A new study from Penn State finds an association between eating mushrooms every day and a lower likelihood of experiencing depression.
Mushrooms contain several substances reported to have antidepressant qualities.
This research sets the stage for further study regarding a causal link between the consumption of mushrooms and a reduced risk of depression.
Researchers at Penn State College of Medicine in Hershey, PA, have been investigating the potential health benefits of eating mushrooms.
In May 2021, they published a study that suggested a connection between mushroom consumption and a lower risk of cancer.
They also published a study that found an association between eating mushrooms and being less likely to experience premature deathTrusted Source. The researchers have now published a third mushroom study.
The study suggests that people who eat moderate amounts of mushrooms are less likely to experience depression.
There has been little research into mushrooms’ possible antidepressant properties. Previous studies were small clinical trials involving fewer than 100 participants.
According to study co-author Dr. Joshua Muscat, Ph.D., M.P.H., an epidemiologist at Penn State Cancer Institute, “The study adds to the growing list of possible health benefits of eating mushrooms.” Dr. Muscat also told Medical News Today, “We had the opportunity to look at this in a larger, nationally representative study.”
Dr. David Crepaz-Keay, from the Mental Health Foundation, was not involved in the recent study but assessed it for MNT.
He reported: “The authors have a strong track record in research in this area, using an important dataset for interesting research.
The study is high quality, and the conclusions are measured and reasonable. But the area of food and mental health is still a difficult one.”
The study now appears in the Journal of Affective Disorders.
For the study, each of the 24,699 participants completed questionnaires on two occasions. For these questionnaires, they recalled all the foods they had eaten during the previous 24 hours.
