Yes, seniors: Eat your mushrooms!
A team from the Department of Psychological Medicine and Department of Biochemistry at the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine at the National University of Singapore (NUS) published information online in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease on 12 March 2019 that concluded "seniors who consume more than two standard portions of mushrooms weekly (about 3/4 cup or about 150 grams of cooked mushrooms) may have 50 per cent reduced odds of having mild cognitive impairment (MCI)."
Even the common oyster mushroom may have
beneficial effects when it comes to reducing MCI!
The study was conducted during a 6 year period and involved 600 seniors over the age of 60 who were living in Singapore. The researchers employed various techniques to gather their information, including extensive interviews and tests, according to Assistant Professor Lei Feng, lead author, along with neuropsychological assessments and dementia ratings. The resulting data then was discussed in depth with psychiatrists to better form a diagnostic consensus.
What kind of mushrooms were effective? While the study considered golden, oyster, shiitake and white button mushrooms, as well as dried and canned mushrooms, it noted that "it is likely that other mushrooms not referenced would also have beneficial effects."
Need to have more information before setting out on a regimen to eat more mushrooms? Here are links to 2 articles about the work done at NUS as well as to the journal article itself:
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/03/190312103702.htm
https://eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2019-03/nuos-nse031219.php
Lei Feng, Irwin Kee-Mun Cheah, Maisie Mei-Xi Ng, Jialiang Li, Sue Mei Chan, Su Lin Lim, Rathi Mahendran, Ee-Heok Kua, Barry Halliwell. The Association between Mushroom Consumption and Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Community-Based Cross-Sectional Study in Singapore. Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, 2019; 1 DOI: 10.3233/JAD-180959