EPA Omega-3 May Help Cancer Surgery Patients Save Muscle Mass

Omega-3 fatty acid EPA may help save muscle mass in cancer patients undergoing surgery.

Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) given to patients with cancer decreased weight loss and increased muscle mass during a stressful surgery and recovery. A double blind study of 53 patients with cancer waiting for esophagus removal were randomly assigned to a treatment group, which received EPA for 5 days prior to surgery, or a control group, which did not receive the EPA. The treatment group also received EPA daily for 21 days after surgery. The cancer surgery patients that received the EPA maintained weight and muscle mass after the surgery. The cancer surgery group that did not receive the EPA lost significant amounts of muscle mass. EPA is one of the essential omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oil. Researchers gave a concentrated and highly purified form of the EPA. This allowed an EPA dose that was much higher than that found in food.

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Reference Source Ryan AM, Reynolds JV, Healy L, et al. Enteral nutrition enriched with eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) preserves lean body mass following esophageal cancer surgery: results of a double-blinded randomized controlled trial. Ann Surg. 2009 Mar;249(3):355-63. doi: 10.1097/SLA.0b013e31819a4789. PMID: 19247018.