Eating 5 mushrooms a day may help combat heart disease, cancer

New Delhi, Dec 05: Low in calories and packed with essential vitamins and minerals, mushrooms make for an excellent addition to your diet and according to new research, eating just five small mushrooms a day could help combat a range of diseases, including heart disease, cancer and dementia.

This is due to two key antioxidants — ergothioneine and glutathione. These substances play a significant role in neutralising damaging 'free radicals', which are implicated in a variety of severe diseases, according to researchers.

“What we found is that, without a doubt, mushrooms are highest dietary source of these two antioxidants taken together, and that some types are really packed with both of them,” said Robert Beelman, director at the Penn State Centre for Plant and Mushroom Products for Health in the US.

Portobello. Enoki. Porcini. Chanterelle. Stinkhorn. Puffball. Dung Cannon. Hair ice. Or the almost unpronounceable Hydnellum peckii. Try as hard but you can never remember - or pronounce - names of the nearly 14,000 kinds of mushroom found worldwide.

You can’t eat them all either as a few are poisonous with macabre names (Deadly Dapperling, Destroying Angels, Death Cap, Autumn Skullcap). A few psychedelic mushrooms are so trippy that countries have tagged them illegal.

However, there are several edible ones that are packed with nutrients. According to the Coimbatore-based Mushroom Foundation of India, mushrooms are rich in protein, carbohydrate and vitamins, are low in caloric value and hence are recommended for heart and diabetic patients.

They are rich in proteins as compared to cereals, fruits and vegetables; the proteins are retained even after cooking. Since mushrooms possess low caloric value, high protein, high fibre content and high K: Na ratio, they are ideally suited for diabetic and hypertension patients, say researchers.

There are eight most popular mushrooms in India, like button mushroom which are small, edible mushrooms with a closed cap and light brown or pale white flesh. It is the most popular mushroom variety grown and consumed the world over.

It is good source of essential nutrients such as vitamins (B vitamins, vitamin D), minerals (selenium, copper, potassium), and antioxidants.

Oyster mushroom are known for their tender flesh and velvety texture. A cup of raw, sliced oyster mushrooms has only 28 calories, and is low in fat, cholesterol, and sodium and is high on nutrients like niacin, folic acid, vitamins C and B12, and the amino acid ergothioneine.

Other varieties found in India are Shiitake mushroom, Cordyceps mushroom, Lion’s Mane Mushroom, Reishi mushroom, Turkey Tail mushroom and Chaga mushroom.