A research team led by researchers from the National University of Singapore published a paper in the latest issue of the American journal Alzheimer's Disease, stating that elderly people who consume more than 300 grams of mushrooms per week can reduce their risk of developing mild cognitive impairment by half.

Mild cognitive impairment refers to a cognitive impairment state in which elderly individuals experience mild memory or other cognitive impairments but do not meet the criteria for dementia. Researchers believe that consuming mushrooms can help reduce the risk of cognitive impairment because mushrooms contain a special compound called ergothionein. Ergothionein is a natural antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent that the human body cannot synthesize on its own, but can be obtained from food, with mushrooms being one of the main sources of this substance.

The research team collected multiple data on height, blood pressure, and dietary habits of over 600 Chinese elderly people aged 60 and above living in Singapore between 2011 and 2017. Subsequently, the researchers conducted neuropsychological and cognitive impairment assessments on the research subjects. After excluding risk factors such as age, gender, smoking and drinking, hypertension and diabetes, they found that the elderly who ate 150 grams of cooked mushrooms twice a week had a 50% lower risk of mild cognitive impairment than those who ate mushrooms less than once a week. The research involves six common edible mushrooms and their processed products, including enoki mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, and white mushrooms.

The research team previously found that the levels of ergotamine in the plasma of patients with cognitive impairment were significantly lower than those of healthy individuals of the same age. Next, they will continue to conduct controlled experiments on ergotamine and other plant components such as theanine and catechins in tea to determine the effectiveness of ergotamine in delaying cognitive decline.