Can a diet supplemented with dried oyster mushroom (also known as Pleurotus ostreatus) help fight colon cancer? An animal study by the Research Institute of Nutrition, Bratislava, Slovak Republic, investigated. Oyster mushroom are a popular, and delicious, edible mushroom. They are possibly the most widely eaten of all mushrooms. They are easy to cultivate, and simple to prepare. And new research suggests they should be considered medicinal mushrooms. Oyster mushrooms are rich in bioactive compounds. They can lower blood cholesterol, and destroy free radicals. Their polysaccharides have high levels of antioxidants, amino acids, and vitamins. And they are also being researched for anti-cancer properties. Researchers P Bobek, S Galvavy, et al, investigated the effect dried oyster mushroom would have on rats with colon cancer. Colon cancer, also known as colorectal cancer or bowel cancer, is the third most common cancer for men and women, and the second leading cause of cancer death. Treating colon cancer before it advances would greatly improve prognosis. Screening would find precancerous polyps, so they could be removed before becoming cancer. Oyster mushroom reduces colon cancer tumor foci In the study, 5% of dried oyster mushroom was added to the diet of rats with colon cancer. The mushroom diet did not prevent tumors from being formed, but they did reduce the total number of tumors. And promisingly, there was a significant reduction of the number of cancer tumor foci. The mushroom diet reduced the incidence of lymphoid hyperplasia foci. This is the swelling of lymph tissue, which occurs when the immune system is reacting to a threat, such as the proliferation of cancer cells. The body produces more lymphocytes, which develop antibodies to deal with this threat. Fewer antibodies indicate the threat is reduced. Could the oyster mushroom become part of an anti-cancer supplement? Their high antioxidant content would suggest that they are a valuable addition to everyone’s shopping list.
Posted on: Tue, 20 Jan 2015 09:04:00 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015