It’s not hocus pocus; new studies have revealed that adding a daily dose of culinary mushrooms to your summer salad, or crudités platter is highly advantageous in supporting the body against cancer.
The study looked at 17 cancer studies published between 1966 and 2020, with data on more than 19,500 cancer patients. According to Science Daily, researchers from Pennsylvania State University published their findings in the journal Advances in Nutrition early this year. The research looked into “the relationship between mushroom consumption and cancer risk.”
Mushrooms contain a lot of vitamins, nutrients, and antioxidants. According to the team’s findings, these super foods may also help protect against cancer.
Despite the fact that shiitake, oyster, maitake, and king oyster mushrooms contain more of the amino acid ergothioneine than white button, cremini, and portabello mushrooms, the researchers discovered that people who consumed any variety of mushrooms of 18 grams or more on a daily basis had a 45% lower risk of cancer compared to those who did not eat mushrooms.
“Mushrooms are the highest dietary source of ergothioneine, which is a unique and potent antioxidant and cellular protector,” said Djibril M. Ba, a graduate student in epidemiology at Penn State College of Medicine. “Replenishing antioxidants in the body may help protect against oxidative stress and lower the risk of cancer.”
When the researchers looked at specific cancers, they found that people who ate mushrooms on a regular basis had a significantly lower risk of developing breast cancer.
According to Ba, this could be because the majority of the studies did not include other types of cancer.
Moving forward, this research could be useful in further investigating the protective effects of mushrooms and in establishing healthier cancer-prevention diets.
“Overall, these findings provide important evidence for the protective effects of mushrooms against cancer,” said coauthor John Richie, a Penn State Cancer Institute researcher and professor of public health sciences and pharmacology.
Story Source: Science Daily
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