The key to optimal brain function may be as simple as a liberal scattering of white button mushrooms in our everyday diet, suggests findings from a 2015 US study submitted to the peer-reviewed journal Nutrition Research.
The study found that “daily supplementation with mushroom (Agaricus bisporus) improves balance and working memory in aged rats.”
In fact, after just 8-10 weeks of eating mushrooms, there was an improvement in “balance, coordination, muscle strength, and learning and memory”.
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Magic mushrooms
Agaricus bisporus is the scientific name for your average white button mushroom, easily bought in most supermarkets. And white button, portabellini and big brown or portabello mushrooms are the same mushroom, just at different stages of development.
In a world with increasing rates of Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia, another US study published in 2022 in the journal Brain Sciences conducted “to bring attention to the importance of environmental factors in mitigating neurodegenerative diseases”, found that the “white button mushroom diet appeared to ameliorate the spatial memory deficits seen in transgenic AD [Alzheimerdisease] mice as they increase in age.”
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A health no-brainer
It would seem that adding mushrooms to your diet is a no-brainer for the health of your mind and memories.
Fortunately, they are really easy to incorporate, as they are not only readily available, they are a highly economical alternate to animal protein sources in the diet.
When it comes to Blue Zone eating – diets followed in geographic regions home to some of the world’s oldest people – mushrooms have been found to be a staple.
Writing on the Blue Zone site, Robert Beelman, PhD, professor of food science at Pennsylvania State University, describes mushrooms as disease-fighting stars.
“In the past, food scientists like me often praised mushrooms as healthy because of what they don’t contribute to the diet; they contain no cholesterol and gluten and are low in fat, sugars, sodium and calories,” he notes.
“But that was selling mushrooms short. They are very healthy foods and could have medicinal properties, because they are good sources of protein, B-vitamins, fibre, immune-enhancing sugars found in the cell walls called beta-glucans, and other bioactive compounds.”
“Important nutrients in mushrooms include selenium, vitamin D, glutathione and ergothioneine. All are known to function as antioxidants that can mitigate oxidative stress and all are known to decline during ageing. Oxidative stress is considered the main culprit in causing the diseases of ageing such as cancer, heart disease and dementia.”
If you want to include mushrooms in your diet to potentially improve memory in later years, consider these tips:
- Blend them in: Substitute half the meat in any dish like bobotie, tacos or pot pies with an equal quantity of finely chopped fresh white button mushrooms. They bring added umami flavour to each dish, as well as fibre, while lowering overall calories.
- Bulk up meals” Meat is expensive. Adding fresh portabellinis or other mushrooms to stews, casseroles, bredies and potjies can feed more people without paying substantially more.
- Eat for every meal: Mushrooms are good with breakfast eggs, lunchtime salads and evening “meat and three veg” meals.
- Raw or cooked: Raw fresh mushrooms have a beautifully creamy, earthy and clean flavour when sliced and scatted over fresh ingredients. Mushrooms also act like a sponge for flavours both subtle and strong in cooking, adapting well to all cooking methods, from sauté to sous vide.
- Meat substitute: Big browns are simple to substitute for burger patties, steaks on the braai, chicken in saucy braises.
Author: Pedro van Gaalen
When he’s not writing about sport or health and fitness, Pedro is probably out training for his next marathon or ultra-marathon. He’s worked as a fitness professional and as a marketing and comms expert. He now combines his passions in his role as managing editor at Fitness magazine.
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