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A team from the Department of Psychological Medicine and the Department of Biochemistry at the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine at the National University of Singapore (NUS) found that older people who consume more than two standard servings of mushrooms a day may to lose 50% of having a mild cognitive impairment (MCI).
One serving was defined as three quarters of a cup of cooked mushrooms with an average weight of about 150 grams. Two portions would be equivalent to about half a plate. Although serving size serves as a guideline, it has been shown that even a small portion of mushrooms per week can still be beneficial in reducing the risk of IBD.
"This correlation is surprising and encouraging.It seems that a single commonly available ingredient could have a dramatic effect on cognitive decline," said assistant professor Lei Feng, of the department of psychological medicine at NUS, and lead author of this work.
The six-year study, conducted from 2011 to 2017, collected data from more than 600 elderly Chinese people over 60 living in Singapore. The research was conducted with support from the NUS Institute of Life Sciences and Mind Science Center, as well as the National Council of Medical Research of the Singapore Ministry of Health. The results were published online in the Diary of Alzheimer's disease March 12, 2019.
Determination of MCI in the elderly
MCI is generally considered to be the stage between the cognitive decline of normal aging and the more severe decline of dementia. Older people with MCI often have some form of memory loss or forgetfulness and may also have a deficit of other cognitive functions such as language, attention and visuospatial abilities. However, the changes can be subtle because they do not experience disabling cognitive deficits that affect the activities of daily living, features of Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia.
"People with MCI are still able to carry out their normal daily activities, so we had to determine in this study whether these people had poorer results in standard neuropsychologist tests than other people of the same age and the same age. level of education, "explained Asst. Prof Feng. "Neuropsychological tests are tasks specifically designed to measure different aspects of a person's cognitive abilities." In fact, some of the tests we used in this study came from the commonly used QI test battery, the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS). "
As such, the researchers conducted extensive interviews and tests with the elderly to determine an accurate diagnosis. "The interview takes into account demographic information, medical history, psychological factors and eating habits.A nurse will measure blood pressure, weight, height, height of the handles and walking speed. also a simple screening test for cognition, depression and anxiety. "said Asst Prof Feng.
After that, a standard neuropsychological assessment of two hours was performed, as well as an assessment of dementia. The overall results of these tests were discussed extensively with expert psychiatrists involved in the study to obtain a diagnostic consensus.
Mushrooms and cognitive impairment
Six mushrooms commonly eaten in Singapore have been referenced in the study. These were golden mushrooms, oysters, shiitakes and white mushrooms, as well as dried and canned mushrooms. However, it is likely that other unreferenced fungi would also have beneficial effects.
Researchers believe that the reason for the reduced prevalence of MCI in mushroom consumers may be due to a specific compound present in almost all varieties. "We are very interested in a compound called ergothioneine (ET)," said Dr. Irwin Cheah, senior research scientist in the NUS Department of Biochemistry. "ET is a unique antioxidant and anti-inflammatory that humans are unable to synthesize on their own, but it can be obtained from food sources, one of the main ones being fungi."
A previous study by the team on elderly Singaporeans found that ET plasma concentrations in participants with MCI were significantly lower than those in healthy individuals of the same age. The work, which was published in the journal Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications in 2016, suggested that ET deficiency could be a risk factor for neurodegeneration, and that increased ET consumption and fungus consumption could eventually promote cognitive health.
Other compounds contained in fungi may also be beneficial in reducing the risk of cognitive decline. Some herenenones, erinacins, scabronins and dictyophorins may promote the synthesis of nerve growth factors. The bioactive compounds found in fungi can also protect the brain from neurodegeneration by inhibiting the production of beta-amyloid, phosphorylated tau and acetylcholinesterase.
Next steps
The next potential research step for the team is to perform a randomized controlled trial with the pure ET compound and other herbal ingredients, such as L-theanine and catechins. tea leaves, to determine the effectiveness of such phytonutrients to delay the cognitive reaction. decline. Such interventional studies will lead to a stronger conclusion on causation. In addition, Assistant Professor Feng and his team also hope to identify other dietary factors that may be associated with healthy brain aging and reduce the risk of age-related diseases in the future.
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