Emerging research suggests that mushrooms and mushroom extracts may have potent anticancer activity.

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in Canadian men. The Canadian Cancer Society statistics estimate that 20,700 men were diagnosed with the disease in 2006, and 4200 died from it. One in 7 men will develop prostate cancer during his lifetime, mostly after age 60, and 1 in 26 will die of it.
Mushrooms offer nutrients such as beta-glucans and conjugated linoleic acid, compounds that are currently being studied for their chemopreventive potential. Here is what we know so far:
• The Netherlands Cohort Study looked at the vegetable intake and prostate cancer risk of 58,279 men ages 55-69 years and found an association between eating mushrooms and reduced risk of prostate cancer.
• A study published in 2000 in the journal Molecular Urology, found that beta-glucans (polysaccharides) extracted from Maitake mushrooms destroyed human prostatic cancer cells in a laboratory setting.
• Selenium is also of scientific interest in prostate cancer risk research. A 100 gram serving of sliced un****ed mushrooms is a source of selenium, providing 13 per cent of the Daily Value.
• In 2003, researchers from The Netherlands Cohort Study found that men with the highest selenium intake had a 31 per cent lower risk of developing prostate cancer than men with the lowest selenium. Further study is needed to confirm these findings.
• Recent results from the Physicians' Health Study conducted at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, noted that higher levels of selenium may slow prostate cancer tumor progression. As well, those who had the highest levels of selenium in their blood were almost 50 per cent less likely to develop prostate cancer during the 13 years of follow-up.
Research shows that 30 to 35 per cent of all cancers can be prevented by eating well, being active and maintaining a healthy body weight. As fresh mushrooms are low in calories and fat, as well as being versatile and great-tasting, they are a good addition to a healthy eating pattern.
For more information on the connection between mushrooms and cancer visit Mushrooms Canada online at www.mushrooms.ca.


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