Current opinion in clinical nutrition and metabolic care
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Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care · Jan 2016
ReviewProtein anabolic resistance in cancer: does it really exist?
Preventing unintentional weight and muscle loss is of crucial importance to maintain the condition and well-being of patients with cancer, improve treatment response and tolerance, and prolong survival. Anabolic resistance might explain why some cancer patients do not respond to nutritional intervention, but does recent evidence actually support this? We will discuss recent literature that casts doubt on attenuated anabolic potential in cancer. ⋯ Cancer patients have a normal anabolic potential which relates to the amount of essential amino acids in the meal. It remains to be determined if this is also the case in weak cancer patients with a short life expectancy and high systemic inflammation.
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Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care · Jan 2016
ReviewInterrelationships between glutamine and citrulline metabolism.
This article analyzes the contribution of glutamine to the synthesis of citrulline and reviews the evidence that glutamine supplementation increases citrulline production. ⋯ The beneficial effects of glutamine supplementation may be partially mediated by the effects of glutamine on citrulline synthesis by the gut and the de-novo synthesis of arginine by the kidney and other tissues. Although there is no strong evidence to support that glutamine is a major precursor for citrulline synthesis in humans, glutamine has the potential to increase overall gut function and in this way increase citrulline production.