A new study being published in the journal Clinical Cancer Research “is the first study to demonstrate an association between a plant-based dietary pattern, stool butyrate production and sustained minimal residual disease-negativity in multiple myeloma”.
Although the study is soon to be published by the journal Clinical Cancer Research, it was epublished online ahead of print by the U.S. National Institute of Health. It was conducted by researchers at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center on New York, the University of Michigan, the University of Miami, the University of California and NutritionQuest.
“Sustained minimal residual disease (MRD) negativity is associated with long-term survival in multiple myeloma (MM)”, states the study. “The gut microbiome is affected by diet, and in turn can modulate host immunity, for example through production of short-chain fatty acids including butyrate.
Researchers “hypothesized that dietary factors affect the microbiome (abundance of butyrate-producing bacteria or stool butyrate concentration) and may be associated with MM outcomes.”
Researchers “examined the relationship of dietary factors (via a food frequency questionnaire), stool metabolites (via gas chromatography-mass spectrometry), and the stool microbiome (via 16S sequencing – α-diversity and relative abundance of butyrate-producing bacteria) with sustained MRD negativity (via flow cytometry at 2 timepoints 1 year apart) in myeloma patients on lenalidomide maintenance.”
The Healthy Eating Index 2015 score and flavonoid nutrient values were calculated from the food frequency questionnaire. “The Wilcoxon rank sum test was used to evaluate associations with two-sided p < 0.05 considered significant.”
At 3 months, “higher stool butyrate concentration (p=0.037), butyrate producers (p=0.025) and α-diversity (p=0.0035) were associated with sustained MRD-negativity”, states the study. “Healthier dietary proteins, (from seafood and plants), correlated with butyrate at 3 months (p=0.009) and sustained MRD-negativity (p=0.05). Consumption of dietary flavonoids, plant nutrients with antioxidant effects, correlated with stool butyrate concentration (anthocyanidins p=0.01, flavones p=0.01, and flavanols p=0.02).”
The study concludes by stating that “This is the first study to demonstrate an association between a plant-based dietary pattern, stool butyrate production and sustained MRD-negativity in MM; providing rationale to evaluate a prospective dietary intervention.”
Below is the study’s full abstract. More information can be found by clicking here.
Abstract
Purpose: Sustained minimal residual disease (MRD) negativity is associated with long-term survival in multiple myeloma (MM). The gut microbiome is affected by diet, and in turn can modulate host immunity, for example through production of short-chain fatty acids including butyrate. We hypothesized that dietary factors affect the microbiome (abundance of butyrate-producing bacteria or stool butyrate concentration) and may be associated with MM outcomes.
Experimental design: We examined the relationship of dietary factors (via a food frequency questionnaire), stool metabolites (via gas chromatography-mass spectrometry), and the stool microbiome (via 16S sequencing – α-diversity and relative abundance of butyrate-producing bacteria) with sustained MRD negativity (via flow cytometry at 2 timepoints 1 year apart) in myeloma patients on lenalidomide maintenance. The Healthy Eating Index 2015 score and flavonoid nutrient values were calculated from the food frequency questionnaire. The Wilcoxon rank sum test was used to evaluate associations with two-sided p < 0.05 considered significant.
Results: At 3 months, higher stool butyrate concentration (p=0.037), butyrate producers (p=0.025) and α-diversity (p=0.0035) were associated with sustained MRD-negativity. Healthier dietary proteins, (from seafood and plants), correlated with butyrate at 3 months (p=0.009) and sustained MRD-negativity (p=0.05). Consumption of dietary flavonoids, plant nutrients with antioxidant effects, correlated with stool butyrate concentration (anthocyanidins p=0.01, flavones p=0.01, and flavanols p=0.02).
Conclusions: This is the first study to demonstrate an association between a plant-based dietary pattern, stool butyrate production and sustained MRD-negativity in MM; providing rationale to evaluate a prospective dietary intervention.
