Overview
Multiple myeloma is a cancer of plasma cells in the bone marrow. Abnormal plasma cells can crowd out healthy blood-forming cells, weaken bone, and, in some patients, affect kidney function. Treatment is individualized and may include chemotherapy, immunomodulatory drugs, proteasome inhibitors, corticosteroids, monoclonal antibodies, and autologous stem cell transplantation, guided by a hematology-oncology team.
Nutritional Considerations During Treatment
- Appetite, nausea, and taste changes: Chemotherapy, proteasome inhibitors, and corticosteroids can affect appetite and taste. Small, frequent meals and working with a dietitian to identify well-tolerated foods can help maintain intake.
- Protein and calorie needs: Adequate protein and calorie intake supports muscle mass and recovery, which is particularly important around intensive treatment phases such as stem cell transplant.
- Bone health: Myeloma can affect bone strength and calcium metabolism, and some patients develop elevated blood calcium levels. Calcium and vitamin D intake should be individualized and monitored by the care team rather than self-supplemented, since needs vary based on lab values.
- Kidney considerations: Some patients with myeloma have kidney involvement. Any protein, fluid, sodium, potassium, or phosphorus adjustments should be based on the patient’s actual kidney function and directed by a renal or oncology dietitian — not applied generically.
- Food safety during immunosuppression: Around stem cell transplant or high-dose therapy, clinical teams often recommend food-safety precautions (thoroughly cooked meat, pasteurized dairy, avoiding raw sprouts, careful produce washing) to reduce infection risk while immune counts are low.
- Steroid-related effects: Corticosteroids commonly used in myeloma regimens can raise blood glucose and increase appetite; monitoring carbohydrate intake may help, especially in patients with diabetes or pre-diabetes.
- Hydration: Adequate fluid intake supports kidney health unless the care team has specifically advised fluid restriction.
Diet and Cancer Risk
There is no dietary pattern proven to prevent or cure multiple myeloma. General guidance from the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) on maintaining a healthy body weight, limiting alcohol, and eating a diet rich in vegetables, fruits, and whole grains supports overall health and is associated with lower risk of several cancers.
Important: Nutrition strategies described here are supportive and adjunct to oncology-directed treatment. They do not replace chemotherapy, targeted therapy, or other treatments prescribed by your care team. Always consult your treating oncologist and a registered oncology dietitian before making dietary changes, especially during active treatment.
Sources
- National Cancer Institute — cancer.gov
- American Cancer Society — cancer.org
- World Cancer Research Fund — wcrf.org
- National Institutes of Health — nih.gov