Mushrooms may have antiaging power

A team of researchers at Penn State suggest that mushrooms may help with fighting aging and improve health due to containing higher levels of antioxidants. The findings are reported in Food Chemistry recently.

The study findings say that higher levels of ergothioneine and glutathione are found in mushrooms with are antioxidants, amounts vary in the different species of mushrooms of the 13 species tested, and are the highest dietary source of these taken together Porcini had the highest levels, while common ones like button had less, but still more than other foods. Cooking them did not significantly change the compounds, according to Robert Beelman, professor emeritus of food science and director of the Penn State Center for Plant and Mushroom Products for Health.

To produce energy the body uses food, this causes oxidative stress as free radicals will also be produced. Free radicals are oxygen atoms with unpaired electrons that cause damage to DNA, cells and proteins as it travels around the body seeking to pair up. To help protect against this stress replenishing antioxidants may help.

Future research may look at the compounds possibility to decreasing chances of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Beelman suggests countries with diets containing more ergothioneine have lower neurodegenerative diseases rates such as Italy and France in comparison to USA. Stating it is worth looking into as the difference between countries is only about 3 milligrams a day which is around 5 button mushrooms.