flavored varities. Here's one such example, of the whey that I use:

https://www.sourcenaturals.com/products/GP1836/

You can find it online for a pretty reasonable price.

dwd7036 · � #7 � 01-21-2008, 12:25 PM

Thanx HH I just ordered some hopefully i can now gain some weight and get a bit strength into my body..

Harry Hirsute · � #8 � 01-21-2008, 01:38 PM

I hope that's the case, dwd7036. Please keep us posted.

scorpiotiger · � #9 � 09-25-2008, 07:19 AM

I wonder if this means that whey is not the best protein for someone trying to lose weight?

scorpiotiger · � #10 � 09-25-2008, 07:35 AM

this part of the study was also interesting:

Quote:

Among other questions, this clinical trial also addressed the controversy about antioxidant use in chemotherapy.

Since radiotherapy and many types of chemotherapy work by raising levels of oxidative stress and free radical formation to destroy cancer cells, oncologists have voiced concern that treatment of the patient with antioxidants may "protect" the cancer from the toxic effects of the therapy.

If this were the case, antioxidants could even be expected to shorten the life span of the patients.

Immunotec's study now showed that this was clearly not the case with IMN 1207. Based on his earlier work at his laboratory at the National Cancer Research Center of Germany (DKFZ) in Heidelberg, Dr. Droge was reasonably confident that supplementation with a critical precursor of the major cellular antioxidant glutathione, would actually improve the condition of the patients, most probably by ameliorating adverse effects of these therapies on the patients' healthy tissues.

The results of this new study suggest that this is true. The antioxidant glutathione is distinct from other antioxidants including the popular antioxidant vitamins A, C, and E which are widely used as nutritional supplements. Glutathione is involved in the removal of reactive oxygen species and other potential toxic compounds through special biochemical processes and can reach relatively high and beneficial concentrations in cells and tissues depending on the availability of its biosynthetic precursor cysteine.

to be honest, I didn't realize that chemo therapy worked by raising levels of oxidative stress and free radical formation. I thought it worked by targeting cells that had a high rate of reproduction. And that's why the immune system is affected, because it also has cells that multiply rapidly.

but to be honest, I do not know how exactly these rapidly multiplying cells are targeted.

liverock · � #11 � 09-26-2008, 08:06 AM

Mainstream oncology has objected to whey protein use by cancer patients on the grounds that it increases cellular glutathione the main cell antioxidant.
The argument was put forward that increased cellular glutathione defended cancer cells against the chemotherapy.

Studies have contradicted this and found that whey does in fact help chemotherapy in causing cancer cells to die, whilst protecting healthy cells at the same time.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11525598?

Quote:

Enchancing effect of patented whey protein isolate (Immunocal) on cytotoxicity of an anticancer drug.

Tsai WY, Chang WH, Chen CH, Lu FJ.

Department of Biochemistry, College of Medicine National Taiwan University, Taipei, ROC.

To determine the enhancing effect of a whey protein isolate on the cytotoxicity of a potential anticancer drug, baicalein, the human hepatoma cell line Hep G2 was assigned to grow in different media for four days, and cell growth and apoptosis were investigated. The control group was grown in normal medium; the other three groups were grown in whey protein isolate (Immunocal) medium, baicalein medium, and a combination of Immunocal and baicalein. As indicated by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide assay, survival rate was significantly lower in cells grown in baicalein + Immunocal than in cells grown in baicalein alone. In contrast, there was no significant difference in survival rate of the cells grown in Immunocal. In the investigation of apoptosis, cells grown in baicalein + Immunocal showed a higher phosphatidylserine exposure, lower mitochondrial transmembrane potential, and nearly 13 times more cells undergoing apoptosis than cells grown in baicalein alone. We also demonstrated that Immunocal reduced glutathione (GSH) in Hep G2 cells by 20-40% and regulated the elevation of GSH, which was in response to baicalein. In conclusion, Immunocal seemed to enhance the cytotoxicity of baicalein by inducing more apoptosis; this increase in apoptotic cells may be associated with the depletion of GSH in Hep G2 cells. This is the first study to demonstrate, in vitro, that Immunocal may function as an adjuvant in cancer treatments.
PMID: 11525598 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8...?dopt=Abstract

Quote:

In vitro selective modulation of cellular glutathione by a humanized native milk protein isolate in normal cells and rat mammary carcinoma model.

Baruchel S, Viau G.

Department of Pediatrics and Oncology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

We report the in vitro selective inhibitory activity of a humanized whey protein concentrate IMMUNOCAL on growth of mammary carcinoma cells and Jurkat T cells in comparison to normal peripheral blood mononuclear cells. We relate this inhibitory activity to a selective depletion of intracellular glutathione synthesis. The use of humanized whey protein concentrate as a food supplementation may have direct implication in clinical trial with adjuvant chemotherapy.

PMID: 8702219 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Some other protective effects of whey are outlined here:
www.1whey2health.com/cancer.htm
www.1whey2health.com/cancer_glutathione.htm.

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