Mushroom Study Provides Dramatic Results

This month, a large case-control study examining the eating habits of 2,018 women, was published by researchers at the University of Western Australia. The study linked consumption of mushrooms with significant health protecting properties. Besides this important finding, researchers noticed a powerful synergistic effect between consumption of mushrooms and green tea, which was linked with dramatic health protecting benefits.

Researchers in the study pointed out that there was no difference in health benefits between fresh and dried mushroom consumption and according to the study, as little as one mushroom daily could offer a significant benefit. Researchers also noted that in addition to having a protective effect on subjects, mushrooms also seem to cut the malignancy of health conditions when they did appear. A positive correlation was also established between the amount of mushroom consumption and protective health benefits offered.

Another mushroom study might be published soon when scientists at the City of Hope Research Center in California finish investigating whether taking a mushroom extract twice a day for a month will offer benefits to patients with serious health issues. The study is focusing on the Agaricus bisporus mushroom, (a mushroom closely related to Agaricus blazei a mushroom which actually has lower levels of the biologically active compounds found in the Agaricus blazei mushroom.

Reference:
Zhang M, Huang J, Xie X. Dietary intakes of mushrooms and green tea combine to reduce the risk of breast cancer in Chinese women. Int J Cancer 2009; 124(6); 1404-1408.