The U. of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences
has produced a study just published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, which shows that eating shitake mushroom may improve immune system functioning.
Shiitake mushrooms which are native to Asia are cultivated for their medicinal value as well as for food. Lead researcher Human Nutrition Professor Sue Percival studied 52 healthy adults who were given a four-week supply of dry shiitake mushrooms. Participants ate one 4-ounce serving of mushrooms every day during the experiment which lasted four weeks.
Blood tests were done on all participants before and after the experiment. Evaluating results of the blood tests showed better-functioning gamma delta T-cells, as well as a reduction in inflammatory proteins. “If you eat a shiitake mushroom every day, you could see changes in their immune system that are beneficial,” said Dr. Percival. “We’re enhancing the immune system, but we’re also reducing the inflammation that the immune system produces.”
The study was published with the title Shiitake Mushrooms Daily Improves Human Immunity: A Randomized Dietary Intervention in Healthy Young Adults.
Shitake and other mushrooms are regularly used in Integrative Medicine for the purpose of immune system benefit. This study ads to the evidence available for the benefits of this common practice.
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