Maybe Alice in Wonderland was onto something, nibbling on a mushroom to make herself shrink. Mushrooms have been used for their purported health benefits, such as promoting strength and longevity, for centuries. New research indicates that mushrooms may indeed hold promise in the realm of weight management and metabolic health. This article delves into the current research surrounding mushroom weight loss supplements, exploring their potential mechanisms, benefits, and limitations.
The Ancient Wisdom of Mushrooms
For more than 2,000 years, mushrooms have been used by many indigenous cultures all over the world. Many people think of functional mushrooms as part of traditional Chinese medicine. Certain mushrooms, like Ganoderma lucidum (known as lingzhi in China and reishi or mannentake in Japan), have been used in traditional Asian medicine for more than 2,000 years. These mushrooms have an ancient reputation as a promoter of longevity and digestive health.
Ganoderma lucidum: A Promising Discovery
New research has shown that a liquid extract made from a mushroom used in traditional Asian medicine for more than 2,000 years protects against weight gain and reverses obesity-related inflammation and metabolic dysfunction in overfed mice. One study published in the journal Nature Communications focused on the potential of Ganoderma lucidum to combat obesity and related metabolic issues. The findings suggest that this mushroom may work by correcting an unhealthy mix of microorganisms that colonized the guts of mice made obese by a diet of high-fat chow.
How it Works
The study offered evidence that the protections provided by the mushroom extract were a function of their effect on the bacterial mix in the guts of mice: They conducted a census of gut bacteria that showed mice who got the mushroom elixir had richer populations of intestinal Bacteroidetes and less dense populations of Firmacutes (a mix that characterizes the guts of normal mice) than did obese mice. Scientists remain uncertain as to which comes first -- obesity or a community of gut microbes that is out of whack. The researchers also performed fecal transfers from mice who got the mushroom mixture to obese mice who had not, and the microbiotic populations of obese mice changed.
Like an army guarding a permeable border, those good bacteria prevent the seepage of toxins produced by other gut bacteria through the gut wall. In mice fed a high-fat diet, those who also got a daily dose of Ganoderma lucidum extract for two months retained strong populations of border-guarding bacteria and showed low levels of inflammation in the bloodstream. The obese mice who didn’t get the mushroom elixir developed insulin resistance and high levels of inflammation.
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Promising Results in Mice
After two months, mice who got only high-fat chow had become obese, with fatty livers and large accumulations of visceral and subcutaneous fat. Despite consuming the same amount, the mice who got the highest dose of Ganoderma lucidum extract -- an 8% solution made by a biotechnology lab in Taiwan -- ended the two-month period of overfeeding at virtually the same weight as mice fed normal chow, with roughly the same levels of fat in their liver. Accumulations of visceral and subcutaneous fat in the mushroom-treated mice were elevated compared with that in mice fed regular chow, but much lower than that of their fellow mice on high-fat diets who got no mushroom extract.
Shiitake Mushrooms: Another Potential Ally
Another study examined the effects of Shiitake mushroom on the prevention of alterations of plasma lipid profiles, fat deposition, energy efficiency, and body fat index induced by HFD. Rats were given a low, medium, and high (7, 20, 60 g/kg = LD-M, MD-M, HD-M) Shiitake mushroom powder in their high-fat (50% in kcal) diets for 6 weeks.
The results showed that the rats on the HD-M diet had the lowest body weight gain compared to MD-M and LD-M groups (P < 0.05). The total fat deposition was significantly lower (−35%, P < 0.05) in rats fed an HD-M diet than that of HFD group. Interestingly, plasma triacylglycerol (TAG) level was significantly lower (−55%, P < 0.05) in rats on HD-M than HFD. This study also revealed the existence of negative correlations between the amount of Shiitake mushroom supplementation and body weight gain, plasma TAG, and total fat masses.
Delving Deeper into the Shiitake Study
No differences in the amount of food or energy intake were found among all groups. Rats on a high dose of Shiitake mushroom diet (HD-M group) had −35% and −39% lower body weight gains than rats on low- and medium-Shiitake mushroom diets, respectively (P < 0.05). There was also a trend of lower body weight gain in the HD-M group compared with the HFD group (−23%, P = 0.077).
Rats on HD-M diet had significantly lower total fat masses, −35% and −37%, than the HFD and LD-M groups, respectively. Furthermore, HD-M group also had a trend of lower fat accumulation than the MD-M group (−32%, P = 0.076, Figure 1). The white adipose tissue in MD-M group was −35% and −37% lower than the HFD and LD-M groups, respectively (F3,38 = 4.340, both P < 0.05). The visceral fat mass (epididymal + perirenal + omental) was the lowest in the HD-M group among all groups (F3,38 = 4.215, P = 0.012, Table 2).
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Results showed that rats on a HD-M diet had a significantly lower BFI than the rats on HFD, LD-M, and MD-M diets (−35%, −33%, and −30%, resp.). The HD-M group had a significantly lower EER than the LD-M and MD-M groups (−30% and −34%, resp.) but was not significantly different from HFD. The rats on the HD-M diet had significantly lower levels of TAG than HFD, LD-M, and MD-M (−55%, −41%, and −46%, resp.).
This study showed that adding HD-M in a high-energy diet containing 50% fat can significantly prevent total fat deposition and significantly lower plasma TAG in rats compared with no addition of Shiitake mushroom diet. It was also found that plasma TAG-lowering effect was negatively associated with the amount of Shiitake mushroom supplementations and positively associated with the amount of visceral fat.
Factors Influencing the Results
Studies have been carried out to test plasma TAG-lowering effect by adding mushroom powder into the diets. The results varied, where studies showed a significant effect of lowering plasma TAG, whilst other did not. There are a few factors that may explain these differing results.
The first is related to the amount of sucrose in the diet which can lead to a high level of plasma TAG in rodents. High-sucrose diet promotes a hyper-TAG plasma level by increasing hepatic TAG secretion and decreasing TAG removal. A previous study has reported that if the sucrose amount in the diet is greater than 40% from total energy, the increasing of plasma TAG is difficult to prevent by enriched mushroom powder diet. In this study, the high-fat diet group as controls supplied 15% sucrose from total energy.
Second is the amount of mushroom in the diet. Studies have shown that adding less than 5% (wt : wt) mushroom powder in the diet does not significantly decrease plasma TAG, irrespective the sources, which is also what we have found. The duration of the dietary intervention using mushroom powder seems less important as it is compared with the dose. Hence, the dose of mushroom powder is more important than duration of supplementation.
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Functional Mushrooms: A Broader Perspective
Functional mushrooms are fungi that, according to supplement companies and wellness influencers, provide health benefits beyond nutrition. Many people think of functional mushrooms as part of traditional Chinese medicine. Some of the supposed health benefits of functional mushrooms include enhanced memory, better focus, better mood, and longevity.
The Importance of Whole Food Consumption
While there isn’t conclusive research to support the use of processed mushroom supplements, consuming any edible mushroom in whole food form has benefits for gut health and blood sugar control. All types of edible mushrooms can help to support blood sugar control due to their high level of beta-glucans, a type of soluble fiber that’s also present in oats and barley. Soluble fiber like the kind found in mushrooms supports blood sugar control by slowing digestion and the release of sugar into the bloodstream. Additionally, fiber-rich whole mushrooms help support the growth of a diverse community of good gut microbes. However, when functional mushrooms are broken down into pill form, these fibers are broken down.
Cautions and Considerations
Currently, you can buy functional mushrooms in a pill, powder, coffee alternative, or whole food form. Because the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not regulate supplements like it does with food, registered dietitians urge caution and judgment when purchasing supplements, as contamination and toxicity may be a concern. If you are planning to purchase functional mushroom supplements, “Look for third-party tested supplements with the USP or NFS seal on it,”. “Supplements can also interact with foods and medication, so consider going to NatMed.com or talking to your pharmacist.”
Mushrooms and Obesity: Understanding the Connection
Obesity is a group of metabolic disorders caused by multiple factors, including heredity, diet, lifestyle, societal determinants, environment, and infectious agents, which can all lead to the enhancement of storage body fat. Excess visceral fat mass in adipose tissue generate several metabolic disorders, including cardiovascular diseases with chronic inflammation based pathophysiology. Studies have showed that mushrooms potentially have antioxidant capacities, which increase the antioxidant defense systems in cells. They boost anti-inflammatory actions and thereby protect against obesity-related hypertension and dyslipidemia.
The Complexities of Obesity
Obesity is a group of disorders defined as a body mass index (BMI) of more than 30 kg/m2, in which enhancement of storage body fat deposited in the adipose tissue can cause deleterious health effects. The complications of obesity (e.g., diabetes, cardiovascular diseases (CVD), pulmonary diseases, obstructive sleep apnea, cancer, osteoarthritis etc.) are usually caused by a combination of high food intake, sedentary lifestyles, lack of physical activity and a genetic predisposition. Hence, obesity is a metabolic syndrome that reflects an imbalance between energy intake and expenditure. It is measured by excess stored fat and high lipid content in the plasma. The quantity of total mass of fat is enhanced by the availability of adipocytes and proliferation and cell differentiation that results in both augmented number and size of fat cell. High-fat accumulation causes an unusual progress of white adipose tissue that contributes to obesity in humans.
Factors Contributing to Obesity
A combination of excess nutrients and a lack of physical activity is the primary causative factor in most cases of obesity. In addition, obesity is caused by hereditary, medications or mental illness and endocrine disorders. Sometimes high proportions of obesity are seen at a communal level and persist due to readily accessible tastier food, changes the mode of transportation, and increasing urbanization.
The global rate of obesity increased more than threefold between 1980 and 2014. Overweight is mostly caused by the consumption of energy-dense foods when the ingestion of carbohydrates is higher than in a fat diet. In addition, the lack of physical activity highly influences the rate of enhancement of obesity. There is an increasing relationship between television watching time and obesity threat in both adults and children.
More than 70 percent of obesity is caused by heredity. Numerous psychiatric prescriptions are recognized as weight gain agents that cause obesity in most psychiatric cases. The term “infectobesity” describes obesity of infectious origin. Infectious agents, especially viruses, have been identified to cause obesity in various animal models.
Hormonal Influences
Hormones like leptin and ghrelin are internal mediators in humans involved in feeding and hunger. Leptin is a peptide hormone synthesized by adipocytes, which play a key role in the storage of fat in the body, and regulates long-standing appetite. Ghrelin is another peptide hormone synthesized by the fundus lining of the stomach and epsilon cells of the pancreas, which regulates temporary appetite control. This peptide hormone plays a chief function in the maintenance of energy balance and body weight by impeding food ingestion and elevating energy expenditure through the hypothalamus. Although both leptin and ghrelin are synthesized peripherally, they regulate cravings through the hypothalamus, which regulates the intake of food and energy expenditure.
The Health Risks of Obesity
Obesity is an amplification of normal adiposity and is a central dogma in the pathophysiology of diabetes, cancer, dyslipidemia, hypertension, and atherosclerosis. It largely affects health because of the secretion of excessive adipokines. Obesity is a key agent in metabolic malfunctions involving lipid and glucose metabolism and influences organ dysfunction involving the heart, liver, intestines, lungs, hormones, and reproductive functions. Obesity is coupled with numerous pathological effects due to the extra body weight (i.e., worsening of osteoarthritis, sleep apnea, gout, and pain of the vertebral column). The incidence of hypertension and atherosclerosis are substantially higher in individuals with obesity (>60%) which affects different proportions of men (78%) and women (64%).
Incorporating Mushrooms into Your Diet
There are many ways to consume mushrooms. Cooking with mushrooms is a great way to get your fungus fix while also adding flavor and nutrition to your dish.
- Sautéed: Mushrooms like shitake or lion’s mane taste delicious when cooked with olive oil and onions. Next time you are sautéing onions and garlic, consider adding some mushrooms to bump up the flavor.
- Meat alternative: Lion’s mane and other mushrooms make a great “meat” alternative. When broken up and marinated in soy sauce, spices, and herbs-or cooked up in butter or ghee-they provide an amazing umami flavor and make a great meat replacement. Try it in your next taco night!
- On a budget: If you are on a budget, your typical button and cremini mushrooms are also great for your health (and taste delicious).
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