Not everyone likes mushrooms, but scientists from Tohoku University in Japan have discovered a new useful property of this product that may change your attitude toward it. At least if you are a man.
The scientists carried out the first large-scale study that found an association between mushroom consumption and the development of prostate cancer. For this purpose they analyzed two studies that over 37 years included 36,499 volunteers. The data included dietary and eating habits, physical activity and the participants’ health status. During the tests, 3.3% of the subjects developed prostate cancer.
At the same time, men who ate mushrooms 1-2 times a week had an 8% lower risk of disease than those who ate them less than once a week. Adding mushrooms three times a week reduced the risk by 17%.
The authors of the study suggest that mushrooms owe this beneficial property to their high content of the L-ergothioneine active antioxidant. Dr. Shu Jian noted, however, that it is more important to follow a balanced, healthy diet than to just eat mushroom dishes.
