In a recent study published in Nutrientsresearchers investigated associations between mushroom intake and cognitive performance.
Study: The relationship between mushroom intake and cognitive performance: An epidemiological study in the European Investigation of Cancer-Norfolk Cohort (EPIC-Norfolk). Image credit: Troyan/Shutterstock.com
Record
Aging is associated with changes in behavior and cognition, with declines in executive function, global memory, daily living skills, and mood.
Evidence implicates diet as an important modifiable factor in alleviating age-related cognitive decline, and several studies have revealed the neurocognitive health benefits of different food components. Culinary mushrooms are an excellent source of fiber, protein, phytochemicals and vitamins.
Bioactive compounds in mushrooms have been described as anti-inflammatory agents, promoting neurogenesis and regulating neurotransmitter release. Evidence from epidemiological studies suggests a positive association between intake of a plant-rich diet, including mushrooms, and cognitive outcomes.
However, these studies have often not specifically investigated mushroom consumption. Furthermore, studies that specifically investigated mushroom intake have been done mainly in Asian cohorts.
About the study
The present study examined associations between mushroom consumption and cognitive performance in a Western cohort.
They analyzed data from the Epidemiological Study in the European Investigation of Cancer (EPIC)–Norfolk cohort that recruited more than 30,000 people aged 40–92 years in Norfolk, UK.
Participants were enrolled from 1993 onwards and attended several follow-up health checks. The researchers used food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) data from the first three health checks (1HC). [1997-98]2HC [1998-2000]and 3HC [2004-11]) to examine changes in mushroom consumption over time.
The association between mushroom intake and cognitive performance was investigated using data from the 3HC only.
The 3HC included a battery of cognitive tests as part of a neurocognitive battery (EPIC-COG) that assessed attention, reading, executive function, and working, visuospatial, and prospective memory.
Dietary intake was assessed using a semi-quantitative FFQ, where participants rated their intake of individual foods in broad categories (vegetables, fruit, bread, pasta, fish, meat, sweets, dairy products, drinks, sweets and sauces).
Participants defined consumption frequency as one serving/day, four to five servings/day, one serving/week, two to four servings/week, five to six servings/week, never or less than once/month, and up to three servings /month.
These categorical data were used to calculate mean mushroom intake and results were reported as servings/week.
Multivariate analysis of covariance examined differences in cognitive performance across four intake categories (less than one serving/month or never, one to three servings/month, one serving/week, and more than one serving/week) for each cognitive domain, taking into account age, sex, body mass index (BMI), physical activity. The group was additionally adjusted for daily fruit and vegetable intake.
Foundings
Of the 8,263 participants, over 59% reported the frequency of mushroom intake at all three times.
Mean weekly mushroom consumption was significantly different between time points. Mean weekly mushroom intake was significantly reduced from 1.42 servings in 1HC to 1.34 and 1.3 servings in 2HC and 3HC, respectively.
In addition, the percentage of mushroom consumers and non-consumers differed significantly between time points. The proportion of non-consumers increased significantly over time.
Approximately 5,418 participants reported mushroom consumption frequency and had eligible EPIC-COG test scores. Most subjects were white (99.7%) and cognitively healthy.
About 65% were obese or overweight and about 83% were regular mushroom consumers. There was a significant correlation between mushroom consumption and cognitive function.
Significant main effects of mushroom were observed for individual cognitive measures, except for the complex visuospatial memory and paired-associate learning tests.
In addition, data on daily fruit and vegetable intake were available for 5,272 participants. The relationship between cognitive function and mushroom intake remained significant when accounting for daily fruit and vegetable intake. Significant main effects of mushrooms were evident on individual cognitive measures, except for visuospatial memory tasks.
conclusions
The study investigated consumption rates in the EPIC-Norfolk cohort and the relationship between mushroom consumption and cognitive function.
The percentage of mushroom consumers showed a significant decrease over time. Mushroom consumption was positively related to cognitive performance, including executive function, word recall, and prospective memory.
Furthermore, the association remained statistically significant after accounting for fruit and vegetable intake.
A causal conclusion could not be established given the cross-sectional design of the study. the relationship could also be susceptible to reverse causation. Therefore, randomized controlled trials are needed to determine causality and directionality.
