The Nuance
Are Mushrooms Really a Miracle Food?
Mushrooms are having a moment—and for good reason
Every week, the Nuance will go beyond the basics, offering a deep and researched look at the latest science and expert insights on a buzzed-about health topic.
The mushroom business is booming. Worldwide production is up 30-fold since the late 1970s, and the average person now eats about 11 pounds of mushrooms per year, according to a 2017 analysis of the global mushroom industry.
One of the factors driving this mushroom mania is the belief that they possess unusual and profound health attributes. A 2018 report from the Royal Botanic Gardens points out that mushrooms and other fungi have been used as medicine for nearly 6,000 years. Whole Foods even named “medicinal mushrooms” as one of its top food trends for 2018. In particular, many exotic and esoteric types like reishi and chaga mushrooms are now turning up in powders, pills, and other health supplements.
All this hype is not unfounded. “Mushrooms are fungus, and some famous medicinal items—including penicillin and statin drugs—were derived from fungus,” says Dr. Mark Moyad, the Jenkins/Pomkempner Director of Preventive and Alternative Medicine at the University of Michigan Medical Center. He says it’s reasonable to think that…
