Who would have thought some mushrooms could provide health benefits? Research by Min Zhang from the School of Population Health of the University of Western Australia has proven that mushrooms can have health benefits for women in China. You can check it out this sites here.

Current Research

Zhang, Zhejiang University in China and The University of Western Australia did joint research to find that green tea and mushrooms could protect against breast carcinoma. Zhang reported that breast carcinoma was the most common form of cancer among women in the world, with its prevalence increasing in both developed as well as developing countries. In China, however, the rate of cancer was four to five times less than in developed countries. The study wanted to see if this could have been due to the traditional Chinese diet which includes both fresh and dried mushroom and green tea. Research has shown that mushrooms, mushroom extracts and green-tea have anti-carcinogenic qualities which can stimulate the immune system to fight breast cancer.

Monitored was the intake of mushrooms and green-tea by 2,000 women aged between 20 and 87 in the relatively wealthy southeast China. Half the women were healthy while others had breast cancer. It was revealed that Agaricus bisporus fresh white button mushrooms and Lentinula, a fragrant dried mushroom, were the most frequently consumed species of mushroom. One group of women studied did not consume mushrooms or green tea, while others consumed both.