Recently Diagnosed or Relapsed? Stop Looking For a Miracle Cure, and Use Evidence-Based Therapies To Enhance Your Treatment and Prolong Your Remission
Multiple Myeloma an incurable disease, but I have spent the last 25 years in remission using a blend of conventional oncology and evidence-based nutrition, supplementation, and lifestyle therapies from peer-reviewed studies that your oncologist probably hasn't told you about.
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Foods for Myeloma gut health
You’ve read that foods for Myeloma gut health are important for managing your incurable blood cancer. According to research, a healthy gut microbiome can enhance your therapies, both induction as well as CAR-T cell therapy, as well as reduce the risk of short-term, long-term and late-stage side effects.
Unfortunately, conventional therapies such as chemotherapy and antibiotics can damage your gut health. And you will undoubtedly undergo chemotherapy regimens over the next dozen or so years.
So how can MM patients in and out of therapy keep their gut health in top shape?
Here are ten of the most evidence-based foods for improving gut health, backed by human and preclinical studies showing benefits to the gut microbiome, mucosal barrier, and immune regulation:
🥦 1. Fermented Foods
Examples: yogurt, kefir, kimchi, sauerkraut, miso, tempeh, kombucha
Why: Contain live probiotics (e.g., Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium) that enhance microbial diversity and reduce inflammation.
Study note: A Stanford 2021 trial found fermented foods increased microbiome diversity and lowered inflammatory markers (Cell, 2021).
🌾 2. High-Fiber Whole Grains
Examples: oats, barley, quinoa, brown rice
Why: Rich in prebiotic fibers (β-glucans, arabinoxylans) that feed beneficial bacteria and promote short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) production, especially butyrate.
SCFA benefit: strengthens the intestinal barrier and modulates immunity.
🫘 3. Legumes
Examples: lentils, chickpeas, black beans, kidney beans
Why: Provide resistant starch and prebiotic fibers that stimulate Bifidobacteria and Faecalibacterium prausnitziigrowth.
Extra: May help reduce colon cancer risk and improve glycemic control.
🍎 4. Apples
Why: Contain pectin, a prebiotic fiber that boosts Bifidobacteria and SCFA production.
Bonus: Polyphenols in apples also act as antioxidants with antimicrobial balance effects.
🥬 5. Leafy Greens
Examples: spinach, kale, arugula, bok choy
Why: Contain sulfoquinovose (a sugar that nourishes beneficial gut bacteria) and polyphenols that reduce gut inflammation.
🧄 6. Garlic and Onions
Why: Natural prebiotics high in inulin and fructooligosaccharides (FOS).
Effect: Enhance Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium populations, lower pathogenic species.
🫐 7. Berries
Examples: blueberries, raspberries, blackberries
Why: High in polyphenols and anthocyanins that act as prebiotics and antioxidant modulators of microbiota.
Research: Shown to increase Akkermansia muciniphila (linked to gut barrier integrity and metabolic health).
🥕 8. Root Vegetables
Examples: carrots, sweet potatoes, beets, Jerusalem artichokes
Why: Contain soluble fiber and resistant starch that feed beneficial bacteria and promote SCFA production.
🥥 9. Nuts and Seeds
Examples: almonds, walnuts, chia, flaxseed
Why: Supply fiber, polyphenols, and omega-3 precursors that promote Lactobacillus and Roseburia growth.
Study note: Almonds shown to increase butyrate-producing bacteria (Am J Clin Nutr, 2022).
🧄 10. Green Tea (and Other Polyphenol-Rich Foods)
Why: EGCG and other catechins have prebiotic-like effects—enhancing beneficial microbes and reducing dysbiosis-related inflammation.
Also beneficial: dark chocolate (cacao), pomegranate, olive oil.
🧩 Bonus Gut Health Tips
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Diversity matters: The variety of plant foods is more important than any single item—aim for 30+ different plants per week (per American Gut Project data).
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Limit: Ultra-processed foods, artificial sweeteners (especially sucralose/aspartame), and excess alcohol—all can reduce microbial diversity.
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Hydration: SCFA production requires adequate water intake.
By following a daily diet of microbiome-enhancing foods, you can feed your gut day in, day out, despite regimens that might hurt your microbiome.
I am a long-term MM survivor. Email me at David.PeopleBeatingCancer@gmail.com with any questions you may have about managing your gut health.
Hang in there,
David Emerson
- MM Survivor
- MM Cancer Coach
- Director PeopleBeatingCancer
Dietary proanthocyanidins for improving gut immune health
Proanthocyanidins (PACs) are bioactive polyphenols with varying distribution in plants. Most dietary PACs are highly polymerized with limited absorption in the gastrointestinal tract. However, emerging evidence highlights that incorporating PACs into the diet enhances immune function through gut-mediated mechanisms. These include modulating gut microbiota, inhibiting microbes, dampening immunocytes and inflammatory pathways, improving gut barrier function, and enhancing antioxidant activity. Nevertheless, further research is needed to determine the structure–function relationships of PACs with these potential immune benefits…
Introduction
Proanthocyanidins (PACs), also known as condensed tannins, are phenolic polymers mainly composed of flavan-3-ol subunits. Foods rich in PACs, such as
- grape seed,
- nuts,
- and cranberries,
may improve cardiovascular health [1], improve immune function [2••], dampen metabolic syndrome, reduce cancer risk and mortality 3, 4, and aid neuroprotection [5]. In particular, gut health has emerged as a key research area with strong implications for health and wellness [6]. The impact of PACs on intestinal immune function has been attributed to both intact PACs and their metabolites primarily derived from gut microbiota [7]. PACs and their metabolites have direct or indirect anti-inflammatory [8•], antioxidant [9••], antibacterial [10], antiviral, or antiallergic activity [11]. Collectively, these mechanisms can enhance gut immune health [12]…
Conclusions
In conclusion, recent preclinical studies have described multifaceted mechanisms by which dietary PACs can enhance gut immune health. Immune health encompasses a broad array of tissues, cell types, and a complex interplay of regulatory mechanisms.
Dietary PACs can alter gut microbiota composition, modulate immune cells and inflammatory pathway, act as antimicrobials, improve intestinal barrier function, function as antioxidants, and upregulate antioxidant defenses in the gut. Nevertheless, additional research is required to better understand the relationship between the complex structures of PACs and their role in promoting immune health. Furthermore, despite encouraging results in preclinical studies, there is still a notable absence of robust clinical evidence to supporting their therapeutic potential in human subjects.
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