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• Arginine plus vitamin C improves cancer-related fatigue

Arginine plus vitamin C improves cancer-related fatigue

May 05 2026. Findings from a clinical study reported in the May 2026 issue of In Vivo revealed improvement in fatigue among cancer patients given a combination of the amino acid arginine and vitamin C.

"Patients with cancer commonly experience several symptoms linked to their disease and the side-effects of treatments, which negatively impact their quality of life," authors Vittorio Gebbia and colleagues wrote. "Cancer-related fatigue is one of the most common and debilitating symptoms reported by patients and can profoundly affect quality of life and physical functioning. Cancer-related fatigue is characterized by an overwhelming sense of tiredness and exhaustion that does not improve with rest or sleep."

Arginine is a semi-essential amino acid that is produced in the body from glutamine; however, the body may need additional arginine during stress or illness.

The study included 44 adults receiving chemotherapy or immunotherapy for cancer who were given 1.66 grams L-arginine and 500 milligrams vitamin C twice per day. Participants evaluated their fatigue prior to beginning the study and after 15, 30 and 60 days. Questionnaires completed at the beginning of the study and after 30 and 60 days assessed quality of life.

Fatigue significantly declined at 15, 30 and 60 days, with the greatest average improvement measured at the end of the study. No improvement in appetite was observed. While health-related quality of life remained mostly unchanged, the authors noted that quality of life did not deteriorate despite participants having advanced cancer and undergoing treatments that are associated with significant side effects.

"Our exploratory study suggests a positive effect of oral supplementation with L-arginine plus vitamin C on cancer-related fatigue without significant worsening of quality of life," they concluded. "Further studies are needed including more clinically homogenous groups of patients."

—D Dye

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