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Cancer-related fatigue is one of the most burdensome side effects experienced by patients receiving chemotherapy, yet no universally accepted treatment exists. This randomised controlled trial investigated whether a traditional Chinese medicinal diet — the Danggui Buxue Medicinal Diet — could help reduce fatigue and improve blood health in patients who had undergone colon cancer surgery and developed anaemia as a result of chemotherapy.
Ninety-six patients from a tertiary hospital were randomly assigned to two groups of 48. The control group received standard postoperative chemotherapy care, while the experimental group received the same care plus the Danggui Buxue Medicinal Diet for 21 consecutive days. Eighty-six patients completed the study. Researchers measured fatigue levels, blood counts, and inflammatory markers before and after the intervention.
Patients in the dietary intervention group showed significantly lower cancer-related fatigue scores compared to the control group. They also had higher haemoglobin levels and red blood cell counts, alongside notable reductions in two key inflammatory markers — interleukin-6 and tumour necrosis factor-alpha — suggesting a meaningful anti-inflammatory effect. All differences between groups were statistically significant.
The authors propose that the Danggui Buxue Medicinal Diet may serve as a valuable supportive nutritional intervention alongside conventional chemotherapy care for this patient population.
Conclusion: This trial found that the Danggui Buxue Medicinal Diet was associated with meaningful reductions in cancer-related fatigue and improvements in haematological and inflammatory markers in anaemic colon cancer patients receiving chemotherapy.
Source: Wang L, Yang L, Wang L and colleagues. Medicine (2026). View on PubMed (PMID 42937728) · doi:10.1097/MD.0000000000051072