However, the neutropenic diet has been in place for more than a half-century without any clinical trial results to back it up, researchers noted. The more liberal diet encouraged at least one serving of fresh fruits or vegetables each day, and allowed patients to eat pasteurized yogurt. Results showed that more than 31% of patients on the liberal diet wound up with a major infection, compared with 20% of those on the neutropenic diet. In fact, the trial was halted early because major infections were occurring so much more often among people on the liberal diet, researchers said. “We recognize how important good nutrition is for the gut microbiome and patient outcomes.”More informationMemorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center has more on the neutropenic diet.

Source: Daily Sun December 23, 2025 18:24 UTC