Greetings!
If you’re looking for reasons to eat more mushrooms, read on.
Two new relevant studies were published in the scientific literature this past year, each one highlighting the importance of mushrooms in the human diet.
1. Mushroom consumption and mild cognitive impairment
As part of a recent study design, and to determine any association between mushroom consumption and mild cognitive impairment, researchers in Singapore analyzed diet and lifestyle factors of 663 participants over the age of 60.
After controlling for factors including age, education, cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activities, meat consumption, and vegetable consumption, participants who consumed greater than 2 portions of mushrooms per week had lower odds of having mild cognitive impairment compared to participants who consumed mushrooms less than once per week.
Findings were similar in males and females, and results were published in the Journal Of Alzheimer’s Disease. Researchers concluded: “Mushroom consumption could be a potential preventive measure to slow cognitive decline and neurodegeneration in aging.”
2. Mushroom consumption and prostate cancer
A brand new study published in the International Journal Of Cancer looked at the association between mushroom consumption and prostate cancer in over 36,000 Japanese men between the ages of 40 and 79.
This was the first long-term cohort study ever published on the subject. (A cohort study follows participants over time to determine the incidence of, or mortality from, a disease or other outcome.)
Results indicated that higher mushroom consumption in men over the age of 50 was related to a lower risk of incident prostate cancer. Additionally, researchers found a beneficial effect of mushroom consumption on the prevention of prostate cancer regardless of clinical stage of tumor development (localized or advanced and metastatic).
Researchers in this study concluded that “habitual mushroom intake might help to reduce prostate cancer risk.”
So… if you needed yet another reason to eat more mushrooms, perhaps these two studies will influence your decision in a positive manner.
Lastly, today (Sunday) is the last day to enroll in Foraging Wild Mushrooms, as registration will close at midnight. This online course is designed to teach you the skills necessary to safely and confidently harvest wild fungi for food, for medicine, for study, and for fun.
Additionally, a portion of all proceeds derived from course sales will be donated to the Pennsylvania Parks & Forest Foundation — a nonprofit organization whose mission it is to inspire stewardship of Pennsylvania’s beautiful state parks and forests.
Thanks for reading, and I hope you’ll consider adding more mushrooms to your holiday menus!
-Adam Haritan
Paths I Walk 