Grant: Operating Grant

Muscle mass and the amount of fat in muscle are associated with survival of people with cancer. Our previous work suggests that the n-3 fatty acids, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) may have the capacity to modify the amount of fat in muscle. We want to know if this dietary intervention is effective in people who already have an elevated amount of fat in their muscle and understand more about the reasons for the benefits we have observed. Here, we propose a 4 week dietary intervention with EPA and DHA for people with cancer who have high amounts of fat in their muscle. We will explore the effect of the intervention on muscle tissue that we obtain during a surgical procedure after the supplementation period. Providing EPA and DHA through diet is expected to alter the signals produced within the muscle to reduce the amount of fat in the muscle and restore muscle condition.