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Are Mushrooms Beneficial To The Immune Health?

Are Mushrooms Beneficial To The Immune Health?

Darrell Miller

10/19/11

Date: October 19, 2011 04:33 PM
Author: Darrell Miller (dm@vitanetonline.com)
Subject: Are Mushrooms Beneficial To The Immune Health?

Mushroom types and Our Immune System

There are several types of mushrooms found all over the world and we will not be looking at all of them however we will be looking at a couple that have peaked the interest of scientists and have been found to be able to give good health benefits. The key really in how these small button-like organisms are able to be an important part in the process of fortifying a person’s immune system is in its high contents of nutrients and phytochemicals that help with strengthening the immune system and fighting against bacteria and parasites and each type has its own specialty so to speak and we will be looking at some of them.

White Button

This is most common in the US and especially in the western diet and it makes up about 90% of the US’s mushroom consumption. Some studies have concluded that these types of mushrooms are able to enhance the killer cells in the immune system, specifically the ones that fight bacteria, viruses and cancer cells. So in a way it will also be able to aid in the prevention of cancer and not just improving the immune system although more research needs to be done towards that end.

Shiitake Mushrooms

This type of mushroom is something you probably have heard of already and you probably heard about it through Asian cuisines and rightfully so because this is the most common type of mushrooms used in Asian cooking. Researches in recent years was able to find that the key to shiitake’s potency is due to lentinan which is the active compound that has been found to have the primary potency as a pathogen attacker which means it is able to boost the part of the immune system which fights pathogens specifically.

Cordyceps Mushrooms

In recent years studies have shown that this type of mushroom has the ability to increase natural killer cells which in turn will initiate the dying out of tumours in our body therefore inhibiting cancer growth. It also has been shown to be an immune system booster by increasing the production of white blood cells in the body especially during poor immune system functions and does the opposite when the immune system is working efficiently.