Chocolate now has a reliable assistant in the struggle for our psychological well-being.
Researchers in Pennsylvania, USA, analyzed the correlation between diet and mental health in more than 24,000 American adults over an 11-year period and came to an interesting conclusion: Eating mushrooms can reduce the risk of depression!
Researchers say mushrooms have a high level of ergothioneine, an antioxidant that can protect the body from damage to cells and tissues, as the reason for such a beneficial effect of this product on mental health.
According to scientists, antioxidants play an important role in preventing mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and depression.
"Mushrooms are the richest dietary source of the amino acid ergothioneine, an anti-inflammatory drug that cannot be synthesized by humans, " said lead researcher Jibril Ba, who recently completed his PhD in epidemiology at Florida College of Medicine. " High levels of ergothioneine may reduce the risk of oxidative stress, which may also reduce symptoms of depression."
When conducting the study, scientists took into account various risk factors for depression, social status and race of participants, what drugs they were taking, as well as whether they have various diseases.
A curious fact discovered during the study: the biggest mushroom lovers were white women with higher education.
The researchers also emphasized that no clear additional benefit was found with the relatively high consumption of the mushrooms. So when symptoms of depression appear (decreased memory, mood and concentration, loss of interest in life, inhibition of movements), you urgently need to go to the doctor, and not to the grocery store.
0 Comments