Grant: Operating Grant

This proposal stems from our recent observations that muscle wasting is common in people with cancer. Often, muscle loss associates with increased content of fat in muscle. Each of these features is related to morbidity and survival in people with cancer. Here, we propose new basic research to understand the biological causes of muscle wasting, as well as propose an intervention to modify muscle loss and fat in muscle. Two questions will be explored. The first of these relates to the reasons for muscle loss and replacement of the muscle tissue by fat tissue. This may be due to alterations in the muscle cells responsible for regeneration and renewal of muscle, or changes in the signals that govern muscle cell or fat cell growth. The second question relates to the ability of a nutritional intervention containing fats thought to be important for muscle health to reduce the loss of muscle and fat within the muscle tissue. Reasons for the benefits will be explored.