“One of the first questions asked by newly diagnosed multiple myeloma patients is about a MM diet. “What foods should I add to my daily diet?”
Hi David- I have not followed any sort of multiple myeloma diet. I guess I need to be doing that….I’ll be having an Autologous Stem Cell Transplant (ASCT) soon.
I am waiting on another bone marrow biopsy (BMB) first then if everything is o.k. I will have the transplant (ASCT).
I also got to STOP smoking ASAP (smh :-))… So how’s it going since your transplant? Thanks, Tammy
Hi Tammy,
I am sorry to learn of your MM diagnosis. To answer your question about my own stem cell transplant, it did not go well. I relapsed in less than a year.
Keep in mind however, that the chemotherapy regimens were different then. Conventional oncology has gotten much better at treating multiple myeloma since I had mine in late 1995.
Further, yes, you should quit smoking. And yes again, according to studies, there are many foods that can fight multiple myeloma. There are several important aspects of diet/nutrition for the MM patient/survivor.
The blog posts linked below will highlight several key aspects of MM diets.
When I say “foods” that fight MM, I am talking about two different issues. The main idea is that there are foods that are “anti-angigeogenic” and there is nutritional supplementation that is “anti-angiogenic.”
So when I talk about foods that are anti-angiogenic (kill MM), I am talking about, for example, black blueberries (a food) and there is Resveratrol (a nutritional supplement).
I will link several blog posts of mine below. I have written many posts about the benefits of diet for MM patients and survivors.
The bottom line for you is, if you include either/or/both anti-angiogenic foods or nutritional supplements, you will compliment your chemotherapy in your fight to kill your multiple myeloma.
Multiple Myeloma – Nutritional Supplementation
Good luck and let me know if you have any questions.
David Emerson
- MM Survivor
- MM Cancer Coach
- Director PeopleBeatingCancer
Recommended Reading:
Tumor angiogenesis
“Cancer cells are cells that have lost their ability to divide in a controlled fashion. A malignant tumor consists of a population of rapidly dividing and growing cancer cells that progressively accrues mutations. However, tumors need a dedicated blood supply to provide the oxygen and other essential nutrients they require in order to grow beyond a certain size (generally 1–2 mm3).[37][38]
Tumors induce blood vessel growth (angiogenesis) by secreting various growth factors (e.g. VEGF) and proteins. Growth factors such as bFGFand VEGF can induce capillary growth into the tumor, which some researchers suspect supply required nutrients, allowing for tumor expansion…
Angiogenesis is also required for the spread of a tumor, or metastasis. Single cancer cells can break away from an established solid tumor, enter the blood vessel, and be carried to a distant site, where they can implant and begin the growth of a secondary tumor. Evidence now suggests the blood vessel in a given solid tumor may, in fact, be mosaic vessels, composed of endothelial cells and tumor cells. This mosaicity allows for substantial shedding of tumor cells into the vasculature, possibly contributing to the appearance of circulating tumor cells in the peripheral blood of patients with malignancies.[40] The subsequent growth of such metastases will also require a supply of nutrients and oxygen and a waste disposal pathway
“The present research supports the evidence that pomegranate juice (PGJ) could play a key role of a future therapeutic approach for treatment of MM in order to optimize the pharmacological effect of bortezomib…
One of the first questions asked by newly diagnosed multiple myeloma patients is about a MM diet. “What foods should I add to my daily diet?”
According to the research linked below, PGJ is antiangiogenic, PGJ kills MM and PGJ is integrative- it enhances the efficacy of Bortezomib aka Velcade.
The study linked and excerpted below is not saying that pomagranate juice (PGJ) is going to cure your MM. That would be silly. What the study below is saying is what dozens of studies have said about curcumin, resveratrol, green tea extract, omega-3 fatty acids and a host of anti-angiogenic foods have said…\
“A kidney-friendly diet may help to protect kidneys from further damage. In early CKD stages the adoption of healthy diet might slow glomerular filtration rate (GFR) decline and decrease the prevalence of complete kidney failure [3].”
“In a study, those who ate more organic produce, dairy, meat and other products had 25 percent fewer cancer diagnoses over all, especially lymphoma and breast cancer.”
I am a long-term multiple myeloma survivor who depends on evidence-based, non-conventional therapies to remain in remission. My multiple myeloma diet is mostly organic. Not 100% but almost.
According to the studies linked below, an organic diet results in fewer cancer diagnosis and/or a high quality diet helps cancer survivors live longer. Further, according to one of the articles linked below, multiple myeloma is linked to chemicals such as benzene. In the years preceding my MM diagnosis, I worked in a commercial printing plant and was exposed to benzene daily…
Yes, organic foods, on average, do cost more. Life is all about priorities. Because I am a long-term multiple myeloma survivor, I’ve made organic, high quality foods a high priority.
If you’ve never been diagnosed with multiple myeloma and you’re wondering if eating organic will reduce your risk of ever recieving a diagnosis of MM, the answer is YES…”
