Seniors citizens who consume mushrooms have lower risk of cognitive decline: study

Cognitive decline in senior citizens has become more common than you would like it to be. According to a recent study, the consumption of mushrooms can make an individual less likely to develop mild cognitive impairment. The findings of the study said that senior citizens who ate more than two standard portions of mushrooms weekly may be half as likely to develop mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Two standard portions of mushrooms were equal about half a plate.

"While the portion sizes act as a guideline, it was shown that even one small portion of mushrooms a week may still be beneficial to reduce chances of MCI," according to a press release from the National University of Singapore (NUS).

“This correlation is surprising and encouraging. It seems that a commonly available single ingredient could have a dramatic effect on cognitive decline,” said assistant professor Feng Lei of the NUS Department of Psychological Medicine.

Ergothioneine, the ingredient that was identified is, "a unique antioxidant and anti-inflammatory which humans are unable to synthesise on their own," said Dr. Irwin Cheah, a senior research fellow at the NUS Department of Biochemistry.

"People with MCI are still able to carry out their normal daily activities. So, what we had to determine in this study was whether these seniors had poorer performance on standard neuropsychologist tests than other people of the same age and educational background," Asst Prof Feng, the lead author of the study, said.