Eating Two Portions of Mushrooms Weekly Could Decrease Brain Decline Risks by 50%

Do you love eating mushrooms? Well, we’ve got some good news for you if you answered yes to that question.

According to science, consuming at least two portions of your favorite vegetable can help decrease brain decline later in your old age by at least half! That’s a huge health benefit right there for mushroom lovers.

In a study published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, researchers are telling us that people who “eat 300g or more of cooked mushrooms – about equal to a medium-sized punnet – have a reduced risk of mild cognitive impairment,” a DailyMail article reported. “and even eating smaller amounts could still be beneficial.”

What is mild cognitive impairment, you ask?

Medical experts explain that MCI is “the stage between the expected cognitive decline of normal aging and the more serious decline of dementia.” This means that those who have it may experience struggles with memory, language, and thinking.

This is the part where mushrooms come helpful since they are filled with amino acid which can benefit people with MCI since they often have low levels of it.

National University of Singapore researchers interviewed over 600 Chinese individuals ages 60 and above for about 6 years and they found out that participants who ate more than two portions of cooked mushrooms per week were 50% less likely to develop MCI.

Feng Lei, one of the researchers, pointed out:

“This correlation is surprising and encouraging. It seems that a commonly available single ingredient could have a dramatic effect on cognitive decline.”

Meanwhile, Dr Irwin Cheah said:

“We’re very interested in a compound called ergothioneine (ET). ET is a unique antioxidant and anti-inflammatory which humans are unable to synthesise on their own. But it can be obtained from dietary sources, one of the main ones being mushrooms.”

To be specific, the mushrooms referred to in the research were “white button mushrooms and the oyster, shiitake and golden varietes, as well as dried and canned mushrooms,” wrote the DailyMail.