Natural treatments for undesired weight loss
Natural treatments for undesired weight loss focus on addressing the challenges faced by individuals who experience involuntary weight loss due to various health conditions. This phenomenon can occur in people with serious illnesses such as cancer, HIV, or chronic diseases, where traditional nutritional interventions may be insufficient. Among the proposed natural treatments, fish oil stands out for its omega-3 fatty acids, which may help counteract inflammation and support weight gain, particularly in cancer patients. Other supplements that are suggested include branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), glutamine, and medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs), which may enhance appetite and improve nutrient absorption.
Additionally, certain amino acids like arginine and ornithine alpha-ketoglutarate have shown promise in clinical studies for their potential to stimulate appetite and aid weight recovery. While there are traditional remedies that include bitter herbs to stimulate appetite, caution is advised when using herbs and supplements due to possible interactions with other medications. Overall, a combined approach of increasing calorie intake through fats and proteins, alongside specific natural treatments, may offer a comprehensive strategy for managing undesired weight loss. However, it's important for individuals to consult healthcare professionals before starting any new treatment regimen.
Natural treatments for undesired weight loss
- DEFINITION: Treatment for undesired or unintentional weight loss.
- PRINCIPAL PROPOSED NATURAL TREATMENT: Fish oil
- OTHER PROPOSED NATURAL TREATMENTS: Arginine, beta-hydroxy beta-methylbutyrate, branched-chain amino acids, creatine, conjugated linoleic acid, fish oil, glutamine, lipoic acid, medium-chain triglycerides, melatonin, N-acetylcysteine, ornithine alpha-ketoglutarate, anamorelin hydrochloride
Introduction
While many more people experience excessive appetite and would rather decrease that appetite so they can lose weight, some people find that they have an insufficient desire to eat food and, thus, lose weight unintentionally. Mild weight loss can occur in relatively healthy people with stomach problems such as dyspepsia or gastric atonia (sluggish action of the stomach). More severe loss of weight can occur among people who are receiving cancer chemotherapy or who have serious diseases such as human immunodeficiency virus infection, emphysema, Crohn’s disease, or congestive heart failure. In extreme cases, inadequate caloric and fat intake leads to a form of starvation or wasting (cachexia) that can hamper recovery and increase the risk of death.
Conventional treatment of undesired weight loss primarily involves concentrated protein-calorie supplements, often taken in liquid form. However, among people who have cancer, simply increasing nutritional intake may not help. Cancer can cause a condition called tumor-induced weight loss (TIWL), in which symptoms of starvation occur despite apparently adequate nutrition. The cause is thought to be a particular form of inflammation caused by cancer. For this reason, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs have been tried for the treatment of TIWL, with some positive results. Progesterone-related drugs also may be helpful for TIWL, but the exact functional mechanisms are unknown.
Principal Proposed Natural Treatments
Fish oil contains omega-3 fatty acids, “good fats” that have many potential health-promoting properties. Cancer-induced weight loss involves inflammation and responds to treatment with anti-inflammatory drugs. Fish oil also has anti-inflammatory effects. According to some, though not all, studies, fish oil supplements can help people with cancer gain weight. A typical dosage of fish oil used for cancer-induced weight loss is about twelve grams (g) daily.
Other Proposed Natural Treatments
Fats are a concentrated form of energy. For this reason, people with undesired weight loss are often encouraged to increase fat intake. People with cancer have an additional reason to consume more fat: cancer interferes with the normal process of fat storage, making it less efficient. Certain special fats may be particularly helpful for correcting this fat deficiency. These include conjugated linoleic acid and medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs), along with fish oil.
People with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome may have trouble absorbing fats. Two small double-blind studies have found that MCTs are more easily absorbed than ordinary fats in people with these conditions. However, there is no direct evidence that MCTs actually help people with HIV infection gain weight. In both of the studies noted here, participants consumed nothing but a special nutritional formula containing MCTs. Taking MCTs in this way requires medical supervision to determine the dose.
People with excessive weight loss caused by serious illness may also need extra protein. Amino acids are the basic building blocks of proteins, and they may be easier to digest than whole proteins. Certain amino acid supplements have shown particular usefulness in treating cancer cachexia. One such supplement is branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), a collection of the amino acids leucine, isoleucine, and valine. A double-blind study tested BCAAs on twenty-eight people with cancer who had lost their appetites because of the disease itself or because of its treatment. Appetite improved in 55 percent of those taking BCAAs (4.8 g daily) compared to only 16 percent of those who took placebo.
Promising results for both cancer-induced and HIV-induced weight loss have also been seen with the amino acids arginine, glutamine, and ornithine alpha-ketoglutarate.
Other treatments found useful for cancer- or HIV-induced weight loss include the antioxidants lipoic acid and N-acetylcysteine, a cocktail containing the sports supplement beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate and the amino acids arginine and glutamine, and the hormone melatonin.
Anamorelin hydrochloride mimics the effects of ghrelin, a hormone produced by the stomach, by boosting appetite and releasing growth hormones. Anamorelin activates the growth hormone secretagogue receptor (GHSR) in the brain and has been used to treat anorexia nervosa and cachexia.
Traditional remedies for mild, occasional loss of appetite involve the use of bitter-tasting herbs, such as gentian (sold as “bitters” in liquor stores), devil’s claw, goldenseal, hops, and horehound. In one study, use of creatine failed to help maintain muscle mass in people undergoing chemotherapy for colon cancer.
Herbs and Supplements to Use Only with Caution
Various herbs and supplements may interact adversely with drugs used to treat the underlying condition or conditions causing weight loss, so people should be cautious when considering the use of herbs and supplements.
Homeopathic Remedies
A double-blind, placebo-controlled study evaluated the potential benefits of homeopathic thyroid hormone for weight loss. A total of 208 people were enrolled in the study. All study participants were undergoing a fast and had reached a plateau where they were no longer rapidly losing weight. The use of homeopathic thyroid significantly enhanced the rate of weight loss.
A 2019 review of studies of herbal supplements and homeopathic remedies in the treatment of cachexia found some promise in natural treatments for weight loss that provided anti-inflammatory benefits. Promise was shown among the fourteenth natural remedies studied, yet conclusions were made that more study was necessary to determine the efficiency of natural treatment. One final way patients suffering from unintended weight loss can combat their symptoms is by increasing the calories in their diet. Though this may not help all patients, increasing calories by adding extra fats and protein may help patients maintain some weight.
Bibliography
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