Evaluation of Irisin Levels in Cancer Anorexia Cachexia Syndrome and the Relationship between Nutrition Education and Quality of Life

This study examines the effects of nutritional education given to individuals diagnosed with cancer anorexia cachexia syndrome (CACS) on serum irisin levels, cachectic factors, proinflammatory cytokines, quality of life scale results, and anthropometric and routine biochemical parameters. Forty-one patients diagnosed with CACS were randomly divided into two groups, experimental and control. Nutrition education was given for 12 weeks to the patients in the experimental group (n=23), while those in the control group (n=18) were not subjected to any intervention. All participants’ serum irisin, proteolysis-inducing factor, zinc-α-2 glycoprotein, interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor-α, routine biochemical parameters, and body weight were measured at the beginning and end of the study. The patients were also evaluated in terms of 24-hour recall food intake, body mass index, and quality of life scale values. No significant differences were observed at baseline between the experimental and control groups in terms of quality of life scale values, cachectic factors, inflammatory cytokines, or irisin levels. However, at the end of the study, hemoglobin levels were higher in the experimental group than in the control group. Energy and nutrient intakes were similar between the groups initially, but were higher in the experimental group at the end of the study. Nutrition education did not significantly alter the quality of life scale, BMI, or biochemical parameters. However, education yielded the expected increase in nutrient intake in the experimental group.