mushrooms Archives - Amazing Health Advances

Bizarre-Looking Fungus Improves Cognition & Immunity, New Research Suggests

The AHA! Team — Mon, 08 Sep 2025 05:25:40 +0000

Lori Alton via NaturalHealth365 – Gastroesophageal reflux disease, or acid reflux as it is often known, is one of the most common health complaints among adults. So much so that medications to treat the symptoms make up the third highest-selling class of drugs in the United States. Of all the medicinal mushrooms, tremella mushrooms are undoubtedly the strangest looking, with a translucent white color and a complicated-looking arrangement of frills and folds that causes them to resemble reef coral. Botanically labeled as tremella fuciformis, tremella mushrooms are commonly known by nicknames that range from the charming (snow mushrooms) to the creepy (witches’ butter). You may also hear them referred to as snow fungus, white fungus, and white jelly mushrooms. But these intriguing fungi are so much more than visual oddities. Valued as adaptogens and immune system boosters in traditional Chinese medicine for thousands of years, tremella mushrooms are now impressing contemporary researchers. A clinical study in the Journal of Medicinal Foods concluded that tremella extracts can help protect brain cells and improve cognition and memory in patients with cognitive impairment. You won’t want to miss out on the far-reaching “head-to-toe” benefits of these fascinating fungi. Tremella mushrooms help reverse memory loss and slow the progression of neurodegenerative diseases In a double-blind, controlled trial involving 75 individuals with subjective cognitive impairment, the researchers set out to assess the efficacy and safety of tremella. They found that participants who received between 600 and 1,200 mg a day of tremella for eight weeks experienced greater memory and executive function improvements than those in the control group. The team concluded that tremella could be safely used to improve memory and enhance cognition. A 2022 study published in Nutrients explored tremella mushrooms’ ability to act against oxidative stress and brain inflammation that contribute to neurodegenerative diseases. The researchers found that tremella mushrooms contain polysaccharides with anti-amyloidogenic properties (this forbidding-sounding word means that they act against the buildup of harmful amyloid-beta plaque implicated in Alzheimer’s disease). They also have antioxidant and anti-apoptotic effects, meaning they can prevent the death of brain cells. One specific tremella polysaccharide, TL04, was found in animal studies to confer protective effects through the mitochondrial pathway. The team concluded that polysaccharides in tremella are “promising neuroprotective agents” with “enormous potential” to inhibit the progression of neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Huntingdon’s disease, and ALS. Tremella combats inflammatory intestinal diseases by enhancing immunity and gut microbe diversity In a 2021 study published in Frontiers in Immunology, researchers concluded that polysaccharides in tremella mushrooms have the potential to alleviate inflammation and tissue damage caused by ulcerative colitis. These beneficial carbohydrates also support the health of the gut microbiome by increasing microbial diversity and renewing populations of beneficial bacteria such as Lactobacillus. As these bacteria’s metabolites help regulate the immune system, this also supports immune defenses. Studies have shown that polysaccharides can directly activate immune system components such as macrophages and T-cells. While more study is needed, the implications are promising. Promote and protect skin health, radiance, and hydration Tremella mushrooms contain potent antioxidants that reduce skin inflammation and help to protect against photoaging (another word for wrinkles and age spots induced by the harmful ultraviolet rays in sunlight). In addition, their polysaccharides have humectant properties, meaning they can draw moisture into the skin. In a 2021 study published in the International Journal of Immunopathology and Pharmacology, a 0.05 percent formulation of tremella polysaccharides performed as well in hydrating skin as a 0.02 percent formulation of hyaluronic acid – and it accomplished this at only 14 percent of the cost! Researchers endorsed tremella polysaccharides for rehydrating the skin and protecting and repairing the skin barrier. Tremella polysaccharides also help to increase the production of collagen, a protein that promotes skin firmness and elasticity (the sought-after qualities that give skin a youthful appearance). Access benefits through diet, supplements, or topical application Whole tremella mushrooms are available fresh or dried in markets and health food stores. Dried mushrooms should be soaked for an hour to rehydrate before using in recipes. While fresh tremella mushrooms are perfectly edible and nutritious – packed with dietary fiber, plant-based protein, essential vitamins, and minerals – they have a gelatinous texture that some people find off-putting. That said, their flavor is subtle and mild, and they blend in well with soups, stews, stir-fries, and casseroles. Powdered tremella is also available as a supplement. Use a reputable vendor, and choose an organic product certified by the NSF (National Sanitation Foundation) or USP (United States Pharmacopeia). You can also find tremella in topical serums, facial masks, and lotions. Before supplementing with tremella, you may want to get the “thumbs-up” from your holistic healthcare provider. Unsurprisingly, tremella mushrooms have also exhibited effects against cancer, diabetes, fatty liver disease, and obesity. While much of their potential is still unexplored, their obvious benefits are causing them to emerge as an exciting natural intervention against chronic and degenerative diseases. Sources for this article include: NIH.gov Liebertpub.com RealSimple.com Mdpi.com FrontiersinImmunology.org SagePub.com To read the original article click here.

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Coffee Grounds & Reishi Mushroom Spores Can be 3D Printed into a Compostable Alternative to Plastics

The AHA! Team — Fri, 09 May 2025 05:24:29 +0000

University of Washington via EurekAlert! – Only 30% of a coffee bean is soluble in water, and many brewing methods aim to extract significantly less than that. So, of the 1.6 billion pounds of coffee Americans consume in a year, more than 1.1 billion pounds of grounds are knocked from filters into compost bins and garbage cans. While watching the grounds from her own espresso machine accumulate, Danli Luo, a University of Washington doctoral student in human centered design and engineering, saw an opportunity. Coffee is nutrient-rich and sterilized during brewing, so it’s ideal for growing fungus, which, before it sprouts into mushrooms, forms a “mycelial skin.” This skin, a sort of white root system, can bind loose substances together and create a tough, water-resistant, lightweight material. Coffee is nutrient-rich and sterilized during brewing, so it’s ideal for growing fungus Luo and a UW team developed a new system for turning those coffee grounds into a paste, which they use to 3D print objects: packing materials, pieces of a vase, a small statue. They inoculate the paste with Reishi mushroom spores, which grow on the objects to form that mycelial skin. The skin turns the coffee grounds — even when formed into complex shapes — into a resilient, fully compostable alternative to plastics. For intricate designs, the mycelium fuses separately printed pieces together to form a single object. Published findings The team published its findings Jan. 23 in 3D Printing and Additive Manufacturing. “We’re especially interested in creating systems for people like small businesses owners producing small-batch products — for example, small, delicate glassware that needs resilient packaging to ship,” said lead author Luo. “So we’ve been working on new material recipes that can replace things like Styrofoam with something more sustainable and that can be easily customized for small-scale production.” New material recipes that can replace things like Styrofoam To create the “Mycofluid” paste, Luo mixed used coffee grounds with brown rice flour, Reishi mushroom spores, xanthan gum (a common food binder found in ice creams and salad dressings) and water. Luo also built a new 3D printer head for the Jubilee 3D printer that the UW’s Machine Agency lab designed. The new printer system can hold up to a liter of the paste. The team printed various objects with the Mycofluid: packaging for a small glass, three pieces of a vase, two halves of a Moai statue and a two-piece coffin the size of a butterfly. The objects then sat covered in a plastic tub for 10 days, during which the mycelium formed a sort of shell around the Mycofluid. In the case of the statue and vase, the separate pieces also fused together. The process is the same as that of homegrown mushroom kits: Keep the mycelium moist as it grows from a nutrient rich material. If the pieces stayed in the tub longer, actual mushrooms would sprout from the objects, but instead they’re removed after the white mycelial skin has formed. Researchers then dried the pieces for 24 hours, which halts the fruiting of the mushrooms. The finished material is heavier than Styrofoam — closer to the density of cardboard or charcoal. After an hour in contact with water, it absorbed only 7% more weight in water and dried to close its initial weight while keeping its shape. It was as strong and tough as polystyrene and expanded polystyrene foam, the substance used to make Styrofoam. All its components are compostable Though the team didn’t specifically test the material’s compostability, all its components are compostable (and, in fact, edible, though less than appetizing). Because the Mycofluid requires relatively homogeneous used coffee grounds, working with it at significant scale would prove difficult, but the team is interested in other forms of recycled materials that might form similar biopastes. “We’re interested in expanding this to other bio-derived materials, such as other forms of food waste,” Luo said. “We want to broadly support this kind of flexible development, not just to provide one solution to this major problem of plastic waste.” This research was funded by the National Science Foundation. Junchao Yang, a UW master’s student in human centered design and engineering when completing this research, is a co-author, and Nadya Peek, UW associate professor of human centered design and engineering, is the senior author. For more information, contact Luo at danlil@uw.edu. Journal 3D Printing and Additive Manufacturing DOI 10.1089/3dp.2023.0342 To read the original article click here.

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Study Suggests Ergothioneine in Mushrooms Can Help Extend Your Lifespan

The AHA! Team — Tue, 03 Sep 2024 08:26:55 +0000

Zoey Sky via Natural News – Mushrooms are a great addition to many savory dishes. Research suggests the benefits offered by mushrooms go beyond the kitchen. Several studies have found that a compound in mushrooms can help extend the human lifespan. One recent study looked into the potential benefits of fungi-derived bioactive compounds on lifespan and health span. The study also highlighted the importance of finding interventions to minimize age-related diseases. Another study published in the Nutrition Journal investigated the health benefits of mushrooms. Researchers found that mushroom consumption is linked to a longer lifespan. They credited this benefit to mushrooms’ high content of ergothioneine, an antioxidant amino acid found in fungi and bacteria. While conducting the study, researchers reviewed data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The 20-year prospective cohort study involved 15,000 participants. Results revealed that the people who included mushrooms in their diet had a 16 percent lower chance of early death. The researchers also discovered that consuming one serving of mushrooms per day instead of processed meat reduced the chances of dying prematurely from any cause by at least 35 percent. The research team explained that this benefit may be due to ergothioneine’s antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective effects. They also suggested that ergothioneine’s anti-aging properties could stem from its ability to protect against telomere shortening. Research shows ergothioneine has protective effects on telomeres Telomeres are usually described as protective “caps” for chromosomes. These long strings of delicate, elaborately folded DNA act like the protective plastic tips on shoelaces that help prevent fraying and damage. Longer telomeres are associated with better cellular health and are also usually linked with longevity. But telomeres naturally shorten over time, which makes them less able to preserve the structure of chromosomes. Shorter telomeres are linked with aging and chronic degenerative disease. In a study with participants over 60, those with shorter telomeres were three times more likely to die of heart disease than those with longer telomeres. They were also at least eight times more likely to die from infections. In another preliminary study published in the Journal of Dietary Supplements in 2022, a research team discovered that treating cells with ergothioneine for eight weeks alleviated telomere shortening from oxidative stress. They suggested that this can help potentially avoid mutations in DNA that could cause cancer. The researchers concluded that the results support “a potential role for ergothioneine in oxidative stress-related conditions and healthy aging.” Ergothioneine also supports longevity by helping to replenish and recycle glutathione, the body’s master antioxidant. Data also suggests that ergothioneine offers a valuable “trifecta” of anti-aging gifts: supporting longer telomeres, protecting DNA and recycling glutathione. Mushrooms can support optimal brain health In a separate study, scientists found that people over 60 were found to display lower levels of ergothioneine. They added that those over 60 with mild age-related cognitive impairment showed even sharper declines in this important amino acid. This is bad because ergothioneine, which helps protect brain cells from oxidative stress, is believed to help aging adults maintain healthy cognition and memory. Test tube and animal studies have indicated that ergothioneine may also help support memory by creating new neurons or brain cells. In a trial published in the Japanese Journal of Pharmacology, the research team gave both healthy adults and those with mild cognitive impairment a mushroom extract containing 5 mg of ergothioneine a day for 12 weeks. They found that the supplementation resulted in significant improvements in verbal memory, working memory and sustained attention for both the healthy and the mildly impaired volunteers. (Related: 6 Mushrooms you can eat to prevent cognitive impairment and reduce your dementia risk.) Aside from its anti-aging properties, ergothioneine also helps support a healthy immune system, promotes optimal cardiovascular function and supports healthy skin. Ergothioneine is even used in skincare serums and creams to reduce the appearance of fine lines and soothe redness and irritation. It is also used in products that help fight against damage and photoaging caused by ultraviolet radiation. Visit NaturalMedicine.news for more research about mushrooms and other superfoods. Watch the video below to learn about the health benefits of Organic Chaga Mushrooms. This video is from the Health Ranger Store channel on Brighteon.com. Sources include: NaturalHealth365.com PubMed.NCBI.NLM.NIH.gov Brighteon.com To read the original article, click here: https://www.naturalnews.com/2024-08-14-study-ergothioneine-mushrooms-help-extend-lifespan.html

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Chickpea & Vegetable Tagine Recipe

The AHA! Team — Mon, 29 Jul 2024 08:53:49 +0000

Recipe by: Dr. Michael Greger & Robin Robertson from The How Not to Die Cookbook – Chickpea & Vegetable Tagine Recipe Lots of spices combine with lots of veggies for a great-tasting dish that is especially good served over quinoa or brown, red, or black rice. Common to North African cuisine, tagine refers both to the earthenware pot in which the food is cooked as well as the food itself. COURSE: Main Course DIFFICULTY: Moderate SERVINGS: 4 INGREDIENTS ▢1 red onion chopped ▢1 carrot chopped ▢1 green bell pepper seeded and chopped ▢1 garlic clove minced ▢1 ½ teaspoons fresh ginger minced ▢2 tablespoons jarred tomato paste ▢¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon ▢½ teaspoon ground cumin ▢½ teaspoon smoked paprika ▢1 ¼ inch turmeric or 1/4 teaspoon ground ▢cayenne pepper to taste ▢2 cups vegetable broth ▢1 cup green beans in 1-inch pieces ▢2 cups mushrooms diced ▢1 ½ cups cooked chickpeas or 1 15.5 oz can ▢2 tablespoons fresh cilantro or parsley minced ▢2 teaspoons lemon juice ▢1 tablespoon raisins or minced dried apricots INSTRUCTIONS Heat ¼ cup of water in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, and bell pepper. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, ginger, tomato paste, cinnamon, cumin, paprika, turmeric, and cayenne. Add the broth, green beans, mushrooms, and chickpeas and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes. Stir in the cilantro, lemon, and raisins and cook 5 minutes longer. Taste to adjust the seasonings, and serve hot. To read the original article click here.

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Eat Mushrooms to Fight Depression

AHA Publisher — Mon, 05 Dec 2022 08:00:11 +0000

Al Sears, MD, CNS – In a new study using data collected from more than 24,000 Americans, researchers at Penn State found that eating mushrooms every day dramatically lowers your risk of developing depression.1 This is great news, especially now… You see, the stress and uncertainty of the last couple of years has dramatically increased the number of people suffering the emotional impacts caused by Covid. In fact, the number of Americans who say they are depressed has tripled since the start of the pandemic.2 As a result, traditional doctors are prescribing medications like Prozac and Zoloft in record numbers. But these pills don’t often work. Almost half of the patients taking a Big Pharma antidepressant say they still suffer symptoms of depression. And then there are the side effects connected with these powerful pills, including insomnia and fatigue, weight gain, anxiety, feeling numb or disconnected, dizziness, and sexual dysfunction I don’t prescribe antidepressants. Instead, I use natural options to help my patients. And now I can add mushrooms to that list. Mushrooms are a great source of ergothioneine. This amino acid acts as an antioxidant in your body. Because ergothioneine can pass through the blood-brain barrier, it’s able to protect your brain against inflammation and oxidative stress.3,4,5 The latest research shows that both oxidative stress and inflammation play a key role in the development of depression.6 Your body can’t make ergothioneine on its own, so you have to get it from food. And no food contains more than mushrooms. One serving of mushrooms – one cup raw or one-half cup cooked – contains up to 5 mg of ergothioneine. I recommend eating porcini, King oyster, maitake, oyster or shiitake mushrooms daily. Earlier research from the Penn State researchers found that eating just five mushrooms a day is enough to prevent depression.7 But mushrooms help protect you from depression in another important way… They are a rich source of vitamin D. If you are a regular reader, you know that vitamin D helps beat depression by boosting the production of the “feel-good” neurotransmitter serotonin. In fact, vitamin D can boost serotonin up to 30 times.8 Unfortunately, more than 90% of Americans don’t get enough vitamin D. Fresh wild mushrooms like chanterelle or morels have the highest vitamin D content. But you can easily boost the amount of vitamin D in your mushrooms by drying them in the sun. I read a book a few years ago called Mycelium Running: How Mushrooms Can Help Save the World by Paul Stamets. He knows so much about the health benefits of mushrooms that he’s an advisor of integrative medicine at the University of Arizona Medical School. Stamets did a study where he picked shiitake mushrooms that had been grown indoors and placed them gills-up in the sunlight for six hours. Their vitamin D content shot up from around 110 IU of vitamin D per 100 grams to a pretty remarkable 46,000 IU. Make Sun-Dried Mushrooms Easily at Home Drying and storing the mushrooms is easy to do. Gather fresh organic mushrooms from a local produce stand. Gently remove dirt with a dry cloth. Spread your mushrooms in the sun on a piece of parchment paper during the sunniest time of the day. Bring them in at night or when the sun goes down to avoid moisture. Then repeat the drying process the next day. But don’t dry your mushrooms any more than two days. Over-exposure to UV rays can cause levels of vitamin D to drop. Store your thoroughly dried mushrooms in a dark glass container. Add a spoonful of rice to keep the mushrooms dry, and seal it up. The mushrooms should be good for at least a year. Then you can eat a few mushrooms to get a good start on the vitamin D you’ll need for the day. To get the 5,000 IU a day of vitamin D that I recommend, you’d need to eat 10 grams – about an eighth of a cup – of sun-dried mushrooms daily. To Your Good Health, Al Sears, MD, CNS References: 1. Ba DM et al. “Mushroom intake and depression: a population-based study using data from the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2005-2016.” J Affective Disord. 2021; 294:686-692. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2021.07.080. 2. Ettman CK et al. “Persistent depressive symptoms during COVID-19; a national, population-representative, longitudinal study of U.S. adults.” Lancet 2022;5:10091. 3. Nagaro M, et al. “Reduction of depression and anxiety by 4 weeks Hericium erinaceus intake.” Biomed Res. 2010;31(4):231-237. 4. Okamura H, et al. “The effects of Hericium erinaceus (Amyloban® 3399) on sleep quality and subjective well-being among female undergraduate students: a pilot study.” Personalized Med Univ. 2015;4:76-78. 5. Feeney MJ. et al. “Mushrooms and health summit proceedings.” J Nutr. 2014; 144(7):1128S-1136S. 6. Bakunina N, et al. “Immune mechanisms linked to depression via oxidative stress and neuroprogression.” Immunology. 2015 Mar; 144(3): 365–373. 7. Ma BJ. “Hericenones and erinacines: stimulators of nerve growth factor (NGF) biosynthesis in Hericium erinaceus.” Mycology. 2010;1(2):92-98. 8. Patrick P, et al. “Vitamin D hormone regulates serotonin synthesis. Part 1: relevance for autism.” FASEB J. 2014 Jun;28(6):2398-413. To read the original article click here.

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Dr. Greger’s Daily Dozen Healthiest of Healthy Foods

AHA Publisher — Mon, 09 Aug 2021 07:00:29 +0000

Michael Greger M.D. FACLM via Nutrition Facts – In my book How Not to Die, I center my recommendations around a Daily Dozen checklist of everything I try to fit into my daily routine. In my book How Not to Die, I suggest we try to center our diets around whole plant foods. Some plants are healthier than others, though. Apparently, you can live for extended periods eating practically nothing but white potatoes, for example, and, by definition, that would be a whole food, plant-based diet—but not a very healthy one. All plant foods are not created equal. The more I’ve researched over the years, the more I’ve come to realize that healthy foods are not necessarily interchangeable. Some foods and food groups have special nutrients not found in abundance elsewhere. For example, sulforaphane, the amazing liver-enzyme detox-boosting compound, is derived nearly exclusively from cruciferous vegetables. You could eat tons of other kinds of greens and vegetables on a given day and get no appreciable sulforaphane if you didn’t eat something cruciferous. Same with flaxseeds and the anticancer lignan compounds: Flax may average a hundred times more lignans than other foods. And mushrooms? Well, mushrooms aren’t even plants. They belong to an entirely different biological classification and contain some nutrients like ergothioneine that may not be made anywhere in the plant kingdom. So, technically, maybe I should be referring to a whole food, plant- and fungus-based diet…but that sounds a little gross. It seems like every time I come home from the medical library buzzing with some exciting new data, my family rolls their eyes, sighs, and asks, What can’t we eat now? Or they’ll say, Wait a second. Why does everything seem to have parsley in it all of a sudden? They’re very tolerant! As the list of foods I tried to fit into my daily diet grew, I made a checklist and put it up on a little dry-erase board on the fridge, and we made a game out of ticking off the boxes. This evolved into my Daily Dozen, the checklist of everything I try to fit into my daily routine. In my video Dr. Greger’s Daily Dozen Checklist, you can see the list, the daily minimum servings I recommend, and examples of foods that go into each category. My Daily Dozen includes Beans, Berries, Other Fruits, Cruciferous Vegetables, Greens, Other Vegetables, Flaxseeds, Nuts and Seeds, Herbs and Spices, Whole Grains, Beverages, and Exercise. By Beans, I mean legumes, which also include split peas, chickpeas, and lentils. It may not seem like you’re eating beans when you have a bowl of pea soup, for example, or dip carrots into hummus, but you are. We should try to get at least three servings a day. A serving is defined as a quarter cup of hummus or bean dip; a half cup of cooked beans, split peas, lentils, tofu, or tempeh; or a full cup of fresh peas or sprouted lentils. Technically, peanuts are legumes, but, nutritionally, I put them in my Daily Dozen Nuts and Seeds category. Similarly, I put green beans, snap peas, and string beans into the Other Vegetables category. My Daily Dozen includes at least one serving of Berries a day, which is a half cup of fresh or frozen, or a quarter cup of dried. Biologically speaking, avocados, bananas, and even watermelons are technically berries, but to simplify things, I use the colloquial term for any small edible fruit. So, this category includes kumquats, grapes, raisins, and fruits that are typically thought of as berries even though they technically aren’t, like blackberries, cherries, mulberries, raspberries, and strawberries. For Other Fruits, a serving is a medium-sized fruit, a cup of cut-up fruit, or a quarter cup of dried fruit, and I recommend at least three daily servings. Again, I’m using the colloquial rather than the botanical definition, which is why I put tomatoes in the Other Vegetables group. Cruciferous Vegetables include broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, collards, and kale, and I recommend at least one half-cup serving a day. My Daily Dozen also calls for at least two additional daily servings of Greens, cruciferous or otherwise, and two serving of Other Vegetables, with a serving being a cup of raw leafy vegetables, a half cup for raw or cooked non-leafy vegetables, and a quarter cup of dried mushrooms. Everyone should try to incorporate one tablespoon of ground Flaxseeds into their daily diet, in addition to one serving of Nuts and Seeds. A quarter cup of nuts is considered a serving, or you can have two tablespoons of nut or seed butters, including peanut butter. Chestnuts and coconuts don’t count nutritionally as nuts. For my Herbs and Spices category, I recommend a quarter teaspoon a day of the spice turmeric, along with any other salt-free herbs and spices you may enjoy. To meet my Daily Dozen, you need at least three servings of Whole Grains, and a serving can be a half cup of hot cereal (like oatmeal), cooked whole grains or so-called pseudograins (like amaranth, buckwheat, and quinoa), cooked pasta, or corn kernels; a cup of ready-to-eat cold cereal; one tortilla or slice of bread; half a bagel or english muffin, or three cups of air-popped popcorn. The serving size in the Beverage category is one 12-ounce glass, and I recommend at least five servings a day in addition to the water you get naturally from the foods in your diet. If you’re curious, I explain my rationale in my How Many Glasses of Water Should We Drink a Day? video. Finally, my Daily Dozen calls for at least one daily “serving” of exercise, which can be split up over the day. I recommend 90 minutes of moderate-intensity activity, such as walking briskly (for instance, at a pace of four miles per hour), or 40 minutes of vigorous activity, like jogging or active sports. See my video How Much Should You Exercise? if you’d like more information. This may sound like a lot of boxes to check, but it’s easy to knock off a bunch at a time. One simple peanut butter and banana sandwich on whole-grain bread can check off four boxes, and imagine how many Daily Dozen boxes you could tick off when you sit down to a big salad of two cups of spinach, a handful of arugula, a handful of walnuts, a half cup of chickpeas, a half cup of red bell pepper, and a small tomato. That’s seven boxes in just one salad! Sprinkle on your flaxseeds, add a handful of goji berries, enjoy it with a glass of water, and end with some fruit for dessert, and you just met nearly half of the Daily Dozen in a single meal! And, if you just ate it on your treadmill…just kidding! Do I check off each glass of water I drink? No. In fact, I don’t even use the checklist anymore. I just used it initially as a tool to get me into a routine. Whenever I sat down to a meal, I challenged myself by asking, Could I add greens to this? Could I add beans to this? Can I sprinkle on some flax or pumpkin seeds? What about some dried fruit? The checklist just got me into the habit of wondering how I can make each meal even healthier. The checklist also helped with grocery shopping. Although I always keep bags of frozen berries and greens in the freezer, if I’m at the store and want to buy fresh produce for the week, it helps me figure out how much kale or blueberries I need. In fact, the checklist even helped me picture what a meal might look like. When you look over the Daily Dozen, as you can see at 6:44 in my video, you see that it includes three servings each of Beans, Other Fruits, and Whole Grains, and about twice as many vegetables in total than any other component, when you add up the Cruciferous Vegetables, Greens, and Other Vegetables. So, glancing at my plate, I can imagine one quarter of it filled with grains, one quarter with legumes, and vegetables taking up the other half, along with a side salad and fruit for dessert, for instance. I really like one-bowl meals where everything’s mixed together, and even then the checklist helps me visualize. Instead of a big bowl of spaghetti with some veggies and lentils on top, I think of a big bowl of vegetables with some pasta and lentils mixed in. Instead of a big plate of quinoa with some stir-fried vegetables, I picture a meal that’s mostly vegetables with some quinoa and beans added in there, too. There’s no need to be obsessive about the Daily Dozen. On hectic travel days, when I’ve burned through my snacks and find myself stuck in some airport food court, I’m lucky if I hit even a quarter of my goals. If you eat poorly one day, just try to eat better the next. To help track your progress, volunteers created Dr. Greger’s Daily Dozen apps for both iPhone and Android. You can download and use them both for free with no ads and no cost. My hope is that the checklist will serve as a helpful reminder to try to eat a variety of some the healthiest foods every day. KEY TAKEAWAYS All plant foods are not created equal, so although we should try to center our diets around whole plant foods, we should be sure to incorporate the most healthful ones. Some of the most special and important nutrients are sulforaphane, which is found almost exclusively in cruciferous vegetables, and flaxseeds with their anticancer lignan compounds. The Daily Dozen checklist is the synopsis of recommendations I make in my book How Not to Die, incorporating everything I try to fit into my daily routine and lists categories and minimum servings. My Daily Dozen includes Beans (and legumes, including split peas, chickpeas, and lentils), Berries, Other Fruits, Cruciferous Vegetables, Greens, Other Vegetables, Flaxseeds, Nuts and Seeds, Herbs and Spices, Whole Grains, Beverages, and Exercise. The Daily Dozen is intended to inspire you to eat more healthful options and look at each eating experience as an opportunity to maximize nutrition. To help you tick the Daily Dozen boxes, volunteers created Dr. Greger’s Daily Dozen app, completely free to download and use, and available for both iPhone and Android. This was quite the departure from our regular blogs! Normally, we just share the science from the primary sources in the peer-reviewed medical literature, but I want NutritionFacts.org to be more than just a reference site. I want it to be a practical guide on translating this mountain of data into day-to-day decisions, which is where my Daily Dozen app slips into the mix. It’s available for free on iTunes and as an Android app, thanks to an amazing group of volunteers through our Open Source Initiative. To read the original article click here. For more articles from Dr. Greger click here.

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Slash Your Risk of Cognitive Decline with This Simple Dietary Intervention

AHA Publisher — Tue, 15 Jun 2021 07:00:46 +0000

Lori Alton via NaturalHealth365 – Mushrooms are prized by chefs for their meaty, smoky taste – and their ability to enhance recipes with the savory, rich quality known as “umami.” Nutritionists say mushrooms’ ability to evoke umami is due to their high content of an amino acid known as glutamate, which is also responsible for much of the flavor in meats, cheeses, simmering soups, and fish. But, there is a lot more to these edible fungi than their umami. In a recent cross-sectional, community-based Chinese study, researchers discovered that eating mushrooms can help reduce the risk of cognitive decline by slashing the odds of developing mild cognitive impairment (MCI), which affects 15 to 20 percent of people aged 65 and older. Let’s take a closer look at the groundbreaking study and the remarkable benefits of mushrooms. Warning: MCI Is Often a Precursor to an Even More Severe and Deadly Disease Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) involves slight but noticeable memory loss or forgetfulness, along with mild deficits in thinking skills, language, attention, and spatial abilities. Unlike more serious forms of dementia, MCI is not disabling, and people with the condition can still carry out normal daily activities. However, the affected person is usually aware of a decline in cognitive abilities, which is often observed by family members and close friends as well. While not all people with MCI go on to develop Alzheimer’s disease, the Alzheimer’s Association reports that MCI increases the risk. In fact, many physicians view MCI as a transition between the decline of normal aging and the more serious impairments of dementia. Here Is What to Eat to Cut the Odds of MCI by 50 Percent But, there’s good news. In a six-year study involving over 600 adults over 60 and published in the highly regarded Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, a team from the Departments of Psychological Medicine and Biochemistry at the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine at the National University of Singapore investigated the effects of mushroom consumption on cognition. The scientists were careful to adjust for other factors that can influence MCI, including age, gender, education, cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption, hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, physical activities, and social life. The study results were eye-opening. The team found that older adults who consumed more than two portions of mushrooms a week reduced their odds of mild cognitive impairment by an astonishing 50 percent. (A portion was defined as about three-quarters of a cup of cooked mushrooms). Intriguingly, even smaller amounts of mushrooms – such as a single weekly serving – conferred benefits as well. Lead author Lei Feng, an Assistant Professor at NUS Department of Psychological Medicine, called the results “surprising and encouraging” and the mushrooms’ effect on cognitive decline “dramatic.” By the way, the researchers found that it didn’t seem to matter which type of mushrooms were consumed. Golden, oyster, shiitake, and white “button” mushrooms – as well as assorted canned and dried varieties – all appeared to have the same effect. Researchers: Cognitive Benefits of Mushrooms May Be Due to Unique Compound Researchers credited ergothioneine, an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compound found in mushrooms, for the beneficial cognitive effects. In fact, the study was inspired by earlier research showing that ergothioneine deficiency could be a risk factor for neurodegenerative diseases. And ergothioneine isn’t the only beneficial compound found in mushrooms. Scientists say that other constituents – including such tongue-twisting substances as hericenones, erinacines, scabronines, and dictyophorines – may help cut odds of cognitive impairment as well. And, another key to mushrooms’ ability to cause plunging odds of MCI is their choline content, an essential nutrient vital to learning and memory. The team noted that further studies on the cognitive benefits of mushrooms would include randomized, controlled trials on ergothioneine. Trials are also ongoing to explore the effects of other neuroprotective nutrients, include L-theanineand catechins from tea leaves. The Humble Mushroom Packs a Powerful Nutritional Punch Mushrooms are rich in protein, vitamins, minerals, fiber, and disease-fighting polyphenols and carotenoids – yet low in calories and fat. They also contain potent antioxidants – including immune-boosting vitamin C and the mineral selenium– and B vitamins, such as folate, riboflavin, thiamin, and vitamin B12. (Since vitamin B12 is found almost exclusively in animal products, this makes mushrooms a particularly valuable addition to the diets of vegans and vegetarians). In addition, mushrooms are the only vegan, non-fortified source of vitamin D on the planet – although the content may vary depending on how much light is used in the growing process. Some producers expose mushrooms to ultraviolet light to enhance vitamin D levels – and often feature this fact on the label. The minerals copper, iron, potassium, and phosphorous are also found in mushrooms. In addition to their beneficial micronutrients, mushrooms contain up to a gram of dietary fiber per cup. Coupled with their satisfying, chewy consistency, the fiber in mushrooms may help create a sense of satiety or fullness that can help protect against binge eating and food cravings. And, at a minimal 20 calories per cup – about a quarter of the calories in a small apple – mushrooms won’t break the daily caloric “bank.” Incidentally, in addition to protecting against cognitive decline, the benefits of mushrooms include cardioprotective and cancer-fighting properties. According to researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, beta-glucans in mushrooms may help to lower harmful LDL cholesterol. The scientists also credit mushrooms with stimulating the activity of immune cells and macrophages that can stop the spread of tumor cells. Mushrooms have long been used for both culinary and therapeutic purposes, with medicinal mushrooms revered as a staple of Traditional Chinese Medicine. But, the Singapore study suggests that a mere two servings a week of ordinary, garden-variety mushrooms might be stronger “medicine” than anyone ever suspected. Sources for this article include: ScienceDaily.com Iospress.com MedicalNewsToday.com AlzheimersAssociation.org Harvard.edu To read the original article click here. For more articles from NaturalHealth365 click here.

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Rethinking Mushrooms: Why This SUPER Food Is Great for Your Health and the Real “sustainability” of This Planet

AHA Publisher — Tue, 23 Mar 2021 07:25:17 +0000

Damon Hines via NaturalHealth365 – Our ancient ancestors documented the health benefits of mushrooms as early as 200 or 250 CE in the book The Divine Farmer’s Materia Medica, a fundamental text on Chinese wellness practices, medicinal plants, and agriculture. From China’s Reishi mushroom, which is known for its immune-supporting properties, to Finland’s Chaga mushroom, it supports antioxidant pathways, the health benefits and ecological and culinary potential of fungi are as diverse as the number of species that dot the forest floor. But our relationship with mushrooms is complicated. For every semi-obsessed forager scouring the woods for wild chanterelles, there are those who are wary of mushrooms and don’t like the idea of eating fungus. Perhaps they’re worried they’ll get poisoned, or maybe that slimy mushroom pizza experience they had as a child forever ruined the food for them. Nevertheless, it’s time to reconsider the mushroom, not just because fungi are gentle on the planet and the great recyclers of the natural world but also because they can be the sustainable superfood of the future. Mushrooms Are Healthy on the Plate and Gentle on the Planet According to a 2017 study by SureHarvest, to grow and harvest a pound of fresh mushrooms in the U.S. requires only 1.8 gallons of water, 1.0-kilowatt-hours of energy, and generates only 0.7 pounds of CO2 equivalent emissions. In woods and forests, mushrooms break down organic material and create healthy soil by making its raw materials available again for the ecosystem. Mushrooms might be the earth’s most sustainable food, but it’s not the only thing that makes them super. Mushrooms are packed with vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients, including vitamin D, vitamin B6, folate magnesium, zinc, and potassium. Fungi are rich in antioxidants such as ergothioneine and selenium, reducing inflammation and improving immune function. Coming in different shapes, sizes, and colors, mushrooms are a gastronomically versatile, low-carb, practically no-fat food that can replace meat as a main course or work as a side-dish. Are People Finally Getting Out of That Slimy Mushroom Pizza Mind-Set? There are more than 2,000 edible mushrooms in the world, but 90 percent of the fungi people cook are the cultivated basic Portobello and white buttons. Classics like Shiitake are also popular. However, food trends are changing, and fungi-inspired companies fill a new niche with alternatives to conventional mushrooms. A heightened interest in foraging and locally-sourced ingredients coupled with an aversion to tech meat (Impossible Foods, Beyond Meat, etc.) has done wonders for the reputation of the mushroom, turning it from culinary curiosity to mainstream star. Generally speaking, consumers are more comfortable with this weird organism, finding that it’s easy and versatile to cook and respecting the fact that responsible cultivators use timber waste that would otherwise end up in landfills to sprout their mushrooms. Whether you’re buying local, foraging for native varieties, or sprouting your own at home with a grow kit (Smallhold is a well-recognized brand in organic mushroom grow kits), the health benefits mushrooms provide are as complex as the ecosystem from which they come. Sources for this article include: Theamericanscholar.com Smithsonianmag.com Mushroomcouncil.com To read the original article click here. For more articles from NaturalHealth365 click here.

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Study Identifies Another Reason to Add Mushrooms to American Diet

AHA Publisher — Tue, 02 Mar 2021 08:00:34 +0000

FLM Harvest via News-Medical Net – The second study published in as many months has identified another reason to add more mushrooms to the recommended American diet. The new research, published in Food & Nutrition Research (February 2021), examined the addition of mushrooms to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Patterns resulting in the increase of several micronutrients including shortfall nutrients while having a minimal to zero impact on overall calories, sodium or saturated fat. Dr. Victor L. Fulgoni III and Dr. Sanjiv Agarwal looked at the nutritional effect of substituting a serving of various foods recommended to be moderated in the diet by the 2015-2020 U.S. Dietary Guidelines with an 84-gram serving of mushrooms on nutrient profiles in USDA’s Healthy US-style, Mediterranean-style and Vegetarian Eating Patterns. This is a similar approach that the USDA used for determining its Dietary Guidelines. For the mushroom serving, researchers looked at a composite of white, crimini, and portabella mushrooms at a 1:1:1 ratio; one scenario including UV-light exposed mushrooms, and one scenario including oyster mushrooms. “Simply adding an 84-gram serving, or what would be the equivalent of 5 medium white mushrooms, to USDA Food Patterns increased several shortfall nutrients including potassium as well as other B vitamins and minerals and had minimal to no impact on overall calories, sodium or saturated fat,” said Dr. Fulgoni. Depending on the pattern type and calorie level, key findings include: The addition of a serving (84 g) of mushrooms to the diet resulted in an increase in potassium (8%-12%), copper (16%-26%), selenium (11%-23%), riboflavin (12%-18%), and niacin (11%-26%), but had no impact on calories, carbohydrate, fat or sodium. The addition of a serving (84 g) of oyster mushrooms increased vitamin D (8%-11%) and choline (10%-16%) in USDA Food Patterns. Mushrooms exposed to UV-light to increase vitamin D levels to 200 IU/serving also increased vitamin D by 67%-90% in USDA Food Patterns. A composite of white, crimini, and portabella mushrooms at a 1:1:1 ratio would be expected to add 2.24 mg ergothioneine and 3.53 mg glutathione, while oyster mushrooms would provide 24.0 mg ergothioneine and 12.3 mg glutathione. (Note: the USDA Food Patterns, as well as USDA FoodData Central, do not include analytical data on either of these antioxidants at this time). Results Mirror a Similar Modeling Study Drs. Fulgoni and Agarwal also modeled the addition of mushrooms to National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2011-2016 dietary data looking at a composite of white, crimini, and portabella mushrooms at a 1:1:1 ratio; one scenario including UV-light exposed mushrooms, and one scenario including oyster mushrooms for both 9-18 years and 19+ years of age based on an 84g or ½ cup equivalent serving. Similar to the USDA Food Patterns, the NHANES data found the addition of a serving (84 g) of mushrooms to the diet resulted in an increase in dietary fiber (5%-6%), copper (24%-32%), phosphorus (6%), potassium (12%-14%), selenium (13%-14%), zinc (5%-6%), riboflavin (13%-15%), niacin (13%-14%), and choline (5%-6%) in both adolescents and adults; but had no impact on calories, carbohydrate, fat or sodium. Looking specifically at vitamin D, the study shows that when commonly consumed mushrooms are exposed to UV-light to provide 5 mcg vitamin D per serving, vitamin D intake could meet and slightly exceed the recommended daily value (98% – 104%) for both the 9 -18 year and 19+ year groups as well as decrease inadequacy of this shortfall nutrient in the population. In addition, a serving of UV-light exposed commonly consumed mushrooms decreased population inadequacy for vitamin D from 95.3% to 52.8% for age group 9-18 years and from 94.9% to 63.6% for age group 19+ years. Mushrooms Role in the Dietary Guidelines Mushrooms are fungi – a member of the third food kingdom – biologically distinct from plant and animal-derived foods that comprise the USDA food patterns yet have a unique nutrient profile that provides nutrients common to both plant and animal foods. Although classified into food grouping systems by their use as a vegetable, mushrooms’ increasing use in main entrees in plant-based diets is growing, supporting consumers’ efforts to follow food-based dietary guidance recommendations to lower intake of calories, saturated fatty acids, and sodium while increasing intake of under-consumed nutrients including fiber, potassium and vitamin D. When considering mushrooms’ role in diet quality and helping consumers achieve healthy eating patterns, a previous analysis of NHANES 2001-2010 data discovered that mushroom intake was associated with higher intakes of several key nutrients and thus better diet quality. However, intake was low – about 21g per day among mushroom consumers. Because of mushrooms’ culinary versatility and unique nutrient profile, greater recognition of mushrooms in dietary guidance is an opportunity to improve diet quality, particularly to increase consumption of vegetables. “Results from this current research on modeling the nutritional impact of mushrooms on USDA healthy eating patterns are now available for consideration by the 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee,” said Mary Jo Feeney, MS, RD, FADA and nutrition research coordinator to the Mushroom Council. Mushrooms: A Nutrient Powerhouse Often grouped with vegetables, mushrooms provide many of the nutrient attributes of produce, as well as attributes more commonly found in meat, beans or grains. According to the USDA’s FoodData Central, one serving (5 medium/90g) of white, raw mushrooms contains 20 calories, 0g fat, 3g protein and is very low in sodium (0mg/<1% recommended daily value). Few foods naturally contain vitamin D, and mushrooms are unique in that they are the only food in the produce aisle that contain vitamin D. Specifically, one serving of raw, UV-exposed, white (90g) and crimini (80g) mushrooms contains 23.6mcg (118% RDA) and 25.52mcg (128% RDA) of vitamin D, respectively. More Research from the Mushroom Council Still to Come With mushrooms growing in awareness and consideration among consumers nationwide, in 2019, the Mushroom Council made a $1.5 million multi-year investment in research to help broaden understanding of the food’s nutritional qualities and overall health benefits. In addition to the analysis of mushrooms for bioactive/ergothioneine for inclusion in the USDA FoodData Central database, additional research projects approved include: Health-promoting effects of including mushrooms as part of a healthy eating pattern. Mushrooms’ relationship with cognitive health in older adults. Mushrooms’ impact on brain health in an animal model. Since 2002, the Council has conducted research that supports greater mushroom demand by discovering nutrient and health benefits of mushrooms. Published results from these projects form the basis for communicating these benefits to consumers and health influencers. To read the original article click here.

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