Leo Sher, M.D.

A research report, “Mushroom consumption and incident dementia in elderly Japanese: The Ohsaki Cohort 2006 Study” was published in the July 2017 issue of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (1). The authors studied the relationship between mushroom consumption and incident dementia in a population of elderly Japanese individuals.

13,230 individuals older than 65 years living in Ohsaki City, in Northeastern Japan were included in the study. 3107 study participants consumed mushrooms less than once a week, 4345 participants consumed mushrooms 1-2 times a week, and 5778 participants consumed mushrooms 3 or more times a week. The authors found that frequent mushroom consumption is significantly associated with a lower risk of dementia, even after adjustment for possible confounding variables.

The authors propose that beneficial effects of mushroom consumption on cognitive function may be related to the following:

1. Mushrooms contain natural free radical scavengers, such as polysaccharide, polyphenol, vitamins, and ergosterol.
2. Mushrooms have anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory effects.
3. Mushrooms might have protective effects against conditions that heighten the risk of dementia, such as atherosclerosis, hypertension, and diabetes.

Reference

1. Zhang S, Tomata Y, Sugiyama K, Sugawara Y, Tsuji I. Mushroom Consumption and Incident Dementia in Elderly Japanese: The Ohsaki Cohort 2006 Study. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2017 Jul;65(7):1462-1469.