Myths vs. Facts about Diet in Multiple Myeloma

In this informative show, Jenny Ahlstrom interviews Dr. Urvi Shah from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center about her pioneering NUTRIVENTION studies examining how diet impacts multiple myeloma progression and treatment outcomes. 

Dr. Shah shared results from her completed NUTRIVENTION study, now published in Cancer Discovery, which showed that a high-fiber plant-based diet significantly improved key cancer risk markers in MGUS and smoldering myeloma patients. Over 12 weeks, participants' plant-based food intake increased from 20% to 90% of calories, leading to reduced inflammation (C-reactive protein levels dropped), improved microbiome diversity, decreased insulin levels, and better quality of life. Two patients with previously progressing disease showed trajectory slowdown.

The interview also covered Dr. Shah's three active studies: NUTRIVENTION 2 (closing soon, 100 patients nationwide studying microbiome changes with supplements vs. diet), NUTRIVENTION 3 (150 patients at MSK or Emory comparing diet alone vs. diet with omega-3/curcumin), and NUTRIVENTION 5 (200+ newly diagnosed patients examining whether diet during initial treatment improves outcomes and actively recruiting).

In the show, Dr. Shah compared a whole foods plant-based diet with a ketogeneic diet and discussed the need for more fiber in the typical American diet. 

The discussion also addressed five common nutrition myths:

• Myth 1: All carbohydrates are bad and should be avoided for cancer patients
• Myth 2: Diet can't meaningfully change the gut microbiome during cancer
• Myth 3: Plant proteins are incomplete and this is why we need a lot of animal proteins
• Myth 4: You should only eat organic fruits and vegetables
• Myth 5: Soy increases the risk of breast cancer

 Additional commonly asked patient questions were also answered during the show. If you are interested in participating in these  groundbreaking studies, please contact shahNUTRIVENTION@mskcc.org.