Nutritional guidance for managing Non-Hodgkin lymphoma
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) is a type of blood cancer that affects white blood cells called lymphocytes, which accumulate in the lymph nodes and lymphatic tissues. While there is no direct evidence linking specific diets to a reduced risk of NHL, adopting a balanced, nutrient-dense diet can potentially improve outcomes and support treatment.
Treatment for NHL may include chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and stem cell transplantation. During this time, it is recommended to consume plenty of fruits and vegetables daily, stay hydrated with water and electrolyte-replacing drinks, and manage side effects like weight loss, nausea, taste changes, diarrhea, or constipation.
Eating plain foods such as toast, crackers, and rice can help ease digestion, while increasing fiber intake by eating more fruits and vegetables can help relieve constipation. Adding flavorings like herbs, spices, sauces, or chutneys can counter changes to taste perception caused by NHL medications. Ginger can aid digestion and reduce feelings of nausea during treatment.
People with low white blood cell counts may want to avoid foods or drinks that contain live bacteria to reduce their risk of bacterial infection. Strong food smells may trigger feelings of nausea, so cooking food in a microwave, eating cold foods, or waiting for heated foods to cool can help minimize food smells.
In the case of constipation, increasing water intake can help soften stool, and people should talk with their healthcare team about taking laxatives if necessary. People experiencing diarrhea as a side effect of cancer treatment should drink plenty of fluids to prevent dehydration.
In DLBCL, a common aggressive NHL subtype, nutritional and immune-inflammatory status correlated with prognosis. A newly developed Nutritional and Immune-Inflammatory scoring system (NII) can identify patients with poorer outcomes. This suggests that good nutrition and controlling systemic inflammation may influence disease progression and survival.
While diet alone does not block NHL immune evasion, nutritional strategies may support immune cells such as natural killer cells, which are involved in tumor surveillance. Advances highlight how immune evasion contributes to cancer progression.
People with NHL may want to discuss a nutrition plan with a dietician to determine which foods are best for them. Some studies suggest that higher intakes of red meat, poultry, and dairy could increase the risk of developing NHL, while diets rich in fruits and vegetables may lower this risk.
In summary, adopting a balanced, nutrient-dense diet supportive of immune health is recommended for patients at risk or diagnosed with NHL to potentially improve outcomes and support treatment. However, no definitive diet is proven to prevent NHL development. Nutritional risk and inflammation appear important prognostic factors in aggressive NHL forms like DLBCL.
References:
- Frontiers in Nutrition, 2025 – Nutritional & immune-inflammatory scoring system in DLBCL prognosis.
- Cancer Center for Healing, 2025 – Diet recommendations for leukemia (applicable to lymphoma).
- Lymphoma Action, 2025 – Nutrition advice for lymphoma patients.
- PMC article, 2025 – Cancer-preventive diets for colorectal cancer (context on inflammation and antioxidants).
- Nature article, 2025 – Immune evasion in cancer mechanisms.
- Organic food and food benefits may hold potential to improve outcomes for individuals undergoing treatment for Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL).
- Eating a balanced and nutrient-dense diet, rich in organic fruits and vegetables, can support treatment for NHL and potentially influence disease progression.
- Science indicates that chronic health conditions like chronic kidney disease, COPD, type 2 diabetes, cancer, Alzheimers disease, multiple sclerosis, and neurological disorders such as migraine, can benefit from adopting a healthy lifestyle involving good nutrition.
- Fitness and exercise, combined with a nutrient-dense diet, can contribute to overall health and wellness, helping manage chronic diseases.
- For people with chronic rheumatoid arthritis, CBD and other nutrition strategies may help alleviate symptoms and support immune health.
- It is important for individuals with low white blood cell counts to avoid foods or drinks containing live bacteria to minimize the risk of bacterial infections.
- In the case of chronic diseases, Water and electrolyte-replacing drinks are crucial for maintaining hydration during treatment, and adjusting side-effect management strategies such as controlling nausea, taste changes, constipation, or diarrhea.
- Studies have shown that diets high in red meat, poultry, and dairy could potentially increase the risk of developing NHL, while diets rich in fruits and vegetables may lower this risk.
- Advances in the field of health and wellness research suggest a connection between nutritional risk, inflammation, and aggressive forms of NHL like DLBCL, highlighting the importance of following a nutrient-dense diet to potentially improve outcomes.
