Most people have heard of leukemia, but very few have heard of multiple myeloma until someone they know is diagnosed with it. It turns out that it's the second most common blood cancer in the United States. There is no cure for it, but treatment has gotten better over the last decade, with a five-year survival rate of about 62%. Researchers are still searching for answers.
As a loyal follower of the Hallelujah Diet, you know that a mostly-raw vegan diet can be very helpful in dealing with cancer. It's just that the scientists don't know it. But now, for the first time, researchers have conducted a real clinical trial showing that a high-fiber plant-based diet can alter the progression of conditions that lead to multiple myeloma.
Here's what you need to know about multiple myeloma and plant-based diets.
What Is Multiple Myeloma?
Multiple myeloma is a cancer of plasma cells — the white blood cells in your bone marrow that normally produce antibodies to fight infection. When these cells become malignant, they multiply uncontrolled and produce abnormal proteins that can damage organs, particularly the kidneys and bones.
What makes this cancer unusual is that it almost always develops in stages. Multiple myeloma typically develops gradually, starting with one of two precursor conditions: monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) and smoldering multiple myeloma (SMM). Since these conditions can last for many years without progressing to full-blown cancer, this is the stage that has the best chances for intercepting the disease and preventing the full onslaught of cancer.
MGUS and SMM affect more than 3% of the general population aged 50 and older. The risk of progression from MGUS to full myeloma is about 1% annually; from SMM, it rises to about 10% per year. Since there is no treatment until you have full-blown cancer (the old “watch-and-wait”), each person has ample time to try low-risk interventions to reduce progression.
The Diet–Myeloma Connection: What Large Population Studies Show
Studies of multiple myeloma have been conducted in large epidemiological cohorts, trying to find clues for what factors increase the risk of this blood cancer.
A 2024 study published in the journal Leukemia analyzed dietary patterns from more than 400,000 participants in the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study. There were 1,401 confirmed myeloma cases, making it the largest study yet of this type of cancer. When participants' diets were analyzed, the researchers found that a higher score on the healthful plant-based index was associated with about a 17% reduced risk of multiple myeloma.[1]
In a 2014 analysis by Timothy Key and colleagues, they found that multiple myeloma in British vegetarians and vegans was starkly lower than among meat eaters, with about α 77% decreased risk.[2]
A 2023 review of dietary factors and risk of multiple myeloma by Shaw and colleagues at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) noted that a plant-based diet pattern was associated with a reduced risk of multiple myeloma compared to meat eaters. And specifically, consuming more fruit, more vegetables (especially cruciferous vegetables), whole grains, and some fish was associated with a lower risk of multiple myeloma, while high consumption of meat (>7X/week) was associated with an increased risk of developing multiple myeloma.
They looked at supplements too and found that curcumin, vitamin D, vitamin C, vitamin A from dietary sources, and omega-3 fatty acids are all potentially helpful in reducing the risk of multiple myeloma. They have started another trial looking at these supplements. They found vitamin D deficiency or insufficiency in up to 75% of patients with multiple myeloma.[3]
A review that looked specifically at the impact of obesity on plasma cell disorders like multiple myeloma found that obesity doubled the risk of MGUS progressing to multiple myeloma in a few different studies.[4]
From all of this background information, it's pretty clear that multiple myeloma is due to a bad diet coupled with a sedentary lifestyle, leading to obesity, and a lack of dietary supplement support. You could significantly reduce your risk by adopting a whole-food, plant-based diet. This information on the dietary impact on the risk of developing multiple myeloma served as the basis for the NUTRIVENTION study detailed below.
The NUTRIVENTION Trial: First-of-Its-Kind Clinical Evidence
The situation with multiple myeloma is unique because of the stages of the disease, progressing from MGUS or SMM into full-blown multiple myeloma. It allows researchers to identify people at high risk of developing multiple myeloma, conduct an intervention study with them, and see what outcomes they achieve. You don't need a long study or many people to find out whether your intervention is making a difference.
The Intervention Plan
The NUTRIVENTION pilot study enrolled 20 patients who had been diagnosed with MGUS or smoldering multiple myeloma and had an elevated BMI. For 12 weeks, participants received prepared high-fiber, plant-based meals delivered to their homes. They then received 24 weeks of individualized nutrition coaching and were followed for a full 52 weeks. (If this became standard protocol for helping ALL cancer patients, we would see much better results overall.)
Participants were encouraged to eat until they were satisfied, but only from whole plant foods such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, whole grains, and legumes. They were asked to avoid refined grains, animal products, added sugar, and highly processed foods.
The Results of the NUTRIVENTION Study
The results across every measured marker were positive:
Dietary shift: Before the study, only 20% of participants' calories came from high-fiber plant-based foods. By week 12, that figure was 91%. This strong adherence to the study protocol meant participants were highly motivated to follow the whole-foods plant-based diet.
Weight loss: Median BMI dropped 7% by week 12. That weight loss was sustained through the full year of follow-up, showing that they were motivated, the diet worked for them, and the coaching was helpful too.
Metabolic improvements: Significant reductions in insulin resistance and improved lipid profiles.
Gut microbiome: Increased diversity and improved composition — with a notable rise in butyrate-producing bacteria, which have anti-inflammatory and anti-tumor properties.
Immune markers: Reductions in inflammation markers and improvements in immune cell function.
Disease trajectory: Two patients with previously progressive disease experienced a slowing or stabilization of their myeloma biomarkers while on the intervention.
"We saw improvements in all spheres — metabolism, microbiome, and immune system markers — and we also saw that two patients with progressive disease had the progression stabilize and slow down on the intervention. Even though it's just two cases, to our knowledge, it has not been shown before in an intervention setting that you can improve diet and lifestyle and actually slow or change the trajectory of the disease."
— Dr. Urvi A. Shah, MD, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center [5]
The Mouse Model: Confirming the Mechanism
Parallel animal studies conducted at IRCCS San Raffaele Hospital in Milan helped explain why the diet appears to work — and the results were dramatic.
In mice genetically engineered to model the myeloma-precursor state, a high-fiber diet delayed progression to full myeloma from a median of 12 weeks (in the control group eating a standard diet) to 30 weeks. Even more striking: all of the control mice developed myeloma during the study period, while 40% of the mice eating a high-fiber diet did not.[6]
Here's how the diet worked for the mice. Increased dietary fiber increased the diversity and number of microbes in the gut, leading to higher production of short-chain fatty acids, especially butyrate. Butyrate has anti-tumor immune-activating effects, inhibiting plasma cell growth and reducing inflammation.
This pathway was also confirmed in people in a separate 2022 MSKCC study. Among myeloma patients who had achieved treatment remission, a plant-based dietary pattern was significantly associated with higher stool butyrate levels, and higher butyrate was associated with sustained minimal residual disease negativity (meaning the cancer remained undetectable).[7]
A Hallelujah Diet Perspective
At Hallelujah Diet, we believe that self-healing is built into the body when you provide the right nutrients and building blocks and remove toxins. Healing is designed to happen. A whole-food, plant-based diet is one of the most powerful tools available for disease prevention. It isn’t a replacement for medical care and oversight, but as a foundation for how the human body is designed to function.
The NUTRIVENTION research validates this principle in a specific and compelling way. The diet used in the trial (whole fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds, and whole grains, free of processed foods, animal products, and added sugar) is very close to the diet that we teach every day.
We would also encourage people to drink vegetable juice, use blended salads, and generally eat more fruits and vegetables than many people do on a whole-foods, plant-based diet. And we would include supplements that are very helpful for boosting the immune system, such as vitamin D, fish oil, curcumin, liposomal vitamin C, Glutathione Promoter, and BarleyMax. Nevertheless, it's a very good example of what can be done with a plant-based diet. The results could have been even better if all these resources had been combined. But I'm not complaining, I'm just saying.
The Power of Fiber
People often think of fiber as being just an inert substance in the food, but it's not. The fiber in plants is actually food for the beneficial bacteria in your gut. Not only does it supply colon cells with energy, but it also modulates your immune system to support healthy responses to attacks without triggering autoimmune responses, all while inhibiting tumor growth.
The most important practical insight from Dr. Shah's team:
"People should try to get at least 80–90% of calories from unprocessed plant foods. Perfection and progress are different things. Gradual, sustainable changes matter more than trying to go 100% overnight."
— Dr. Urvi A. Shah, MSKCC
What's Coming Next
The pilot trial's promising results have already launched a follow-up: NUTRIVENTION-3 (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT05640843) is now enrolling 150 patients with MGUS or smoldering multiple myeloma. Participants will be randomly assigned to a high-fiber diet with or without supplements vs. a placebo — the larger randomized trial needed to confirm these findings and build toward formal dietary recommendations.
Researchers are also planning to study the diet's effects on other blood cancer precursors, including clonal hematopoiesis, which increases risk for leukemia. We think they will be successful because this method is well-aligned with the self-healing principle.
Conclusion
For anyone living with MGUS or smoldering myeloma — or anyone who wants to reduce their cancer risk — the evidence is becoming difficult to ignore. A high-fiber, whole-food, plant-based diet rich in fruits and vegetables, including vegetable juice, appears to work on multiple levels simultaneously: reducing weight and insulin resistance, restoring healthy gut bacteria, calming systemic inflammation, and potentially slowing the growth of abnormal cells.
While it is nice to have more of this kind of evidence, you don't need to wait to take action. If you already have the beginning stages of cancer, there are many powerful steps you can take to help take control of your own health. You can use this evidence to show your family and friends that you're not crazy. You’re actually following a rational protocol that makes a lot of sense. That can be very helpful and give you peace of mind.
So, I'm grateful for research groups like this that are courageous and take bold steps to use a whole-foods plant-based diet to tackle real problems. Hallelujah!
References
1. Castro F, Parikh R, Eustaquio JC, Derkach A, Joseph JM, Lesokhin AM, et al. Pre-diagnosis dietary patterns and risk of multiple myeloma in the NIH-AARP diet and health study. Leukemia. 2024;38:438–41. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41375-023-02132-3.
2. Key TJ, Appleby PN, Crowe FL, Bradbury KE, Schmidt JA, Travis RC. Cancer in British vegetarians: updated analyses of 4998 incident cancers in a cohort of 32,491 meat eaters, 8612 fish eaters, 18,298 vegetarians, and 2246 vegans. Am J Clin Nutr. 2014;100 Suppl 1:378S-85S. https://doi.org/10.3945/ajcn.113.071266.
3. Shah UA, Parikh R, Castro F, Bellone M, Lesokhin AM. Dietary and microbiome evidence in multiple myeloma and other plasma cell disorders. Leukemia. 2023;37:964–80. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41375-023-01874-4.
4. Parikh R, Tariq SM, Marinac CR, Shah UA. A Comprehensive Review of The Impact of Obesity on Plasma Cell Disorders. Leukemia. 2022;36:301–14. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41375-021-01443-7.
5. Shah UA, Cogrossi LL, Garcés J-J, Policastro A, Castro F, Derkach A, et al. A High-Fiber Plant-Based Diet in Myeloma Precursor Disorders – Results from the NUTRIVENTION Clinical Trial and Preclinical Vk*MYC Model. Cancer Discov. 2025;:10.1158/2159-8290.CD-25–1101. https://doi.org/10.1158/2159-8290.CD-25-1101.
6. Shah UA, Cogrossi LL, Derkach A, Castro F, Fei T, DeWolf S, et al. A High-Fiber Dietary Intervention (NUTRIVENTION) in Precursor Plasma Cell Disorders Improves Biomarkers of Disease and May Delay Progression to Myeloma. Blood. 2024;144 Supplement 1:671. https://doi.org/10.1182/blood-2024-202224.
7. Shah UA, Maclachlan KH, Derkach A, Salcedo M, Barnett K, Caple J, et al. Sustained Minimal Residual Disease Negativity in Multiple Myeloma is Associated with Stool Butyrate and Healthier Plant-Based Diets. Clin Cancer Res Off J Am Assoc Cancer Res. 2022;28:5149–55. https://doi.org/10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-22-0723.
