Can eating mushrooms help mental health?
New research conducted by Penn State College of Medicine indicates that, indeed, could be the case.
Penn State researchers used data on diet and mental health collected from more than 24,000 U.S. adults between 2005 and 2016 and found that people who ate mushrooms had lower odds of having depression, according to a news release.
“Mushrooms are the highest dietary source of the amino acid ergothioneine — an anti-inflammatory, which cannot be synthesized by humans,” lead researcher Djibril Ba, who recently graduated from the epidemiology doctoral program at the College of Medicine, said in the release. “Having high levels of this may lower the risk of oxidative stress, which could also reduce the symptoms of depression.”
The release said antioxidants help prevent several mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and depression.
White button mushrooms contain potassium, which is believed to lower anxiety, researchers said in the release.
Other species of edible mushrooms may stimulate the expression of neurotrophic factors such as nerve growth factor synthesis, which could have an impact on preventing neuropsychiatric disorders including depression, according to the release.
“The study adds to the growing list of possible health benefits of eating mushrooms,” Joshua Muscat, a Penn State Cancer Institute researcher and professor of public health sciences, said in the release.
The study, published in November in the Journal of Affective Disorders, can be found here.
Marketers say the consumer already understands the potential health benefits of mushrooms.
“Many mushrooms have immunity-boosting benefits, so the category is well aligned with that market segment,” said Fred Recchiuti, with Basciani Foods, Avondale, Pa.
Consumers are well read about the functional benefits of mushrooms to their overall health, said Bruce Knobeloch, vice president of marketing and product development for Watsonville, Calif.-based Monterey Mushrooms.
“Our marketing has always been focused on health, so current trends and media promoting the immunity-boosting benefits only confirms our message,” said Maureen Ballatori, marketing and brand manager for Rochester, N.Y.-based Leep Foods.
