According to a study in Singapore, eating more mushrooms can “reduce the risk of brain degeneration”.
But how to eat mushrooms is considered to eat more? About twice a week or more can prevent memory and language problems after the age of 60.
The study found that mushrooms have a unique antioxidant that can have a protective effect on the brain.
According to the study, the more mushrooms people ate, the better they performed during the Thinking Type Test.
However, the researchers said, to prove a direct link between bacteria and brain function is currently unlikely.
The results of the National University of Singapore study were based on a survey of the diet and lifestyle habits of 663 adults aged over 60 years. The researchers followed them for six years (2011-2017).
The researchers found that eating mushrooms reduced the risk of mild cognitive impairment. About 9 percent of those who ate mushrooms more than twice a week had cognitive impairment, but the percentage was 19 percent among those who ate less than once a week.
The findings were published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease.
Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) can make people forgetful, affect their memory, and may have problems with language and attention. For example, they may not be able to find out where they put things. These changes are subtle.
These symptoms are common in older people, but not so severe as to cause dementia (commonly known as Alzheimer’s).
Participants were asked to answer whether they regularly consumed these six types of mushrooms: flat mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, white mushrooms, dried mushrooms, golden mushrooms, and canned mushrooms?
People who regularly consumed mushrooms performed better on some IQ tests. At the same time, they were faster at processing. This was especially true for those who ate more than two servings or more than 300 grams of mushrooms per week.
The researchers say this association is both surprising and encouraging.
Feng Lei, an associate professor of psychology at the National University of Singapore, said this may be related to a component common to mushrooms that may have a significant effect on cognitive decline.
But Feng Lei said what is being described here is a combination of factors such as tea, green leafy vegetables, nuts and fish are all good for the body.
The researchers noted that mushrooms are one of the foods rich in ergothioneine, an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent that humans cannot produce on their own.
Mushrooms also contain other important nutrients and minerals, such as vitamin D, selenium and spermidine, which can protect the neurons from damage.
Of course, there is still a long way to go before a direct link can be proven.
Diet and lifestyle
But researchers admit that the data relied on in the experiment were reported by the volunteers themselves and may not be accurate.
There are many factors that contribute to dementia,” said Dr James Pickett, head of the Alzheimer’s Society in the United Kingdom. If lifestyle and diet changes were made, it is estimated that a third of cases could be prevented.
Dr. Pickett also said that dementia is one of the top 10 causes of death. But people can take action to reduce their risk.
Therefore, it’s important to give people guidance based on consistent evidence from multiple studies and not get carried away by the results of any one individual study.
Dr. Picoult suggests that people should still eat a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, including mushrooms.
At the same time, he said, “Our best advice is to eat less salt and sugar, exercise more, drink moderately and don’t smoke.”
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