If you eat golden, oyster, shiitake and/or white button mushrooms, as well as dried and canned mushrooms, you’re in luck! A team from the Department of Psychological Medicine and Department of Biochemistry at the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine at the National University of Singapore (NUS) has found that seniors who consume more than one and one-half cups of mushrooms weekly may reduce their odds of having mild cognitive impairment (MCI) by 50%.
What is MCI?
Mild cognitive impairment causes cognitive changes that are serious enough to be noticed by people experiencing them or to other family and friends. The changes are not severe enough to interfere with daily activity. People with MCI that involves memory problems are more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease or other dementias than people without MCI. Approximately 15-20 percent of people age 65 or older have MCI.
Mushrooms might be a key to reducing MCI
The correlation between eating mushrooms and reducing risk of MCI is surprising and encouraging, according to Assistant Professor Lei Feng, who is from the NUS Department of Psychological Medicine, and the lead author of this work.
The six-year study, which was conducted from 2011 to 2017, collected data from more than 600 Chinese seniors over the age of 60 living in Singapore. The research was carried out with support from the Life Sciences Institute and the Mind Science Centre at NUS, as well as the Singapore Ministry of Health’s National Medical Research Council. The results were published online in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease on 12 March 2019.
The researchers found that the compound called ergothioneine (ET), a unique antioxidant and anti-inflammatory which humans are unable to synthesize on their own, is the key to possibly reducing MCI. Ergothioneine is found in liver, kidney, black beans, kidney bean and oat bran. But the highest levels are found in bolete and oyster mushrooms.
Other compounds contained within mushrooms may also be advantageous for decreasing the risk of cognitive decline. Certain hericenones, erinacines, scabronines and dictyophorines may promote the synthesis of nerve growth factors. Bioactive compounds in mushrooms may also protect the brain from neurodegeneration by inhibiting production of beta amyloid and phosphorylated tau, and acetylcholinesterase, the culprits of Alzheimer’s disease.
How much do you need to eat?
In the study, a portion was defined as three quarters of a cup of cooked mushrooms with an average weight of around 150 grams. Two portions would be equivalent to approximately half a plate. While the portion sizes act as a guideline, it was shown that even one small portion of mushrooms a week may still be beneficial to reduce chances of MCI.
An article in Science Daily said this: According to Robert Beelman, professor emeritus of food science and director of the Penn State Center for Plant and Mushroom Products for Health, it’s preliminary, but you can see that countries that have more ergothioneine in their diets, countries like France and Italy, also have lower incidents of neurodegenerative diseases, while people in countries like the United States, which has low amounts of ergothioneine in the diet, have a higher probability of diseases like Parkinson’s Disease and Alzheimer’s,” said Beelman. “Now, whether that’s just a correlation or causative, we don’t know. But, it’s something to look into, especially because the difference between the countries with low rates of neurodegenerative diseases is about 3 milligrams per day, which is about five button mushrooms each day.”
Mushroom recipes
Cooking mushrooms does not seem to significantly affect the compounds. Roasted or baked mushrooms are simple to make and delicious, and go well with most foods as a side dish or topping.
Wash and slice musthrooms. Lightly oil shallow baking pan large enough to hold mushrooms in single layer. Add mushrooms and toss with 2 to 3 tablespoons oil. Add garlic; season with salt; roastfor 20 minutes stirring on occasion; mushrooms should be browned. Season with pepper.
For baked mushrooms with parmesan, thyme and lemon simply toss with olive oil, Paremesan cheese, garlic, thyme, lemon zest and lemon juice.
For more mushroom recipes google for mushroom risotto, mushroom gravy, cream of mushroom soup, creamy mushroom pasta, mushroom and barley soup.
Barbra Cohn cared for her husband Morris for 10 years. He passed away from younger-onset Alzheimer’s disease in 2010. Afterward, she was compelled to write “Calmer Waters: The Caregiver’s Journey Through Alzheimer’s & Dementia”–winner of the 2018 Book Excellence Award in self-help– in order to help other caregivers feel healthier and happier, have more energy, sleep better, feel more confident, deal with feelings of guilt and grief, and to ultimately experience inner peace. “Calmer Waters” is available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Boulder Book Store, Tattered Cover Book Store, Indie Bound.org, and many other fine independent bookstores, as well as public libraries.
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