What is a Healthy, low sugar shake or supplement to gain weight with prostate cancer spread to lymph nodes?

[Bamagrad]

Husband has advanced prostate cancer mets to neck, chest, back, pelvis, femur. PSA is doubling rapidly. Currently on Zytiga, Lupron, Steroid, and Lyparza. 😞 Diagnosed in 2020 with tumor base of tongue (doctors said it was not related to PC) and aggressive prostate cancer at same time. Today, four years later, he apparently has prostate mets all in his neck lymph nodes and is having trouble swallowing food due to excess salivia. Last week found he also has thrush, so doctor put him on an anti fungal for that. . Can anyone suggest a supplement that has no or low sugar? He has an appetite, but is losing weight due to difficulty eating.

[God_Loves_Me]

I am taking "Muscle Milk Genuine Protein Shake, Vanilla Creme, 11.16 Fl Oz Bottle, 12 Pack, 25g Protein, Zero Sugar, Calcium, Vitamins A, C & D, 5g Fiber, Energizing Snack, Workout Recovery, Packaging May Vary" and i gain my full weight within first three month.

I am also in touch with nutrition from MO office and I drink one in morning and another before sleep.

ZERO SUGAR.

[MoonRocket in reply to God_Loves_Me]

There's a lot of crap in that Muscle Milk. I use a simple whey protein, with natural peanut butter and coconut water.

[God_Loves_Me in reply to MoonRocket]

I tried but I had constipation

[MoonRocket in reply to God_Loves_Me]

Constipation from what?

[God_Loves_Me in reply to MoonRocket]

From Whey protein

[MoonRocket in reply to God_Loves_Me]

I guess the casein milk protein doesn't for you. That protein has some evidence of fueling PCA.

[Bamagrad in reply to MoonRocket]

What is that?

[Bamagrad in reply to God_Loves_Me]

Juat picked some up. Better than the Ensure. I do not see any bad ingredients. Thank you!

[MoonRocket in reply to Bamagrad]

I must have missed your husband has head & neck cancer too. My wife is a 22 year survivor of head and neck cancer. PCA is a walk in the park compared to H&N Cancers.

I wouldn't worry about the sugar content if your husband has good dental hygiene l. My wife gets her teeth cleaned every 2 months, used fluoride before bed and brushes/flossed/water pik her teeth after every meal.

If he's having issues swallowing and choking, he may need his esophagus widen/stretched.

Nystatin is what they give for thrush.

Good Luck and God Bless.

[Bamagrad in reply to MoonRocket]

Thank you. They removed tumor and did partial glossectomy in 2020. Found out he had aggressive prostate can we right after and treated with radiation. It has been a tough and emotional few years for sure. 😭

[mrscruffy]

You can try a mass gainer available from nutrition store. They have all types some with and without sugar

[Bamagrad in reply to mrscruffy]

Will do!

[Bamagrad]

thank you! He has been supplementing with Ensure, ans has a lot of sugar. Sugar is not good for cancer.

[Redwine01]

I make husband a drink of protifar (a whey protein powder) and poly joule (an energy supplement). Both products made by Nutricia. Add choc powder.

[Bamagrad in reply to Redwine01]

Will look into this

[Tall_Allen]

Sugar is the most digestible form to take in calories. Is he diabetic?

[Bamagrad in reply to Tall_Allen]

No, he is not a diabetic. According to some reports, refined sugar is supppsed to be bad for cancer. Supposed to eat blueberries, veggies, tumeric, ginger, honey —sound right? He has not been eating healthy all the time, QoL is so important, but since nubeqa stopped working last October, none of his treatments seem to be working. Doubling PSA is rapid. We are scared and I am heartbroken.

[Tall_Allen in reply to Bamagrad]

Ignore "some reports." It is junk science. He has a bigger problem - he needs calories. Don't deprive him of the calories he needs based on Internet pseudoscience. None of the foods you mentioned will make one bit of difference.

[Bamagrad in reply to Tall_Allen]

I tend to think as you do; however, I am scared and desperate. 😞

[pakb in reply to Bamagrad]

Try adding a nut butter or ice cream to a protein shake. It adds much needed calories and fats. My daughter has Crohn's and it helped her during a tough time when eating foods hurt. 💙

[allie2020]

These are the ones I drink right after my coffee every morning. I subscribe and save a few bucks getting them delivered monthly. I think Orgain is a very good company with quality products but a little pricey. 26 g protein, just 1 g sugar, organic, grass fed protein.

orgain.com/products/26g-org...

[Bamagrad in reply to allie2020]

Thank you! All of these supplements are costly-just want one that os bealthy and keeps his weight up. I will look into this one!

[London441]

if I were you I’d get him the best tasting option that does the job. What he will drink matters more than concerns about whey, sugar etc.

[Eniarrol]

My husband was on Ensure then his dietician said to buy powdered milk from supermarket (couple of pounds) a tub and mix 3 tbsp of the powder with nesquick powder and milk to make a milkshake. Give him this twice a day.

[Sunnysailor]

if you’re looking for something that’s palatable and milk consistency try the Fairlife brand. The other brand that the oncologist pharmacist recommended was Kate Farms. It’s pricey but some people are able to get a prescription. My husband has chemo side effects that he can barely eat, mouth sores and nausea. I hope this helps.

[Bamagrad in reply to Sunnysailor]

Thank you! My husband developed mouth sores on taxotere as well.

[Papa1]

if there is an Aldi near you, try their protein shakes—about 60% of the cost of name brands but very similar in nutrition. My wife likes the chocolate. They also have a variety of other bars and powders at similar savings.

But as TA says, don’t worry about the sugar as much as what he’ll eat. If he likes ice cream and peanut butter, so be it.

[Mrtewills]

For minimal sugar and substantial calories, I drink this twice a day.I would suggest using whole milk instead of the A2. Also recommend NOW pea protein.

You can use the peanut butter powder. Tastes great, adds calories and provides protein.

This is 700 calories per cup. Note. Use water to further dilute this or you'll have paste. You can add scoops or more milk for additional calories. You'll want to use a Ninja, or blender to mix this up.

This, IMO is better for him instead of the canned proteins.

Next, look for and a reduced sugar ice cream, like Halo.

Good luck

Calories

[Bamagrad in reply to Mrtewills]

So thoughtful. Thank you!

[Bamagrad in reply to Mrtewills]

Very good suggestions. We will try! He will be diligent about making smoothies/shakes and then gets lazy. It is all so exhausting to be honest . We have been at constant war for four years and both of us have been positive and in good spirits 99% of the time. With recent developments, we need all the good vibes we can get. Thank you for taking time to answer so thoroughly. God bless you!

[Oatmeal2]

You can also get a nutri bullet or if you have a food processor or blender, just take regular food and purée it. You can make a shake with some plain yogurt and a banana, strawberries or blueberries. Much healthier than commercial shakes

[tunybgur]

Confine his diet to complex carbs, avoid adding simple sugars to his food, they are just empty calories.

There are many lists of complex carbs, bread, potatoes, pasta etc, if he can eat these he should put on weight.

[Hope49823]

Hormel Health “magic cups” 290 calories in just 4 ounces. hormelhealthlabs.com/produc...

[Bamagrad in reply to Hope49823]

Have not heard of these! Will check it out. Thank you!

[Hope49823 in reply to Bamagrad]

Best wishes. They have been very helpful to family members with nutrition challenges.

[Graham49]

Here is a list of High-energy protein supplements from the UK National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)

I don’t know whether you can get them in the USA. I think your husbands dietician should be advising on what to use. For more information on each product see the NICE website.

Nutrison® Protein Shot

ProSource® TF

ProSource® TF ENFit

ProSource® jelly

Protifar®

Renapro Shot®

Renapro®

Dialamine®

ProSource® Plus

ProSource® liquid

Calogen® Extra

Calshake® powder

Enshake®

MCTprocal®

Pro-Cal® Shot

Pro-Cal® powder

I’m not sure your husband has got cachexia but here are some tidbits from a recent paper on cachexia. There is still a lot of research to be done. I suggest you discuss treatment with your medical team.

Cancer cachexia: molecular mechanisms and treatment strategies

Open access

Published: 22 May 2023

Journal of Hematology & Oncology (2023) 16:54 doi.org/10.1186/s13045-023-...

Treatment strategies and clinical trials

“Cancer cachexia treatment should involve not only pharmacological therapy but also multiple interventions, such as nutritional treatment, exercise, and psychosocial interventions [221,222,223,224]. The use of promising agents in clinical trials is ongoing and is expected to soon be on the market.”

Exercise

“Currently, the only recommended behavioral treatment for cancer cachexia is exercise [225]. “

“However, it is important to note that exercise is not recommended for patients with frailty, sarcopenia, or other acute illnesses.”

Nutrition and appetite stimulants

“Exercise coupled with nutrition therapy is believed to be more beneficial for patients with cachexia. A diet containing 1.5 g/kg/day of protein that constitutes 15–20% of the total caloric intake is highly recommended to overcome the hypercatabolic state during cachexia [228, 235]. Appetite stimulants, such as steroids, progestational agents, and cannabinoids, are early attempts and well-studied nutrition therapies for cachexia [236, 237]. “

“Anamorelin is a ghrelin receptor agonist that is used in cancer treatment. It promotes ghrelin secretion through ghrelin receptor activation and increases appetite, resulting in increased weight and muscle mass [47]. In early clinical trials, anamorelin improved skeletal muscle mass and appetite [48, 49]. Furthermore, ghrelin intake stimulates energy intake and improves the body weight of cachexia patients, particularly their lean body mass [247, 248]. Thus, ghrelin may counteract anorexia in cancer patients [247].”

Anti-inflammatory drugs

“The cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) inhibitor celecoxib has also been evaluated in clinical trials for cancer cachexia. Treatment with 200–300 mg/day celecoxib resulted in a significant improvement in lean body mass and grip strength [261].”

Other anti-catabolic agents

“Subsequently, nonsteroidal selective androgen receptor modulators (SARM) are expected to retain anabolic potency with minimal effects on the androgenic pathway [36, 282]. SARMs have been approved for the treatment of men and women with weight-loss catabolic conditions. It has also been shown to increase lean body mass and weight in patients with cancer, HIV, and COPD-related weight loss [36].”

Natural compounds

“Resveratrol, a stilbenoid naturally found in grapes, blueberries, and peanuts is a well-known anticancer agent [295]. In skeletal muscle, resveratrol has been reported to improve mitochondrial biogenesis and inhibit muscle wasting by activating SIRT1 and PGC1a pathways [295]. Resveratrol has also been shown to activate AKT/mTOR signaling, while suppressing E3 ubiquitin ligases by inducing FOXO phosphorylation [296]. Furthermore, in a cancer cachexia mouse model, oral administration of resveratrol inhibited muscle atrophy by reducing the release of immune cytokines [297]. Several studies have suggested that resveratrol prevents protein degradation induced by angiostensin I and dexamethasone [298,299,300]. “

“Myricanol, a cyclic diarylheptanoid isolated from Chinese bayberry, has also been shown to exert its potential to inhibit muscle wasting-related diseases [153]. Myricanol has been reported to prevent dexamethasone-induced skeletal muscle wasting, particularly by activating SIRT1 signaling [153]. “

“Diarylheptanoids extracted from curcumin have also been reported to block protein degradation and decrease NF-kB nuclear translocation in sepsis models [301, 302]. In cachexia-induced muscle wasting, curcumin treatment also inhibits muscle loss by attenuating lipopolysaccharide stimulated atrogin-1 expression [303]. “

“Recently, we reported that gintonin, a ginseng-derived lysophosphatidic acid receptor (LPAR) ligand, and ginsenoside Rd (G-Rd) protected myotubes from muscle wasting [304, 305]. “

[inter100]

Have you thought of trying baby milk powder.Lots of varieties , cheap and made to be gentle on a baby's system .

[j-o-h-n]

Chocolate chip ice cream ( xx scoops)...

Good Luck, Good Health and Good Humor.

j-o-h-n