The Role of Nutrition in Managing Sarcopenia in Aging and Cancer
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.12775/QS.2025.42.60429Keywords
nutrition, supplementation, sarcopenia, cachexia, elderly, oncology patientAbstract
Purpose of the research:
This review aims to examine the role of nutrition and supplementation in the prevention and management of sarcopenia, particularly among the elderly and oncology patients. It explores how targeted dietary strategies can influence muscle mass, strength, and function.
Materials and methods:
The study is based on a review of the scientific literature, including clinical and experimental studies on nutritional interventions for sarcopenia in aging and cancer-related conditions.
Results:
Adequate protein intake, especially leucine-rich sources, alongside key nutrients such as vitamin D, omega-3 fatty acids, creatine, and antioxidants, has shown benefits in preserving muscle mass and improving physical function. In oncology patients, nutritional support is crucial to mitigate treatment-induced muscle loss and to improve therapy tolerance.
Conclusions:
Nutrition plays a vital role in mitigating sarcopenia and related complications in aging and cancer. Early screening and individualized nutritional strategies, combined with physical activity, offer a promising approach to improving patient resilience, treatment outcomes, and quality of life.
References
[1] A. A. Sayer and A. Cruz-Jentoft, “Sarcopenia definition, diagnosis and treatment: consensus is growing,” Age Ageing, vol. 51, no. 10, Oct. 2022, doi: 10.1093/AGEING/AFAC220.
[2] M. R. Cho, S. Lee, and S. K. Song, “A Review of Sarcopenia Pathophysiology, Diagnosis, Treatment and Future Direction,” J Korean Med Sci, vol. 37, no. 18, 2022, doi: 10.3346/JKMS.2022.37.E146.
[3] A. A. Damluji et al., “Sarcopenia and Cardiovascular Diseases,” Circulation, vol. 147, no. 20, pp. 1534–1553, May 2023, doi: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.123.064071.
[4] H. Nishikawa, S. Fukunishi, A. Asai, K. Yokohama, S. Nishiguchi, and K. Higuchi, “Pathophysiology and mechanisms of primary sarcopenia (Review),” Int J Mol Med, vol. 48, no. 2, Aug. 2021, doi: 10.3892/IJMM.2021.4989.
[5] R. J. S. Dhillon and S. Hasni, “Pathogenesis and Management of Sarcopenia,” Clin Geriatr Med, vol. 33, no. 1, p. 17, Feb. 2017, doi: 10.1016/J.CGER.2016.08.002.
[6] S. L. Budui, A. P. Rossi, and M. Zamboni, “The pathogenetic bases of sarcopenia,” Clinical Cases in Mineral and Bone Metabolism, vol. 12, no. 1, p. 22, Jan. 2015, doi: 10.11138/CCMBM/2015.12.1.022.
[7] S. M. Robinson et al., “Does nutrition play a role in the prevention and management of sarcopenia?,” Clinical Nutrition, vol. 37, no. 4, pp. 1121–1132, Aug. 2018, doi: 10.1016/J.CLNU.2017.08.016.
[8] S. Gilmartin, N. O’Brien, and L. Giblin, “Whey for Sarcopenia; Can Whey Peptides, Hydrolysates or Proteins Play a Beneficial Role?,” Foods 2020, Vol. 9, Page 750, vol. 9, no. 6, p. 750, Jun. 2020, doi: 10.3390/FOODS9060750.
[9] Z. R. Xu, Z. J. Tan, Q. Zhang, Q. F. Gui, and Y. M. Yang, “The effectiveness of leucine on muscle protein synthesis, lean body mass and leg lean mass accretion in older people: a systematic review and meta-analysis,” British Journal of Nutrition, vol. 113, no. 1, pp. 25–34, Jan. 2015, doi: 10.1017/S0007114514002475.
[10] E. Cereda, R. Pisati, M. Rondanelli, and R. Caccialanza, “Whey Protein, Leucine-and Vitamin-D-Enriched Oral Nutritional Supplementation for the Treatment of Sarcopenia,” Nutrients, vol. 14, no. 7, p. 1524, Apr. 2022, doi: 10.3390/NU14071524/S1.
[11] A. M. Martone et al., “Exercise and Protein Intake: A Synergistic Approach against Sarcopenia,” Biomed Res Int, vol. 2017, no. 1, p. 2672435, Jan. 2017, doi: 10.1155/2017/2672435.
[12] M. C. Chang and Y. J. Choo, “Effects of Whey Protein, Leucine, and Vitamin D Supplementation in Patients with Sarcopenia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis,” Nutrients, vol. 15, no. 3, p. 521, Feb. 2023, doi: 10.3390/NU15030521/S1.
[13] R. Uchitomi, M. Oyabu, and Y. Kamei, “Vitamin D and Sarcopenia: Potential of Vitamin D Supplementation in Sarcopenia Prevention and Treatment,” Nutrients 2020, Vol. 12, Page 3189, vol. 12, no. 10, p. 3189, Oct. 2020, doi: 10.3390/NU12103189.
[14] F. Remelli, A. Vitali, A. Zurlo, and S. Volpato, “Vitamin D Deficiency and Sarcopenia in Older Persons,” Nutrients 2019, Vol. 11, Page 2861, vol. 11, no. 12, p. 2861, Nov. 2019, doi: 10.3390/NU11122861.
[15] J. Dupont, L. Dedeyne, S. Dalle, K. Koppo, and E. Gielen, “The role of omega-3 in the prevention and treatment of sarcopenia,” Aging Clin Exp Res, vol. 31, no. 6, pp. 825–836, Jun. 2019, doi: 10.1007/S40520-019-01146-1/TABLES/2.
[16] E. Dolan, G. G. Artioli, R. M. R. Pereira, and B. Gualano, “Muscular Atrophy and Sarcopenia in the Elderly: Is There a Role for Creatine Supplementation?,” Biomolecules 2019, Vol. 9, Page 642, vol. 9, no. 11, p. 642, Oct. 2019, doi: 10.3390/BIOM9110642.
[17] S. Damiano, E. Muscariello, G. La Rosa, M. Di Maro, P. Mondola, and M. Santillo, “Dual Role of Reactive Oxygen Species in Muscle Function: Can Antioxidant Dietary Supplements Counteract Age-Related Sarcopenia?,” International Journal of Molecular Sciences 2019, Vol. 20, Page 3815, vol. 20, no. 15, p. 3815, Aug. 2019, doi: 10.3390/IJMS20153815.
[18] P. Bossi, P. Delrio, A. Mascheroni, and M. Zanetti, “The Spectrum of Malnutrition/Cachexia/Sarcopenia in Oncology According to Different Cancer Types and Settings: A Narrative Review,” Nutrients, vol. 13, no. 6, Jun. 2021, doi: 10.3390/NU13061980.
[19] D. Meza-Valderrama et al., “Sarcopenia, Malnutrition, and Cachexia: Adapting Definitions and Terminology of Nutritional Disorders in Older People with Cancer,” Nutrients, vol. 13, no. 3, pp. 1–11, Mar. 2021, doi: 10.3390/NU13030761.
[20] J. A. Ligibel, K. H. Schmitz, and N. A. Berger, “Sarcopenia in aging, obesity, and cancer,” Transl Cancer Res, vol. 9, no. 9, pp. 5760–5771, Sep. 2020, doi: 10.21037/TCR-2019-EAOC-05.
[21] A. M. Ryan, D. G. Power, L. Daly, S. J. Cushen, E. Ní Bhuachalla, and C. M. Prado, “Cancer-associated malnutrition, cachexia and sarcopenia: the skeleton in the hospital closet 40 years later,” Proc Nutr Soc, vol. 75, no. 2, pp. 199–211, May 2016, doi: 10.1017/S002966511500419X.
[22] A. K. Stuck et al., “Comparing Prevalence of Sarcopenia Using Twelve Sarcopenia Definitions in a Large Multinational European Population of Community-Dwelling Older Adults,” J Nutr Health Aging, vol. 27, no. 3, pp. 205–212, Mar. 2023, doi: 10.1007/S12603-023-1888-Y.
[23] R. F. Dunne, K. P. Loh, G. R. Williams, A. Jatoi, K. M. Mustian, and S. G. Mohile, “Cachexia and Sarcopenia in Older Adults with Cancer: A Comprehensive Review,” Cancers (Basel), vol. 11, no. 12, Dec. 2019, doi: 10.3390/CANCERS11121861.
[24] S. Peixoto da Silva, J. M. O. Santos, M. P. Costa e Silva, R. M. Gil da Costa, and R. Medeiros, “Cancer cachexia and its pathophysiology: links with sarcopenia, anorexia and asthenia,” J Cachexia Sarcopenia Muscle, vol. 11, no. 3, p. 619, Jun. 2020, doi: 10.1002/JCSM.12528.
[25] J. Arends, “Malnutrition in cancer patients: Causes, consequences and treatment options,” European Journal of Surgical Oncology, vol. 50, no. 5, p. 107074, May 2024, doi: 10.1016/J.EJSO.2023.107074.
[26] A. Bye et al., “Exercise and Nutrition Interventions in Patients with Head and Neck Cancer during Curative Treatment: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis,” Nutrients, vol. 12, no. 11, p. 3233, Oct. 2020, doi: 10.3390/nu12113233.
[27] M. Muscaritoli, J. Arends, and M. Aapro, “From guidelines to clinical practice: a roadmap for oncologists for nutrition therapy for cancer patients,” Ther. Adv. Med. Oncol., vol. 11, p. 1758835919880084, 2019, doi: 10.1177/1758835919880084.
[28] P. Ravasco, “Nutrition in Cancer Patients,” J. Clin. Med., vol. 8, no. 8, p. 1211, Aug. 2019, doi: 10.3390/jcm8081211.
[29] A. Lewandowska et al., “Nutritional Treatment of Patients with Colorectal Cancer,” Int. J. Environ. Res. Public. Health, vol. 19, no. 11, p. 6881, Jun. 2022, doi: 10.3390/ijerph19116881.
[30] V. Da Prat, P. Pedrazzoli, and R. Caccialanza, “Nutritional care for cancer patients: are we doing enough?,” Front. Nutr., vol. 11, p. 1361800, Apr. 2024, doi: 10.3389/fnut.2024.1361800.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Michał Wycik, Artur Wądołowski, Agnieszka Kruk, Marta Łupińska, Kamila Stępień, Julia Kucińska, Hubert Chmielewski, Joanna Przeniosło, Julia Komar, Gabriela Kondratiuk
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Stats
Number of views and downloads: 230
Number of citations: 0
