7 Potential Health Benefits of Mushrooms

Fungi are on fire right now, even if you're eating them raw in a salad. According to the industry magazine Nutritional Outlook, sales of mushrooms and mushroom-based products increased by 33% in 2019 compared to the previous year. We will discuss potential health benefits of mushrooms in this article.

Fungi have piqued the interest of nutritionists. "Mushrooms have a low calorie count. "They also provide a wealth of macro and micronutrients, especially B vitamins, selenium, zinc, and copper," says Katherine Brooking, RD, a registered dietitian in New York City and co-creator of the syndicated weekly news series Appetite for Health. She explains that B vitamins are essential for the production of energy in cells. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of Dietary Supplements, selenium is a powerful antioxidant, while zinc and copper are essential for a strong immune system.

That means there are numerous ways to enjoy the seven health benefits of mushrooms listed below.

1. Mushrooms Aid in Immune and Bone Health

Mushrooms produce vitamin D when exposed to UV radiation, according to a review published in the October 2018 issue of Nutrients. (According to the NIH, a half cup of UV-exposed white raw mushrooms contains 46 percent of your daily value for D.) And that's a fantastic nutritional benefit for a vegetable (er, fungi). "There aren't that many vitamin D food sources, especially plant sources," says Brooking. "The vitamin is extremely important for immune and bone health." According to the Nutrients research review, the recommended amount of vitamin D supports muscle function, reduces the risk of falls, and may have anticancer, antidiabetic, and heart-protective properties.

2. Mushrooms Could Improve Gut Health

A review published in the September 2017 issue of the International Journal of Molecular Sciences suggests that eating mushrooms may help populate your GI tract with the right balance of bacteria to keep your GI tract healthy and strengthen your immune system. "The research on mushrooms and gut health is preliminary but compelling." "Mushrooms contain prebiotics, which are nutrients on which probiotics feed," explains Brooking. As a result, prebiotics derived from mushrooms may aid in the growth of this beneficial bacteria. According to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, probiotics are live microorganisms, or bacteria, that may have health benefits for the body because they aid in digestion and produce nutrients.

3. Mushrooms Help Lower Blood Pressure

According to the USDA, one whole portobello mushroom (those popular large mushrooms) contains 306 milligrammes (mg) of the important mineral potassium. According to the American Heart Association, potassium helps control blood pressure by counteracting the effects of sodium and improving blood vessel function. How? More potassium in your diet promotes sodium excretion in your urine. The heart-health advantages do not end there. According to a review published in the American Journal of Medicine in May 2021, mushrooms may also help improve cholesterol and triglyceride levels and reduce inflammation.

4. Mushrooms Have Been Connected to Cancer Prevention

Consider including mushrooms in your cancer-prevention diet. A meta-analysis of 17 studies published in Advances in Nutrition in September 2021 found that people who ate more mushrooms on a regular basis had a 34% lower risk of any cancer than those who ate the least, particularly breast cancer. Mushrooms contain a high concentration of antioxidants, particularly ergothioneine and glutathione, which may protect cells from damage.

However, not all studies have found positive associations. According to Cancer Prevention Research, researchers concluded in a prospective cohort study involving over 100,000 men and women that participants who ate five servings of mushrooms per week did not have a lower risk of 16 different cancers than those who rarely ate mushrooms.

5. Mushrooms, when substituted for red meat, may promote longevity

Mushrooms give foods an umami, or savoury, meaty flavour. "They're the ideal extender to use in place of or in addition to meat in a variety of recipes," Brooking says. Researchers discovered that study participants who consumed one serving of mushrooms per day versus one serving of processed or red meat had a 35% lower risk of death from any cause in a large prospective cohort study published in April 2021 in Nutrition Journal.

According to the study authors, one possible explanation is that, in addition to containing the antioxidants ergothioneine and glutathione, mushrooms are also low in calories, sodium, and fat, and high in fibre.

6. Mushrooms Could Improve Brain Health

According to the Alzheimer's Association, 12 to 18 percent of people aged 60 and older have mild cognitive impairment (MCI), a condition that can be a precursor to Alzheimer's and affects memory, thinking skills, and judgement. A healthy diet is essential for an ageing brain, and mushrooms can play a role in that. According to a March 2019 study published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, those who reported eating more than two servings of mushrooms per week had a 57 percent lower risk of developing MCI than those who ate them less than once a week.

7. Certain Psychoactive Mushrooms Could Be Used to Treat Mental Health Conditions

Psilocybin, a hallucinogenic compound found in "magic mushrooms," is being discussed as a psychedelic treatment for conditions such as depression and PTSD. And, when performed under close supervision, these therapies hold some promise: In a small (59 person) study published in the New England Journal of Medicine in April 2021, six weeks of psilocybin treatment was found to be just as effective in relieving depression as escitalopram, a standard antidepressant. (Aside from being a small trial, there was no placebo, limiting the strength of the results.)

Large research facilities, such as Massachusetts General Hospital's Center for the Neuroscience of Psychedelics, are currently investigating psilocybin as a therapy for treatment-resistant depression, as psychedelics may be useful in facilitating new neural connections. Having said that, this type of treatment is on the horizon. While psilocybin may be used in certain research settings, it is currently classified as a Schedule 1 substance (meaning it is illegal for personal use in the United States) and is not approved for medical use, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration.