Skip to main content
PMC home page
British Journal of Cancer logoLink to British Journal of Cancer
. 1988 Nov;58(5):580–583. doi: 10.1038/bjc.1988.263

A comparison of long-chain triglycerides and medium-chain triglycerides on weight loss and tumour size in a cachexia model.

M J Tisdale 1, R A Brennan 1
PMCID: PMC2246820  PMID: 3219268

Abstract

A comparison has been made between the ability of long-chain triglycerides (LCT) and medium-chain triglycerides (MCT) to prevent weight loss induced by the cachexia-inducing colon adenocarcinoma (MAC16) and to reduce tumour size. There was no difference in calorie consumption or nitrogen intake between the various groups. When compared with a normal control high carbohydrate, low fat diet, animals fed MCT showed a reduced weight loss and a marked reduction in tumour size. In contrast neither weight loss nor tumour size differed significantly from the controls in animals fed the LCT diet. An elevated plasma level of 3-hydroxybuturate was found only in the animals fed the MCT diets. Administration of LCT caused an increase in the plasma level of FFA, which was not observed in the MCT group. These results suggest that diets containing MCT would provide the best ketogenic regime to reverse the weight loss in cancer cachexia with a concomitant reduction in tumour size.

Full text

PDF
583

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Abraham S., Hillyard L. A. Effect of dietary 18-carbon fatty acids on growth of transplantable mammary adenocarcinomas in mice. J Natl Cancer Inst. 1983 Sep;71(3):601–605. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Beck S. A., Tisdale M. J. Production of lipolytic and proteolytic factors by a murine tumor-producing cachexia in the host. Cancer Res. 1987 Nov 15;47(22):5919–5923. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Bibby M. C., Double J. A., Ali S. A., Fearon K. C., Brennan R. A., Tisdale M. J. Characterization of a transplantable adenocarcinoma of the mouse colon producing cachexia in recipient animals. J Natl Cancer Inst. 1987 Mar;78(3):539–546. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Cohen L. A., Thompson D. O. The influence of dietary medium chain triglycerides on rat mammary tumor development. Lipids. 1987 Jun;22(6):455–461. doi: 10.1007/BF02537278. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Conyers R. A., Need A. G., Durbridge T., Harvey N. D., Potezny N., Rofe A. M. Cancer, ketosis and parenteral nutrition. Med J Aust. 1979 May 5;1(9):398–399. doi: 10.5694/j.1326-5377.1979.tb126984.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Cotter R., Taylor C. A., Johnson R., Rowe W. B. A metabolic comparison of a pure long-chain triglyceride lipid emulsion (LCT) and various medium-chain triglyceride (MCT)-LCT combination emulsions in dogs. Am J Clin Nutr. 1987 May;45(5):927–939. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/45.5.927. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Dewys W. D., Begg C., Lavin P. T., Band P. R., Bennett J. M., Bertino J. R., Cohen M. H., Douglass H. O., Jr, Engstrom P. F., Ezdinli E. Z. Prognostic effect of weight loss prior to chemotherapy in cancer patients. Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group. Am J Med. 1980 Oct;69(4):491–497. doi: 10.1016/s0149-2918(05)80001-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Fearon K. C., Borland W., Preston T., Tisdale M. J., Shenkin A., Calman K. C. Cancer cachexia: influence of systemic ketosis on substrate levels and nitrogen metabolism. Am J Clin Nutr. 1988 Jan;47(1):42–48. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/47.1.42. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Katz E. B., Boylan E. S. Stimulatory effect of high polyunsaturated fat diet on lung metastasis from the 13762 mammary adenocarcinoma in female retired breeder rats. J Natl Cancer Inst. 1987 Aug;79(2):351–358. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Magee B. A., Potezny N., Rofe A. M., Conyers R. A. The inhibition of malignant cell growth by ketone bodies. Aust J Exp Biol Med Sci. 1979 Oct;57(5):529–539. doi: 10.1038/icb.1979.54. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Mahony S. M., Beck S. A., Tisdale M. J. Comparison of weight loss induced by recombinant tumour necrosis factor with that produced by a cachexia-inducing tumour. Br J Cancer. 1988 Apr;57(4):385–389. doi: 10.1038/bjc.1988.87. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Rofe A. M., Bais R., Conyers R. A. Ketone-body metabolism in tumour-bearing rats. Biochem J. 1986 Jan 15;233(2):485–491. doi: 10.1042/bj2330485. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Seaton T. B., Welle S. L., Warenko M. K., Campbell R. G. Thermic effect of medium-chain and long-chain triglycerides in man. Am J Clin Nutr. 1986 Nov;44(5):630–634. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/44.5.630. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Spector A. A., Steinberg D. The effect of fatty acid structure on utilization by Ehrlich ascites tumor cells. Cancer Res. 1967 Sep;27(9):1587–1594. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Sylvester P. W., Ip C., Ip M. M. Effects of high dietary fat on the growth and development of ovarian-independent carcinogen-induced mammary tumors in rats. Cancer Res. 1986 Feb;46(2):763–769. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Theologides A. Cancer cachexia. Cancer. 1979 May;43(5 Suppl):2004–2012. doi: 10.1002/1097-0142(197905)43:5+<2004::aid-cncr2820430708>3.0.co;2-#. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Tisdale M. J., Brennan R. A., Fearon K. C. Reduction of weight loss and tumour size in a cachexia model by a high fat diet. Br J Cancer. 1987 Jul;56(1):39–43. doi: 10.1038/bjc.1987.149. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Tisdale M. J., Brennan R. A. Loss of acetoacetate coenzyme A transferase activity in tumours of peripheral tissues. Br J Cancer. 1983 Feb;47(2):293–297. doi: 10.1038/bjc.1983.38. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from British Journal of Cancer are provided here courtesy of Cancer Research UK

RESOURCES