Investigating the effect of iron supplementation on skeletal muscle atrophy in cancer patients (Iron helps with cancer survival, too)

Medical Xpress / European Molecular Biology Organization / EMBO Reports ^ | Elisabeth Wyart et al

[ConservativeMind]

The effect of iron supplementation on skeletal muscle atrophy in cancer patients and sufferers from other wasting diseases has been investigated by a team of scientists which studied causes of these conditions in humans and mouse models. The findings shed light on wasting mechanisms in advanced stage cancer patients, for whom prevalence of devastating skeletal muscle atrophy known generally as cachexia reaches 80%.

Furthermore, since at least 20% of all cancer-related deaths are estimated to be caused directly by cachexia, reversing the loss of muscle mass and function could at least prolong quality of life in such patients. Cancer patients with cachexia usually suffer from uncontrollable decrease in quality of life, insulin resistance, liver dysfunction, chronic inflammation, altered gut microbiota, and nutrient absorption.

…Then it was found that muscle function, mass, and even longer survival in mouse models of colon cancer could be sustained by iron supplementation, preventing, or reversing cachexia. A finding was that intravenous injections of iron resulted in healthier and more physically active mice that survived far beyond the usual two weeks, as well as notably improved grip strength within 24 hours, all sustained until the end of the experiment.

A moderate strength improvement was observed in a small group of human cancer patients a few days after injection of ferric carboxymaltose, a preparation of iron commonly used as a supplement.

Further study is necessary to identify fully the underlying mechanisms involved, but the mice experiments indicate that iron is not deficient overall but confined to the cytosol, the primary fluid of cells, and lacking in mitochondria for production of adenosine triphosphate(ATP), the energy source of cells and processes such as muscle contraction. It appears that iron supplementation remedies this deficit by making iron available to mitochondria in muscle cells.

[ConservativeMind]

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[libh8er]

Iron supplements can be extremely dangerous to cancer patients. It can cause cancer cells to divide even faster.

[logi_cal869]

It is interesting - if not a tell, presuming the paper is the same in this respect - that the article fails to mention chemo even once, let alone its effect in causative deficiencies in vitamins & minerals.

I see this as yet more evidence (as though we needed any additional proof) of the inherent problems in medical treatment & medical research.