Consuming Mushrooms When Adopting a Healthy Mediterranean-Style Dietary Pattern Does Not Influence Short-Term Changes of Most Cardiometabolic Disease Risk Factors in Healthy Middle-Aged and Older Adults

Authors:
Cassi N. Uffelman, Jacqueline N. Schmok, Robyn E. Campbell, Austin S. Hartman, Matthew R. Olson, Nicole L. Anderson, Nichole A. Reisdorph, Minghua Tang, Nancy F. Krebs, Wayne W. Campbell

Journal:
The Journal of Nutrition, 2024
DOI: 10.1016/j.tjnut.2023.12.026

Study Design

Randomized, parallel-arm, controlled feeding trial over 8 weeks

Participants

60 healthy, overweight or class I obese adults (ages 30–69) without diagnosed cardiometabolic disease. Participants were assigned to follow a Mediterranean-style diet with or without mushroom inclusion.

Intervention

All participants consumed a fully controlled Mediterranean-style diet for 8 weeks. The intervention group received 84 g/day of fresh Agaricus bisporus (white button, 4 days/week) and Pleurotus ostreatus (oyster, 3 days/week) mushrooms. The control group received a visually similar breadcrumb placebo.

Outcome Measures

• Fasting blood glucose and insulin
• Serum lipids: total, HDL, LDL, non-HDL, triglycerides
• Blood pressure
• Lipoprotein particle sizes and subclasses
• Markers of inflammation: hs-CRP, lipoprotein(a), apolipoproteins A1 and B, homocysteine
• Plasma ergothioneine levels

Summary

This controlled feeding trial evaluated the impact of daily mushroom consumption within a Mediterranean diet on cardiometabolic risk factors in healthy, overweight adults. Compared to the control group, participants consuming mushrooms had a modest but statistically significant improvement in fasting glucose. However, no significant group differences were observed for other blood lipids, inflammatory markers, or insulin resistance. The Mediterranean diet alone (regardless of mushrooms) lowered total and HDL cholesterol and increased lipoprotein(a). While the study confirmed mushrooms increase plasma ergothioneine levels, overall cardiometabolic benefits were limited. The authors conclude that mushrooms may offer minor glucose benefits but do not broadly impact short-term risk factors in already healthy individuals.