Mental Health News – A new research led by Penn State College of Medicine revealed the effectiveness of mushroom consumption in lowering the risk of depression and other mental health conditions.
Between 2005-2016, the researchers collected data on diet and mental health from more than 24,000 U.S adults. They surveyed the participants (average age 45) for data collection and 66% among them were non-Hispanic white people.
This survey discovered a significant link between mushroom consumption and lower odds of depression after accounting for socio-demographics, medications, self-reported diseases, major risk factors, and other dietary factors. The data suggested that college-educated and non-Hispanic white women tend to consume more mushrooms than others. The study result cautioned that excessive mushroom intake may not have any additional benefits.
The researchers explained that ergothioneine, an antioxidant present in mushrooms, prevents various psychological illnesses, including bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and depression.
“Mushrooms are the highest dietary source of the amino acid ergothioneine — an anti-inflammatory which cannot be synthesized by humans. Having high levels of this may lower the risk of oxidative stress, which could also reduce the symptoms of depression,” said Djibril Ba, lead author of the study.
According to the research findings, white button mushrooms are a rich source of potassium that is believed to be beneficial for anxiety disorders. Later the researchers mentioned certain limitations that they would address in their future studies.
To Know More You May Refer To:
Ba, D. M., Gao, X., Al-Shaar, L., Muscat, J. E., Chinchilli, V. M., Beelman, R. B., & Richie, J. P. (2021). Mushroom intake and depression: A population-based study using data from the US national health and nutrition examination survey (NHANES), 2005–2016. Journal of Affective Disorders, 294, 686-692. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2021.07.080
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