Saturday Nov 30, 2013 (foodconsumer.org) -- Taking a dietary supplement Guarana (Paullinia cupana) can help relieve fatigue associated with chemotherapy in breast cancer patients, a study in  The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine suggests.

The study led by Maira Paschoin de Oliveira Campos, MD from BC School of Medicine, Santo André in Sao Paulo, Brazil and colleagues shows that breast cancer patients who finished the first round of chemotherapy and took guarana reduced the fatigue induced by the treatment, compared with patients who received placebo.

For the trial, breats cancer patients who completed the first cycle of chemotherapy were assigned to receive either guarana in a dose of 50 mg orally twice per day or placebo for 21 days.

All breast cancer patients were then evaluated on days 1, 21, and 49 for chronic illness therapy fatigue, chronic illness therapy - endocrine symptoms, brief fatigue inventory, Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index, Chalder Fatigue Scale and hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale.

Among breast cancer patients treated with Guarana, Chronic Illness Therapy-Fatigue, Chronic Illness Therapy-Endocrine Symptoms, and Brief Fatigue Inventory were significantly improved on day 21 adn 49.  And the Chalder Scale was improved significantly on day 21, but not on day 49.

Guarana did not cause any grades 2, 3, or 4 toxicities as defined in Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events and did not have any negative effect on sleep quality or cause anxiety or depression.

Both cancer and chemotherapy can cause fatigue. Guarana (Paullinia cupana) is a plant found in the Amazon basin that has been used as a stimulant for ages.

The study concluded "Guarana is an effective, inexpensive, and nontoxic alternative for the short-term treatment of fatigue in BC (breast cancer) patients receiving systemic chemotherapy." (David Liu, PHD)