Mushrooms Might Help You Stay Young With Its Anti-Aging Properties

A recent study has found that mushrooms have an abundance of two antioxidants which are responsible for fighting age and improve health according to Science Daily. The research published by the researchers at Penn also say that these properties also help in replenishing antioxidants in the body.

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“What we found is that, without a doubt, mushrooms are highest dietary source of these two antioxidants taken together, and that some types are really packed with both of them,” said Robert Beelman, the Professor Emeritus of Food Science at Penn State told the publication. The research found that ergothioneine and glutathione are the antioxidants that help against aging and that the amounts in both compounds varied a lot amongst different species of mushroom.

“There’s a theory — the free radical theory of aging — that’s been around for a long time that says when we oxidize our food to produce energy there’s a number of free radicals that are produced that are side products of that action and many of these are quite toxic,” said Beelman to the publication. “The body has mechanisms to control most of them, including ergothioneine and glutathione, but eventually enough accrue to cause damage, which has been associated with many of the diseases of aging, like cancer, coronary heart disease and Alzheimer’s.”

The study also found that these two antioxidants might vary in the porcini species of mushrooms which is a wild variety but they are also available in the highest amount in these. “We found that the porcini has the highest, by far, of any we tested,” said Beelman. “This species is really popular in Italy where searching for it has become a national pastime.”