Effects of zinc supplementation on fatigue and quality of life in patients with colorectal cancer.

What Was Tested

The paper reports a study of Vitamin D, K2, Magnesium and Zinc, published as a randomized controlled trial.

To investigate the effects of oral zinc supplementation on fatigue intensity and quality of life of patients during chemotherapy for colorectal cancer.

Why It Was Studied

Estudo prospectivo, randomizado, controlado e duplo-cego conduzido em um hospital universitário público terciário, com 24 pacientes em regime quimioterápico para adenocarcinoma colorretal.

Todos os pacientes receberam quimioterapia por aproximadamente 45 dias após a ressecção cirúrgica do tumor.

Who Took Part

According to the abstract, 24 patients were involved.

The age groups tagged for this paper are middle-aged adults, older adults and people over 80, both men and women.

A prospective, randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled study was conducted with 24 patients on chemotherapy for colorectal adenocarcinoma in a tertiary care public hospital.

Approximately 45 days after surgical resection of the tumor, all patients received a chemotherapeutic regimen.

How the Study Was Run

In design terms this was a randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled study.

Because people in this Vitamin D, K2, Magnesium and Zinc study were split into groups at random, differences between the groups are less likely to reflect who happened to join each one.

Neither the patients nor the staff measuring them knew who was on Vitamin D, K2, Magnesium and Zinc, so expectations could not easily colour the readings.

Some patients received a placebo instead of Vitamin D, K2, Magnesium and Zinc, giving a reference point.

Before each of the four cycles of chemotherapy, the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Fatigue scale was completed.

The researchers used a linear mixed model for longitudinal data for statistical analysis.

What Was Measured

A escala Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Fatigue foi preenchida antes de cada um dos quatro ciclos de quimioterapia.

The subject headings attached to it are Adenocarcinoma, Colorectal Neoplasms, Dietary Supplements, Fatigue, Linear Models, Placebo Effect and Quality of Life.

What This Means in Plain Language

The paper is a randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled study of Vitamin D, K2, Magnesium and Zinc in 24 patients.

With fewer than 40 people, it is a small study, so it is better read as an early signal for further research than as a settled answer.

Results are reported in around 6 sentences of the abstract; we leave them to the paper itself rather than summarise them.

The publication is from 2017 (Einstein (Sao Paulo, Brazil)), a journal based in Brazil.

More context: the Vitamin D, K2, Magnesium and Zinc compound page, all human trials.