Dietary Influence on Leukemia and Lymphoma Progression In 2015, LH, a 66-year-old female, was diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), Rai stage 0. Untreated, the woman’s lymphocyte count rose from 5,000/mm3 to 16,000/mm3 in 6 years (doubling time = 4.2 years). She was then advised to stop eating red meat. Commercially sourced fish, fowl, and seafood were allowed. Within 3 months, the patient’s leukemic cell count dropped to 10,000/mm3. When meat consumption was resumed the count rose, reaching 20,000/mm3 within 2 years. Meat avoidance was reinstituted and sustained. The patient’s lymphocyte count slowly declined for the next 2 years, then reversed course, rising rapidly to 32,000/mm3 (doubling time = 10 months). At that point, dietary fish, fowl, and seafood were purchased raw and home-cooked, keeping temperatures under 300°F. Internal cooking temperatures of fowl were kept above 165°F to eradicate harmful bacteria. The lymphocyte count abruptly stopped rising and fell to the same level as that recorded 5 years earlier when dietary restrictions were first introduced. To date, the patient’s M protein values have remained stable. In 2002, SH, a 63-year-old female, presented with small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL). Following medical advice, she avoided red meat in her diet and relied on plant-based food sources. No other treatment was administered. Within 1 year, complete remission was documented. She resumed her previous diet, including consumption of (barbecued) meat. Within 3 years lymphoma recurred, but now the cells were larger, requiring chemoimmunotherapy to induce complete remission. SH remains in remission 23 years after the original diagnosis. Studies in mice from the Bellone laboratory are confirming the observations, showing that consumption of the high-fiber diet is associated with increased microbiome diversity, reduced growth rate of abnormal plasma cells (suggesting an effect on disease progression), reduced inflammation, and improved immune function.
62