If somebody tells
you, that there is a magic, aging reversing food, proven by multiple scientific
researches, do not trust for several reasons. First, there is no magic
solution, which will help all people. Second, if it is published online or written
in the newspaper, there is no guarantee that it is true, no matter how
scientific and well justified it may sound. Third, if there were indeed more or
less scientific studies, you never know, who pays for them. That is true,
scientific study, sponsored by tomatoes marketers, will definitely prove the hypothesis
that tomatoes extremely health food, and possess multiple healing properties.
Bottom line, you
need to accept in moderation and filter through healthy skepticism everything
you read and hear. However, you may test the suggestions, using your perception
as a test ground. Eventually, you will have the collection of the tools,
techniques, and food items, which help you to feel better and look better.
After such “cooling” preface, we would like to present one
of the food items, which claimed by scientists not only being able to slow down
your ageing process, but even reverse it. Today, we are talking about
mushrooms, little guys, packed with vitamin D, a powerful antioxidant, with
some types even containing precious vitamin D3 and D4. Your body absorbs vitamin D into the skin to
make it look healthy and younger.
In the summer of 2004, mycologist Paul Stamets discovered
that the level of vitamin D in freshly picked, indoor- grown shiitake mushrooms
rose from 110 IU (international units) to an astonishing 46,000 IU per 100
grams when the mushrooms were placed outdoors in the sun for just six hours
with the gills facing up (when the gills were facing down, the level rose to
10,900 IU).
This means that eating just one gram of sun-treated
shiitake - about one tenth of one mushroom - would give you 460 IU, close to
the FDA's recommended daily dose of 400 IU, and about a quarter of Dr. Weil's
recommended 2,000 IU. In his book, Mycelium Running: How Mushrooms Can Help
Save the World, Stamets concluded, "(In) populations where vitamin D is
seriously deficient, sun-exposed dried mushrooms can help address a serious
health issue."
History of Use
Mushrooms are being used for thousands years both as food
and for medicinal purposes. They are often classified as vegetables or herbs,
but they are actually fungi. While there are over 14,000 mushrooms, only about
3,000 are edible, about 700 have known medicinal properties, and fewer than one
percent are recognized as poisonous.
The Pharaohs prized mushrooms as a delicacy, and the
Greeks believed that mushrooms provided strength for warriors in battle. The
Romans regarded mushrooms as a gift from God and served them only on festive
occasions, while the Chinese treasured them as a health food.
Why Mushrooms?
Mushrooms may have anti-aging and health magic that we
are just beginning to understand. If you think on basic principles of healthy eating,
you may see them as consuming substantial variety of fruits and vegetables
because each fruit of vegetable contains different nutrients that your body can
use in anti-aging and disease prevention.
However, mushrooms represent completely different
category of food that has different nutrients and substances that your body can
use to keep you young. So adding mushrooms to your diet gives you low-calorie
healthy nutrients, nicely complementing various traditional diets and healthy
food approaches.
Mushrooms, Health
and Anti-Aging
Mushrooms contain about 80 to 90 percent water, and are
very low in calories (only 100 cal/oz). They have very little sodium and fat,
and 8 to 10 percent of the dry weight is fiber. Hence, they are an ideal food
for persons following a weight management program or a diet for hypertensive.
Mushrooms are an excellent source of potassium, a mineral
that helps lower elevated blood pressure and reduces the risk of stroke. One
medium portabella mushroom has even more potassium than a banana or a glass of
orange juice. One serving of mushrooms also provides about 20 to 40 percent of
the daily value of copper, a mineral that has cardio protective properties.
Mushrooms are a rich source of riboflavin, niacin, and
selenium. Selenium is an antioxidant that works with vitamin E to protect cells
from the damaging effects of free radicals. Male health professionals who
consumed twice the recommended daily intake of selenium cut their risk of
prostate cancer by 65 percent. In the Baltimore study on Aging, men with the
lowest blood selenium levels were 4 to 5 times more likely to have prostate
cancer compared to those with the highest selenium levels.
Other Anti-Aging
Uses of Mushrooms
You will find mushrooms showing up in all sorts of
elixirs and face creams with claims of anti-aging effects. As far as I know,
none of these claims has been thoroughly researched, so you will have to use
your own judgment. On one hand, smearing mushroom cream on your face seems
better than some of the chemicals, found in most store face creams -- but who
knows for sure?
Toxic Mushrooms
The problem with mushrooms is that they are kind of like
a sponge – whatever they are growing in - they soak up environment. If there
are toxins and chemicals in the ground, the mushrooms will soak it up. In fact,
mushrooms are mostly water, so mushrooms growers (and mushroom pickers) need to
be careful about keeping everything clean and toxin-free. Stick with organic
mushrooms whenever you can. There is a simple trick to tell if produce in the
grocery store is organic. Each piece of produce has either a 4 or 5 digit code
for the cashier to enter. All organic produce has a 5-digit code that starts
with a 9. Look for those 9s and you know it is organic.
Popular Types of
Mushrooms
Different species of mushrooms contain different active
ingredients that play specific functions in the human body. To clarify that
further, here a few species of mushrooms and their functions:
White Mushrooms
Generally, these are very helpful in weight management
and in the prevention of prostate cancer in men. White mushrooms include button
mushrooms, portabella, and cremini. White mushrooms contain a special
carbohydrate that fires up the body’s metabolic rate. Ultimately, this leads to
weight loss. According to some studies, consuming about three ounces of white
mushrooms every day for a period spanning four to six weeks is likely to result
in considerable weight loss. Moreover, they contain high amounts of selenium.
All white mushrooms, but especially the fresh button
mushrooms, possess substances that inhibit the activity of aromatase (an enzyme
involved in estrogen production), and 5-alpha-reductase (an enzyme that
converts testosterone to DHT). The latest findings show that white button
mushrooms can reduce the risk of prostate cancer. An extract of white button
mushrooms decreased cell proliferation and decreased tumor size in a
dose-dependent manner. The chemoprotective effect can be seen with an intake of
about 100 grams (3.5 ozs) of mushrooms per day.
Chanterelle
Aside from looking like a small trumpet, it has good
anti-microbial as well as antibacterial properties. It is rich in Vitamin C and
D as well as high levels of selenium.
Oysters
Currently, some health experts are trying to determine
whether oyster mushrooms could offer a remedy for HIV. While the jury is still
out on that, scientists have determined that they contain high amounts of
anti-oxidants.
Shimeji
These mushrooms have a long stem with a tiny cap. For
useful chemical compounds, they contain beta-glucans. The National Cancer
Institute of Japan has found that beta-glucans are very helpful in fighting
cancer and destroying tumors. They are also useful in soothing symptoms of
asthma as well as treating diabetes.
Porcini
This meaty mushroom looks quite similar to portabella and
contains high amounts of anti-inflammatory compounds.
Reishi
Many individuals consider the reishi mushroom to
be the jewel in the crown of the mushroom family due to its very well
documented anti-inflammatory and natural pain relief properties.
This mushroom, also known as Lingzhi in Chinese or Ganoderma in
English, is white and brown in color and typically has numerous medicinal
properties including anticancer, antibacterial, antioxidant, antiviral and
anti-fungal properties. The word Ganoderma derives from one of Reishi’s main
ingredients-Ganodermic acid. Ganodermic acid helps to lower cholesterol in the
body as well as lower high blood pressure. The mushroom boosts the body’s
immune system and builds up stamina. The list of Reishi's health benefits
includes the following:
* Antibacterial, antiviral (Herpes, Epstein-Barr),
antifungal (including Candida) properties
* Anti-inflammatory, useful for reducing symptoms of
rheumatoid arthritis
* Immune system up-regulation
* Normalization of blood cholesterol levels and blood
pressure
* Reduction of prostate-related urinary symptoms in men
Cordyceps
Cordyceps, also called caterpillar fungus or Tochukasu,
is a favorite of athletes because it increases ATP production, strength and
endurance, and has anti-aging effects. This parasitic mushroom is unique
because, in the wild, it grows out of an insect host instead of a plant host.
Cordyceps has an enduring history in both traditional Chinese and Tibetan
medicine.
Cordyceps has hypoglycemic and possible antidepressant
effects, protects your liver and kidneys, increases blood flow, helps normalize
your cholesterol levels, and has been used to treat Hepatitis B. It has
antitumor properties as well.
Turkey Tail
Turkey Tail is also known as Coriolis, or "cloud
mushroom." Science is showing that
Turkey Tail mushroom holds an arsenal of cancer-blasting compounds. Two
polysaccharide complexes in Turkey Tail are getting a great deal of scientific
attention, PSK (or "Kreskin") and PSP, making it the most extensively
researched of all medicinal mushrooms with large-scale clinical trials.
A seven-year, $2 million NIH-funded clinical study in
2011 found that Turkey Tail mycelium improves immune function when dosed daily
to women with stage I–III breast cancer. Immune response was dose-dependent,
with no adverse effects.
In addition to breast cancer, Turkey Tail has been found
to hold promise for other cancers, including stomach, colorectal, lung,
esophageal, nasopharyngeal, cervical, and uterine. PSP has been shown to
significantly enhance immune status in 70 to 97 percent of cancer patients. Turkey
tail is also being used to treat many different infections, including
aspergillus niger, Candida albicans, E. coli, HIV, Herpes, and streptococcus
pneumonia, and is hepatoprotective. It may also be useful for CFIDS.
Himematsutake
Himematsutake, also called Royal Sun Agaricus, a relative
of the common button mushroom. Himematsutake was not cultivated in the East
until fairly recently but is now a very popular natural medicine, used by
almost a half million Japanese.
Himematsutake mushroom is attracting many scientists
worldwide due to its remarkable anticancer properties related to six special
polysaccharides. Like many other
medicinal mushrooms, this fungus can also protect you from the damaging effects
of radiation and chemotherapy. But its benefits don't stop there—Himematsutake
can also decrease insulin resistance in diabetics, normalize your cholesterol,
improve your hair and skin, and even treat polio.
There are many more mushrooms deserving mention—far too
many to include here. At least you can begin to appreciate the scope of
benefits mushrooms have to offer, based on the handful of examples above.
Sources and
Additional Information: