Health Benefits
Mushrooms have medicinal properties as well. Three species namely maitake, shiitake, and reishi have healing potential. These medicinal mushrooms help to:
- Improve heart health
- Lower risk of cancer
- Enhance immunity
- Balance blood sugar levels
- Treat nutritional deficiencies and liver ailments.
- Prevent or reduce obesity – mushrooms are low caloric foods and therefore a great substitute for high fat foods like red meat.
Mushrooms indeed are an excellent source of proteins, antioxidant nutrients selenium, copper, zinc, and minerals like phosphorous, potassium, B vitamins and vitamin D. They possess anti-allergic, anti cholesterol, anti-tumor and anti-cancer properties.
Agaricus bisporus (common white button, Italian brown mushroom /crimini, portabella) mushroom are packed with immune enhancing and disease prevention properties. It has been demonstrated that dietary supplementation with them enhances natural killer cell activity in mice suggesting that its intake can offer protection against tumors and viruses.
Extracts from Agaricus bisporus mushrooms have been suggested as breast cancer chemopreventive agents, as they suppress aromatase activity and estrogen biosynthesis.
The edible mushroom lectin component from Agaricus bisporus species has been reported to have anti-proliferative effects on a range of cell types.
Mushrooms have been reported to control blood sugars and cholesterol as well.
