Mushrooms, long revered for their nutritional value, may hold the key to a longer life. They are often touted for their vitamin D content (at least in those exposed to sunlight) and high doses of the antioxidant glutathione (vital to support detoxification).
Even with all those advantages, the real secret to their wide-ranging health benefits may be the lesser-known antioxidant ergothioneine (ergo). However, modern agricultural methods may be depriving us of the ergo we need in our diet.
A Complex Mix of Nutrients
Medicinal mushrooms are a hot topic these days, with species such as reishi, cordyceps, lion’s mane, chaga, and maitake studied for their health properties. They’ve even been labeled “functional foods” and added to a wide variety of supplements touted to address specific health issues or provide therapeutic support.
The interest in mushrooms is well-founded. Hundreds of clinical studies have shown mushrooms to have anti-inflammatory, anti-viral, metabolic-regulating, immune-boosting, and cancer-preventive properties.
The vast array of bioactive compounds in mushrooms includes various vitamins and minerals, polyphenols, flavonoids, and amino acids. They are particularly high in beta-glucans, which are credited as responsible for most of mushrooms’ immune-boosting properties as well as their positive effects on metabolic health and anti-tumor activity. In terms of their antioxidant content, it is usually the glutathione that gets the most attention.
Glutathione is often referred to as the “master detoxifier,” given its critical role in protecting cells from oxidative damage and the toxicity associated with chemicals and infectious agents. The role of glutathione in the body was highlighted during the COVID-19 pandemic, when it was found that N-acetylcysteine, a precursor enabling the body to synthesize glutathione, was an effective preventive and treatment for COVID-19.
More recent research is highlighting how ergo may be a significant contributor to these effects.
Mushrooms’ Unique ‘Longevity Vitamin’
Mushrooms, the fruiting part of certain fungi, are unique in their
biology, as they do not use chlorophyll or photosynthesis like plants or ingest food like animals; rather, they live off of decaying matter. While this leads to a unique nutritional profile, most of the nutrients they contain can be found in other foods.
However, according to a review published in Nutrition Research Reviews, ergo is synthesized only by mushrooms and certain bacteria—not by plants, animals, or the human body.
This almost exclusive source of ergo is what makes mushrooms so fascinating and makes them potentially significant to human health, professor Robert Beelman from Penn State told The Epoch Times. Beelman has spent the majority of his career studying mushrooms and their impact on health.
While ergo was discovered decades ago, its importance was only recognized in 2005, when researchers made the pivotal discovery that humans (and other mammals) have a specialized transporter protein for ergo. The protein has been shown to be responsible for the rapid and efficient extraction of ergo from food in the intestines and delivery into red blood cells that carry it around the body.
Research published in an upcoming issue of Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications found that ergo is taken up directly into our cellular mitochondria. Mitochondria are each cell’s powerhouses, creating all the energy we need for cellular function. Research has also found that ergo protects cells from disease and prevents mitochondrial damage.
Beelman supports the hypothesis first proposed by renowned biochemist and molecular biologist Bruce Ames that ergo should be considered a “longevity vitamin.” In part, this is because an ergo deficiency has been associated with a range of degenerative conditions, including cognitive decline, neurological conditions, cardiovascular disease, and mitochondria disfunction.
Ames noted in a paper published in PNAS in 2018 that ergo “acts as an adaptive antioxidant for the protection of injured tissues” and may play an important role in protecting cells against oxidative damage.
A Swedish study looking at cardiovascular disease in 3,236 individuals monitored more than 100 different metabolites to see if any could predict cardiac risks. Higher ergothioneine levels were found to be an independent marker for lower risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality.
These studies of ergo have also shown that it builds up gradually in the body and is excreted very slowly. This fact, together with the specialized transporter protein, implies it has an important physiological role even if the extent of its functions is not yet fully known.
While many studies have focused on the health effects of mushrooms in general, these newer studies focus on ergo—its action in the body and availability to cells.
The Link Between Soil and Human Health
(Courtesy of Carol Vadenais)
The intrigue builds when you consider the role of fungi and bacteria in our soil. Healthy untouched soil is teeming with trillions of bacteria plus the mycelium of mushrooms and fungi. Mycelium is similar to a plant’s root system and consists of an interwoven mass of tiny hyphae (branching filaments) that absorb nutrients from the soil. They then pass nutrients to other parts of the colony through an intricate exchange with plant roots.
This mechanism seems to deposit ergo in healthy soil that is then taken up by plants or crops, Beelman said. It may also explain how pasture-raised animals eating grass grown on untilled soil that has rich fungal networks beneath it have ergo in their cells but factory-farmed animals do not, he added.
Studies have shown that ergo is found in a few plant foods, most notably tempeh, which is a soybean product fermented with fungi. Smaller amounts are found in certain kinds of asparagus, depending on the conditions in which they are grown. Some beans and oats have measurable amounts. While these foods cannot synthesize ergo, they are able to take it up from the soil.
While there is a growing interest in regenerative agriculture, the emphasis tends to be on the sustainability of the soil and on avoiding chemical pesticides, which are toxic to humans. While that is a noble endeavor, Beelman said, enhancing the levels of ergo needs to be added to the conversation.
Regenerative practices include a reduction in soil disturbance through no-till approaches, cover cropping, and crop rotation, all of which contribute to the building-up and diversity of organic matter.
Experiments focusing on tillage practices (plowing) used in industrial agriculture show that greater intensity of soil tilling leads to an associated reduction in fungi biomass and a reduction in ergo concentration in the crops grown. Beelman said he would like to see more research in this area as well as into the ergo concentrations in organic produce and the entire food supply.
The growing awareness of ergo’s importance to human health further highlights the need to know where your food came from, as outlined in the book “What Your Food Ate” by geologist David Montgomery and biologist Anne Bikle. Beelman said this book should be recommended reading for anyone involved in agriculture, particularly if they want to improve sustainability and the nutritional quality of the food being grown.
While currently there are no commercially available tests to measure our levels of ergo, as there are for vitamin D, for example, Beelman thinks this should change.
How to Increase Your Ergo Levels
1. Eat Mushrooms
The simplest approach is to eat mushrooms as often as possible, given their unique role in ergo production. All mushrooms contain ergo, but some have far higher quantities than others. Golden oysters, porcini, and shiitake are good choices.. Commercially grown white button and portabello mushrooms, which are actually the same species of fungi, contain the smallest amounts of ergo among mushroom varieties.
Because mushrooms are especially absorbent of any contaminants in the soil or air, such as pesticides, they should be sourced where possible from a farmer’s market or somewhere you know to be a clean source.
2. Choose Organic and Regeneratively Grown Foods
Regeneratively grown produce usually comes from small local farms that use natural methods and avoid or minimize fertilizer and pesticide use. This means that the networks of fungal mycelium in the soil can stay intact and better convert decaying plant matter into important nutrients such as ergo. Organic and pasture-raised are also good options.
3. Supplements
As with any identified nutrient, ergo is available in commercial supplements. Make sure to research how the ergo is obtained and its measurable bioavailability in your body. Still, don’t give up on trying to eat mushrooms for all their other fantastic properties and health benefits.
How to Eat More Mushrooms
- Add some finely chopped shiitake or cremini mushrooms to your ground beef in just about any recipe.
- Add some protein powder featuring mushrooms into your smoothies.
- Try some magnificent oyster mushrooms from the local farmer’s market, sautéed in garlic and butter, and put on top of a grass-fed steak.
- Embark on a project to grow your own mushrooms at home. For safety, it’s best to start with a kit from a reputable company.
