Mushrooms could unknowingly be making your heart stronger.
Professors in the Department of Nutrition Science at Purdue University published a review of 22 original studies in Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition earlier this month analyzing the health effects of eating mushrooms.
Researchers analyzed how the consumption of mushrooms, whether for a self-chosen diet or as part of a health improvement plan, can affect the risk of cardiometabolic disease — a group of conditions that includes heart disease and stroke.
The review revealed that consuming mushrooms regularly decreases triglycerides, a common fat found in the body, according to the Cleveland Clinic. High levels of triglycerides can raise the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
Those who consumed mushrooms because of either a healthy diet plan or a self-chosen diet both had a lower risk of cardiometabolic disease. It was also found that eating mushrooms as part of a self-chosen diet was associated with decreased diastolic blood pressure.
“Given the association between elevated triglycerides and blood pressure, and cardiovascular disease risk, these results underscore the healthfulness of including mushrooms in the habitual diet,” the review read.
According to the review, mushroom consumption is low in the U.S. Still, “both regular and incremental consumption of mushrooms as part of a self-chosen diet” could decrease inadequacy of essential nutrients in our daily diets and improve cardiometabolic disease risks.
While the review doesn’t make it clear how many mushrooms we need to be eating a day to decrease our risk of heart disease or strokes, the Mayo Clinic suggested that incorporating as few as two medium mushrooms into meals each day can help lower the risk of cancer by 45 percent.
Mushrooms are also a good source of B vitamins, which contribute to heart and brain health, as well as Vitamin D, which “helps the body absorb calcium, strengthening bones and teeth.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, heart disease is the leading cause of death for men and women in the U.S., and “one person dies every 34 seconds from cardiovascular disease. In 2023, alone, 919,032 people died from cardiovascular disease.
Of course, mushrooms aren't the only foods to eat for health purposes. A recent study published in the Molecular Nutrition & Food Research found that increasing orange juice consumption could improve heart health.
Looking at 20 healthy individuals — who had two cups of 100 percent orange juice a day for 60 days — researchers tracked changes in 1,705 genes in participants' immune cells, finding alterations in gene expression associated with blood pressure, inflammation, and metabolism. The study, then, “reinforces the therapeutic potential of OJ.”
“It suggests that it may improve blood pressure regulation, lipid metabolism, and inflammation, among other processes, by modulating gene expression, thereby contributing to cardiovascular health benefits.”
Results showed that drinking orange juice daily for two months primarily helped regulate blood pressure levels and lessen inflammation among healthy individuals.
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