Study shows mushrooms may protect against dementia
The fungi contain chemicals that boost nerves in the brains by preventing inflammation and a study of eleven types of mushrooms found they increased grey matter by raising production of a chemical called nerve growth factor (NGF).
The findings published in the Journal of Medicinal Food, suggest mushrooms could potentially reduce or delay development of dementia.
“Regular consumption of the mushrooms may reduce or delay development of age-related neuro-degeneration," Professor Vikineswary Sabaratnam, of Malaya University in Kuala Lumpur said.
“However, extensive animal and human clinical trials are warranted, which may then lead to designing functional food or novel therapeutic drugs to prevent or mitigate the effects of neuro-degenerative diseases.”
The study also showed that some varieties of mushrooms contained compounds which helped reduce memory loss and increase neurons in tested rodents.
source: mirror.co.uk
