Eating mushrooms regularly may protect you from prostate cancer, a very common cancer that affects more than 1.2 million men all over the world, every year, according to a study.Â
The study was conducted by a team of scientists from Tohoku University and is believed to be the first long-term study that looked at the effects of eating mushrooms regularly on occurrence of prostate cancer cases. A lot of scientific research over the years has tried to analyze the health benefits of consuming multiple types of mushrooms. And even on this topic, there were past test tube studies with similar results.
Eating mushrooms helps, but how often?
The researchers looked at data collected on more than 36,000 men in Japan, over a span of decades. The research found that people who were eating mushrooms regularly had a notable decrease when it came to the risk of prostate cancer, especially men over the age of 50. It did not even matter how much meat, dairy, fruit or vegetables the men consumed otherwise.
The study accounted for other factors that might influence the risk of prostate cancer, like lifestyle, smoking status, medical history, and education level.
In short, people who said that they were eating mushrooms only once or twice per week had an 8 percent lower risk of prostate cancer. While men who ate mushrooms three or more times per week had a 17 percent lower risk! Both of these percentages relate to the risk incurred by participants who ate mushrooms less than once a week.
Mushrooms have been consumed for thousands of years thanks to all of their health benefits. They were eaten for medicinal properties but also for their psychoactive effects. They contain protein, B vitamins, selenium, and dietary fiber. And these are just a few examples on why you should incorporate more in your diet.
Featured image by congerdesign from Pixabay
