Eating just half a cup of mushrooms a day could slash the risk of developing Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), a condition that afflicts thousands of elderly citizens and can develop into dementia, researchers have found.
The discovery was made by a team from the Department of Psychological Medicine and Department of Biochemistry at the NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine in Singapore.
The researchers spent six years studying over 600 Chinese seniors over the age of 60 living in Singapore and found the odds of developing MCI were halved in those who ate half a plate of mushrooms weekly. And while half a plate, or 300grams of mushrooms, were the recommended amount, there were still notable benefits in participants who consumed just one small portion a week.
MCI is a condition in which people have more memory problems than normal for their age, the Alzheimer's Foundation of America noted. Approximately 65 percent of individuals living with MCI will later develop dementia in their lifetime.
In light of this, researchers at NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine wanted to see if increasing the consumption of an antioxidant called ergothioneine (ET), obtained through dietary sources such as mushrooms, could combat MCI. Their belief is a deficiency in ET could contribute toward neurodegeneration. Therefore, increasing ET intake through mushroom consumption could promote cognitive health.
Six commonly consumed mushrooms in Singapore were referenced in the study conducted from 2011 to 2017 and the promising results were published online in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease on March 12, 2019.
"This correlation is surprising and encouraging. It seems that a commonly available single ingredient could have a dramatic effect on cognitive decline," said Assistant Professor Lei Feng, lead author of the study.
Researchers will now perform a randomized controlled trial with the pure compound of ET and other plant-based ingredients to determine the efficacy of such phytonutrients in delaying cognitive decline. Feng and his team hope to identify other dietary factors that could be associated with healthy brain ageing and reduced risk of age-related conditions in the future.
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