The Surprising Food that Could Cut Your Dementia Risk by 50%

What could be more terrifying than feeling like your mind is betraying you? Yet, that is how many sufferers of dementia begin to feel as they lose their memory, ability to reason, word recall, and ability to plan or organize. Yet, it may surprise most people to learn that even food choices can play a role in whether or not we will suffer from dementia.

A new study published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease found that simply eating more mushrooms could help to protect your brain from cognitive impairment. The researchers found that those people who had the highest intake of edible mushrooms also had the lowest risk of mild cognitive impairment (MCI).

The researchers at the National University of Singapore explored the possibility that eating more mushrooms could protect cognitive abilities later in life. They included 663 people aged 60 and studied them over 6 years. They focused on the most common mushrooms eaten in Singaporean cuisine, which include: golden, oyster, shiitake, white button, dried or canned button mushrooms. They counted ¾ of a cup of cooked mushrooms as a single portion.

They also measured the participants’ cognitive abilities throughout the study, using a variety of techniques, including: the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (to assess IQ), interviews and a series of physical and psychological tests. Weight and height were measured, as well as blood pressure, hand grip and walking speed. The study participants were also assessed for cognition, depression and anxiety, and rated on a dementia symptom scale.

Astonishingly, the researchers found that eating two or more servings of mushrooms per week was sufficient to reduce the risk of mild cognitive impairment by 50 percent. They believe that a compound known as ergothioneine (ET), a potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant compound found in mushrooms, may be responsible for the impressive results. Mushrooms are among the best sources of this powerful brain protective compound.

But, ET may not be the only factor as mushrooms contain a diversity of healing compounds known as hericenones, erinacines, scabronines and dictyophorines, all of which could contribute to the growth of bran cells.