Mushrooms Block Breast Cancer

In Asian cultures, certain mushrooms have long been revered for their health-giving properties. Many mushrooms species contain several biologically active compounds, including polysaccharides --- complex molecules that have immunity-promoting and anti-tumor effects.

Previous studies correlating mushroom intake and cancer have shown a reduced risk for stomach cancer and breast cancer.

Now, a new study again supports the link to a reduced risk for breast cancer, specifically in postmenopausal women. South Korean researchers compared a group of women with breast cancer with a similar group of cancer-free women. Dietary recall was used  to compare the women’s average intake of foods, including mushrooms, three years earlier.

Among postmenopausal women, those eating the most mushrooms had a 52%  reduced risk of breast cancer, compared with women eating the fewest mushrooms. Women eating the most mushrooms had an average intake of 11.4 grams a day, while women eating the least averaged 7.81 grams a day. Eating about ½ cup (72 grams) of cooked shiitake mushrooms a week would provide an average of 10 grams a day, so a protective amount is easily attainable.

The researchers speculate that, because only postmenopausal women benefited from eating mushrooms, the mushrooms were working by influencing the balance of hormones in the body. They were inhibiting an enzyme that converts androgens (male hormones, found in small amounts in women) to local estrogens, which are major stimulatory factors for breast cancer among postmenopausal women. (Hong, SA, et al. In J Cancer 2007 Oct 17. EPub ahead of print. DOI 10.1002/ijc.23134)

In South Korea, oyster and winter fungus mushrooms are the most popular. But shiitake and maitake mushrooms are the best-known edible mushrooms with anti-cancer properties. And they are delicious.

Lots of supermarkets have shiitake and oyster mushrooms in their produce sections. Asian food stores are also a great source. You can add mushrooms to vegetable and grain dishes, soups, stir fries, and spaghetti sauce.

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