Study: Eating More Mushrooms Could Lower Your Cancer Risk by 45%

Key Takeaways

Approximately 39.5% of people will be diagnosed with cancer at some point in their lifetimes.Some risk factors,like genetics, are not in a person’s control, but diet and lifestyle choices are considered modifiable risk factors.

Benefits of Taking Lion’s Mane Mushroom

The Study

Past research has shown thatmushroomshave anti-cholesterol and anti-allergic benefits.In a new study published inAdvances in Nutrition,researchers looked at whether eating mushrooms is linked to reduced cancer risk.

After evaluating the results of 17 studies through a meta-analysis and systematic review of over 19,000 adults, the researchers found that:

The benefit was seen regardless of the variety of mushrooms people ate, but the amount that people consumed seemed to make a difference. People who ate 18 grams of mushrooms (about 1/8 to 1/4 cup) every day had a 45% lower risk of developing cancer compared to people who did not eat mushrooms.

Can Mushrooms Lower Cancer Risk?

A meta-analysis published in 2020 showed similar findings. The researchers looked at 18 studies with over 20,000 subjects and found that along with a reduced risk of developing cancer, a 10-gram-per-day increase in mushroom intake was associated with a 17% lower risk of cancer.

Study Limitations

The new meta-analysis did have some limitations, including the inclusion of many case-controlled (retrospective) studies, which depend on people being able to recall the details of their mushroom consumption. Leaning on self-dietary recalls can, at times, be unreliable.

Nutritional Benefits of Mushrooms

Most people would picture Instagram-worthy produce picks and trendy powders when they hear “superfood,” but the humble mushroom offers many hard-to-beat health benefits.

“Mushrooms are rich in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants,” Young says. “They are also very high in the amino acid ergothioneine, which is a potent antioxidant and can help fightfree radicalsand reduce inflammation.”

Selenium

Mushrooms are also a natural source of the mineralselenium. Nichole Andrews, Oncology Dietitian, and the owner ofNutrition with Nichole, LLC tells Verywell that selenium is an “antioxidant that has been researched to possibly play a role in reducing [the] risk of cancer and other chronic diseases.”

B Vitamins

Andrews says that “mushrooms are rich in theB vitaminsriboflavin, niacin, and pantothenic acid—a combination that helps protect heart health.“Riboflavinalso supports red blood cell health and thatniacinis good for the digestive system and for maintaining healthy skin.

Potassium

Thepotassiumthat mushrooms contain is extremely important for heart, muscle, and nerve function. There’s about as much potassium in 2/3 cup of cooked Portobello mushroom as there is in a medium-sized banana.

3 Reasons to Eat More Mushrooms for Heart Health

Vitamin D

Research has linked vitamin D deficiency tomany health conditions, like diabetes, cardiovascular disease, inflammatory bowel disease, and some cancers.Addingmore vitamin D-rich foodsto your diet can give low levels a boost.

Similar to humans, mushrooms naturally produce vitamin D after they are exposed to sunlight or a sunlamp. Mushrooms’ plant sterol, ergosterol, converts to vitamin D when it’s exposed to light. Even though mushrooms already contain some vitamin D, growers can expose the plants to ultraviolet light to increase their levels of the key nutrient.

Can Vitamin D Prevent COVID?

How to Add More Mushrooms to Your Diet

As long as the mushroom you choose is safe for human consumption, the sky is the limit when it comes to the many ways to enjoy them. That said, research has shown that certain preparation methods might affect the veggie’s nutritional benefits.

A 2016 study found that the phenolic (antioxidant) content of a mushroom did not change when it was fried or microwaved, but that drying the veggie resulted in a significant increase in its phenolic contents.

Mushrooms are a tasty and easy addition to salads, soups, and sandwiches. One clever food hack to use when you are preparing a meat-based meal is to make a blended burger or sauce with ½ ground beef and ½ chopped mushrooms.

Supplements

Soluble Fiber to Lower Cholesterol: Choose These Foods for a Healthier Heart

8 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.National Cancer Institute (NCI).Cancer Statistics.Key TJ, Bradbury KE, Perez-Cornago A, et al.Diet, nutrition, and cancer risk: what do we know and what is the way forward?.BMJ. 2020 Mar 5;368:m511. doi:10.1136/bmj.m511.Ba DM, Ssentongo P, Beelman RB, et al.Higher Mushroom Consumption Is Associated with Lower Risk of Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies.Adv Nutr. 2021 Mar 16:nmab015. doi:10.1093/advances/nmab015Jayachandran M, Xiao J, Xu B.A Critical Review on Health Promoting Benefits of Edible Mushrooms through Gut Microbiota.Int J Mol Sci. 2017 Sep 8;18(9):1934. doi:10.3390/ijms18091934Ba D, Ssentongo P, Beelman R, et al.Mushroom Consumption Is Associated with Low Risk of Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Observation Studies.Curr Dev Nutr. 2020;4(Suppl 2):307. Published 2020 May 29. doi:10.1093/cdn/nzaa044_006Gibson RS, Charrondiere UR, Bell W.Measurement Errors in Dietary Assessment Using Self-Reported 24-Hour Recalls in Low-Income Countries and Strategies for Their Prevention.Adv Nutr. 2017 Nov 15;8(6):980-991. doi:10.3945/an.117.016980de La Puente-Yagüe M, Cuadrado-Cenzual MA, Ciudad-Cabañas MJ, et al.Vitamin D: And its role in breast cancer.Kaohsiung J Med Sci. 2018 Aug;34(8):423-427. doi:10.1016/j.kjms.2018.03.004Reid T, Munyanyi M, Mduluza T.Effect of cooking and preservation on nutritional and phytochemical composition of the mushroomAmanita zambiana.Food Sci Nutr. 2016 Sep 28;5(3):538-544. doi:10.1002/fsn3.428

8 Sources

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.National Cancer Institute (NCI).Cancer Statistics.Key TJ, Bradbury KE, Perez-Cornago A, et al.Diet, nutrition, and cancer risk: what do we know and what is the way forward?.BMJ. 2020 Mar 5;368:m511. doi:10.1136/bmj.m511.Ba DM, Ssentongo P, Beelman RB, et al.Higher Mushroom Consumption Is Associated with Lower Risk of Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies.Adv Nutr. 2021 Mar 16:nmab015. doi:10.1093/advances/nmab015Jayachandran M, Xiao J, Xu B.A Critical Review on Health Promoting Benefits of Edible Mushrooms through Gut Microbiota.Int J Mol Sci. 2017 Sep 8;18(9):1934. doi:10.3390/ijms18091934Ba D, Ssentongo P, Beelman R, et al.Mushroom Consumption Is Associated with Low Risk of Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Observation Studies.Curr Dev Nutr. 2020;4(Suppl 2):307. Published 2020 May 29. doi:10.1093/cdn/nzaa044_006Gibson RS, Charrondiere UR, Bell W.Measurement Errors in Dietary Assessment Using Self-Reported 24-Hour Recalls in Low-Income Countries and Strategies for Their Prevention.Adv Nutr. 2017 Nov 15;8(6):980-991. doi:10.3945/an.117.016980de La Puente-Yagüe M, Cuadrado-Cenzual MA, Ciudad-Cabañas MJ, et al.Vitamin D: And its role in breast cancer.Kaohsiung J Med Sci. 2018 Aug;34(8):423-427. doi:10.1016/j.kjms.2018.03.004Reid T, Munyanyi M, Mduluza T.Effect of cooking and preservation on nutritional and phytochemical composition of the mushroomAmanita zambiana.Food Sci Nutr. 2016 Sep 28;5(3):538-544. doi:10.1002/fsn3.428

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

National Cancer Institute (NCI).Cancer Statistics.Key TJ, Bradbury KE, Perez-Cornago A, et al.Diet, nutrition, and cancer risk: what do we know and what is the way forward?.BMJ. 2020 Mar 5;368:m511. doi:10.1136/bmj.m511.Ba DM, Ssentongo P, Beelman RB, et al.Higher Mushroom Consumption Is Associated with Lower Risk of Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies.Adv Nutr. 2021 Mar 16:nmab015. doi:10.1093/advances/nmab015Jayachandran M, Xiao J, Xu B.A Critical Review on Health Promoting Benefits of Edible Mushrooms through Gut Microbiota.Int J Mol Sci. 2017 Sep 8;18(9):1934. doi:10.3390/ijms18091934Ba D, Ssentongo P, Beelman R, et al.Mushroom Consumption Is Associated with Low Risk of Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Observation Studies.Curr Dev Nutr. 2020;4(Suppl 2):307. Published 2020 May 29. doi:10.1093/cdn/nzaa044_006Gibson RS, Charrondiere UR, Bell W.Measurement Errors in Dietary Assessment Using Self-Reported 24-Hour Recalls in Low-Income Countries and Strategies for Their Prevention.Adv Nutr. 2017 Nov 15;8(6):980-991. doi:10.3945/an.117.016980de La Puente-Yagüe M, Cuadrado-Cenzual MA, Ciudad-Cabañas MJ, et al.Vitamin D: And its role in breast cancer.Kaohsiung J Med Sci. 2018 Aug;34(8):423-427. doi:10.1016/j.kjms.2018.03.004Reid T, Munyanyi M, Mduluza T.Effect of cooking and preservation on nutritional and phytochemical composition of the mushroomAmanita zambiana.Food Sci Nutr. 2016 Sep 28;5(3):538-544. doi:10.1002/fsn3.428

National Cancer Institute (NCI).Cancer Statistics.

Key TJ, Bradbury KE, Perez-Cornago A, et al.Diet, nutrition, and cancer risk: what do we know and what is the way forward?.BMJ. 2020 Mar 5;368:m511. doi:10.1136/bmj.m511.

Ba DM, Ssentongo P, Beelman RB, et al.Higher Mushroom Consumption Is Associated with Lower Risk of Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies.Adv Nutr. 2021 Mar 16:nmab015. doi:10.1093/advances/nmab015

Jayachandran M, Xiao J, Xu B.A Critical Review on Health Promoting Benefits of Edible Mushrooms through Gut Microbiota.Int J Mol Sci. 2017 Sep 8;18(9):1934. doi:10.3390/ijms18091934

Ba D, Ssentongo P, Beelman R, et al.Mushroom Consumption Is Associated with Low Risk of Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Observation Studies.Curr Dev Nutr. 2020;4(Suppl 2):307. Published 2020 May 29. doi:10.1093/cdn/nzaa044_006

Gibson RS, Charrondiere UR, Bell W.Measurement Errors in Dietary Assessment Using Self-Reported 24-Hour Recalls in Low-Income Countries and Strategies for Their Prevention.Adv Nutr. 2017 Nov 15;8(6):980-991. doi:10.3945/an.117.016980

de La Puente-Yagüe M, Cuadrado-Cenzual MA, Ciudad-Cabañas MJ, et al.Vitamin D: And its role in breast cancer.Kaohsiung J Med Sci. 2018 Aug;34(8):423-427. doi:10.1016/j.kjms.2018.03.004

Reid T, Munyanyi M, Mduluza T.Effect of cooking and preservation on nutritional and phytochemical composition of the mushroomAmanita zambiana.Food Sci Nutr. 2016 Sep 28;5(3):538-544. doi:10.1002/fsn3.428

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