Cachexia (Wasting)
Cachexia (Wasting) is a metabolic condition centered on wasting, with muscle-related changes that may include increased muscle protein breakdown or loss of lean body mass. It can occur in settings such as cancer cachexia or severe illness.
Cachexia (Wasting) is a metabolic condition centered on wasting.
This list shows research findings, not treatments. Nothing here replaces medical care. If you have this condition, talk to a doctor.
May not suit people with this condition
Supplements and practices linked to problems for people with this condition.
FastingpracticeUnclear
In established wasting, a further energy deficit can accelerate lean-mass loss and worsen outcomes.
Open the Fasting page
The expert view shows every study, dose protocol and source.
What may help
Interventions recorded as helping with this conditionNothing in this library is currently recorded as helping with Cachexia (Wasting). That means nothing is on file — not that nothing exists. Only 107 of 338 catalogued supplements have a written-up profile so far.
What to avoid
Interventions recorded as making it worse1 listedHighest probability
- →PracticesFastingCertaintyLowSourceTheoretical
In established wasting, a further energy deficit can accelerate lean-mass loss and worsen outcomes.
Open FastingRationale
In established wasting, further energy deficit accelerates loss of lean mass and worsens outcomes.
How to read the evidence
Evidence tier — overall strength of the evidence for the whole compound
- StrongWell established — backed by strong, consistent human research.
- ModerateSome genuine support, but mostly from small or lower-quality studies. Promising, not proven.
- PreliminaryEarly-stage evidence — a promising hypothesis, not an established effect yet.
- LimitedVery limited evidence — treat this as a hypothesis, not proof.
- InsufficientNot enough good evidence to draw conclusions yet.
Certainty — how sure we can be that the effect is real
- Very highVery sure — strong, consistent evidence
- HighFairly sure — consistent evidence from good studies
- MediumModerately sure — new studies could change this
- LowNot sure — little or mixed evidence
- Very lowVery unsure — almost no usable evidence
Source — where the data comes from
- Meta-analysisPooled analysis of many trials — the strongest evidence
- RCTRandomized controlled trial — a strong human study design
- ClinicalA human clinical study
- Reference knowledgeFrom general health-science or pharmacology references, not a study of this exact claim
- Animal researchStudied in animals, not humans
- Community reportsAggregated user reports — anecdotal signal, not evidence
- TheoreticalMechanism-based reasoning, not yet tested
Study grade — quality of each underlying study (A best, D weakest)
- AHigh-quality — strong, consistent human trials
- BGood — solid evidence with some limitations
- CModerate — limited, small, or mixed-quality studies
- DWeak — preliminary, indirect, or animal-only
Confidence — how strongly the sources back a finding
A 0–100 score from study quality and agreement
Most supplement evidence is graded C–D. Read it as preliminary signal, not proof.
Full write-up
What is it
Cachexia (Wasting) is a metabolic condition centered on wasting, with muscle-related changes that may include increased muscle protein breakdown or loss of lean body mass. It can occur in settings such as cancer cachexia or severe illness. Research on options such as Creatine, Omega-3, BCAA, and L-Leucine focuses on measures including muscle protein catabolism, lean body mass, weight gain, and health-related quality of life.
Evidence-backed options
The options associated with Cachexia (Wasting) cover nutritional and muscle-focused approaches, but the findings are not equally strong or consistent. Creatine supplementation was associated with decreases in some measures of muscle protein catabolism, primarily in males. Omega-3 was studied in people with advanced NSCLC and cancer cachexia, with reported benefits involving weight gain and improvement in HRQoL.
Other options have more limited support. BCAA, particularly L-Leucine, is described as supporting muscle protein synthesis and potentially preserving lean body mass in cachectic conditions, but a leucine-enriched formula produced no significant benefits. Whey Protein is described as being used to provide amino acids in cancer cachexia and other wasting conditions, while the evidence presented does not establish how much benefit to expect.
The only explicit treatment duration is 11 days, when patients receiving lipid emulsions with LCT were compared with MCT/LCT in TPN; changes in nutritional status parameters were similar between groups. Dose information and the timing of any response are not specified, so the evidence does not show how quickly effects may appear or whether they persist. Because Cachexia (Wasting) can occur with serious underlying illness, these options are best interpreted with a clinician familiar with the person’s condition.