Condition
Cancer-Related Fatigue
Cancer-related fatigue is a persistent, overwhelming exhaustion that rest does not relieve, driven by the cancer, its treatments, anemia, inflammation, poor sleep and stress. Among supplements, the evidence is strongest for American ginseng, and trials found fatigue eased; coenzyme Q10 has moderate evidence too. Much of the rest is thinner, and Dang Shen, a traditional herb, has mostly been studied in animals, where endurance improved, with no human trials.
Sources: PMID 21827539; PMID 19715751
- Supplements studied
- 7
- Graded outcomes
- 6
- Trials
- 2
- People studied
- 3,136
Evidence by supplement
- Strong
- Moderate
- Limited
- Very limited
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anxiety Symptoms Large Improvement | Improves (the measure goes down) | Large effect | 128 people | |||
| Stress Signs and Symptoms | Improves (the measure goes down) | 1 study | 177 people | |||
Studies that measured stress signs and symptoms | ||||||
| Depression Symptoms | Improves (the measure goes down) | 304 people | ||||
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fatigue Symptoms Large Improvement | Improves (the measure goes down) | Large effect | 804 people | |||
| Quality of Life Moderate Improvement | Improves (the measure goes up) | Moderate effect | 804 people |
Pea Protein
- Fatigue Symptoms: improves
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fatigue Symptoms Small Improvement | Improves (the measure goes down) | Small effect | 39 people |
Dang Shen
- Fatigue Resistance: improves
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fatigue Resistance Animal studies show improved exercise endurance following Codonopsis supplementation, consistent with its traditional use as a qi tonic for fatigue and weakness. The mechanism remains unestablished and no human trials have been conducted. | Improves (the measure goes down) | Small effect | 3 studies | |||
Yarrow
- Fatigue Symptoms
- Quality of Life: improves
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fatigue Symptoms No effect | NoneNo effect | 24 people | ||||
| Quality of Life | Improves (the measure goes up) | 24 people |
Coenzyme Q10
- Fatigue Symptoms: improves
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fatigue Symptoms | Improves (the measure goes down) | 3 studies | 602 people | |||
Studies that measured fatigue symptoms
| ||||||
Soy Protein
- Fatigue Symptoms: improves
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fatigue Symptoms | Improves (the measure goes down) | 39 people |
Key findings
- Anxiety SymptomsImproves (the measure goes down)
- Fatigue SymptomsImproves (the measure goes down)
- Quality of LifeImproves (the measure goes up)
The Cancer-Related Fatigue Support protocol
2 primary supplements · 7 supporting supplements
- American Ginseng (Panax quinquefolius)1,000–2,000 mg daily
- Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10)100–300 mg daily
Studies cited
1 study from PubMed