Parker Institute and MD Anderson researchers found that diet and supplements appear to have an effect on a patient’s ability to respond to cancer immunotherapy, most likely due to changes in the patient’s gut microbiome.
Among the findings:
Over-the-counter probiotic supplement use was linked to a 70% lower chance of response to immunotherapy with anti-PD-1 checkpoint inhibitors in a subset of 46 melanoma patients
42% of all patients reported taking over-the-counter probiotics among those who took the lifestyle survey
Probiotics were linked to lower gut microbiome diversity, previously shown to be associated with poorer response to anti-PD-1 checkpoint inhibitors
Patients eating high-fiber diets were about 5 times as likely to respond to immunotherapy treatment with anti-PD-1 checkpoint inhibitors
Patients eating diets rich in whole grains had more bacteria associated with positive response to checkpoint immunotherapy
Diets high in processed meat and added sugar had fewer bacteria associated with a positive response to checkpoint immunotherapy
“Eating a high-fiber diet has long been shown to have health benefits. In this case, we see signs that it is also linked to a better response to cancer immunotherapy,” Spencer said. “Definitely another good reason to load up on whole grains, vegetables and fruits.”
Source: parkerici.org/2019/04/02/pr...
