Eating, Diet, & Nutrition for Aplastic Anemia & Myelodysplastic Syndromes

How can my diet help prevent or relieve aplastic anemia and MDS?

Eating, diet, and nutrition have not been shown to play a role in preventing or treating aplastic anemia and MDS. However, people with either disorder who receive a stem-cell transplant need to eat a healthy diet to help with their recovery. You may need to avoid some foods too, to lower the chances of infection while your immune system is still weak after a transplant. Ask your health care professional for guidelines.

People with low white blood cell counts are at risk for infections and should follow food safety guidelines for people with cancer, which include

• fully cook all meat, fish, and egg dishes
• avoid fruits and vegetables that you cannot peel
• avoid raw foods
• avoid unpasteurized cheese, milk, and other dairy products
• avoid unpasteurized juices