文摘
Micronutrient therapy is linked to complementary and naturopathic experience medicine. Orthomolecular medicine is another synonym that is frequently used. The additional application of micronutrient therapies requires profound knowledge at the interface of biochemistry, pharmacology, and immunology, as well as nutrition and sport science. Micronutrients complement energy-supplying macronutrients and help optimize metabolic processes. Vitamins, trace elements, fatty acids, and certain oils and minerals are considered to belong to the class of micronutrients. The salutogenic idea of health keeping and optimizing the own body’s functions in stressful situations appear helpful and supportive to many cancer patients. This offers an option for active self-help in the active interventional therapeutic setting as well as posttherapeutic phase. In this period micronutrients are well established among many patients to ameliorate posttherapeutic syndromes, such as cancer-related fatigue and neurotoxicity. Micronutrients like selenium, vitamin C, and L‑carnitine are meanwhile well established in supportive complementary medicine. For diverse indications, scientific publications are available. Unfortunately the level of evidence is not satisfactory. In this short review, indications and different fields of application will be presented and critically discussed.