Here’s an easy way to deter cancer-related problems … as you also enjoy some excellent dining experiences. Comments added afterwards.

 

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White button mushroom extract

Shrinks tumors and delays their growth

 

By Paul McClure

NEW ATLAS

November 17, 2024

 

The unassuming yet popular white button mushroom has cancer-fighting abilities, according to the results of a human clinical trial on the use of food as medicine. Not only does it slow tumor growth, but it also allows cancer-fighting immune cells to do their job effectively.

Coined in 1989, the term nutraceutical, a portmanteau of ‘nutrition’ and ‘pharmaceutical,’ has become somewhat of a buzzword. Used to denote food, or parts of food, with medicinal properties, the term is typically attached to something whose health benefits were recognized thousands of years ago by traditional medicine practitioners.

While the widely consumed white button mushroom has been promoted as a nutraceutical with anticancer properties, its mechanism of action has not been understood. Now, a new study by researchers at City of Hope, one of the US’s largest and most advanced cancer research and treatment organizations, has uncovered how the popular fungus exerts its health effects.

Shiuan Chen, PhD, a professor from the City of Hope’s Department of Cancer Biology and Molecular Medicine and the study’s corresponding author, said …

 

“City of Hope researchers are investigating foods

like white button mushroom, grape seed extract,

pomegranate, blueberries and ripe purple berries

called Jamun for their potential medicine proper-

ties. We’re finding that plant-derived substances

may one day be used to support traditional cancer

treatment and prevention practices.”

 

Agaricus bisporus, the white button mushroom, is the most cultivated edible mushroom worldwide. White button mushroom extract is also commercially available. The researchers had previously undertaken a phase I clinical trial, administering white button mushroom tablets to participants as a nutraceutical intervention for recurring prostate cancer. In 13 of the 36 trial participants, the treatment decreased prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels without affecting blood testosterone levels. PSA is a protein made by cancerous and non-cancerous prostate cells and is measured to screen for prostate cancer.

In the present study, a phase II trial, the researchers investigated immune responses to white button mushroom consumption in preclinical trials on mouse models of prostate cancer and clinical trials with prostate cancer patients. They focused, particularly, on immune cells called myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs), which accumulate in the tumor microenvironment and inhibit other immune cells from fighting cancer while promoting tumor growth.

 

The Chinese have used foods, including

mushrooms, as medicine for thousands of years

In the mouse models, the researchers tested FDA-approved, orally administered white button mushroom extract as both a prophylactic and a therapeutic. As a prophylactic, the extract was given seven days before the mice were injected with tumor cells. It was seen to significantly delay prostate tumor growth and extend the mice’s survival. When given as a therapeutic to mice with established prostate tumors, a single daily dose of the extract shrank the tumors and kept them at a smaller size compared to the control group. It also extended the mice’s survival.

Regarding the extract’s effect on the animals’ immune cells, it reduced the number and function of MDSCs. The reduction in T-cell-suppressing MDSCs was associated with greater T cell numbers and an improved T-cell-mediated immune response. In human prostate cancer patients, after three months of treatment, the researchers saw the same reduction in MDSCs and activation of T and natural killer (NK) cells, both of which aid in the destruction of cancer cells.

While the researchers say their findings suggest that white button mushrooms provide an anticancer immune defense and slow cancer growth, they warn against embarking on a button mushroom-heavy diet without consulting a medical professional.

Xiaoqiang Wang, MD, PhD, a City of Hope staff scientist and the lead author of the study, said …

 

“Our study emphasizes the importance

of seeking professional guidance to en-

sure safety and to avoid self-prescribing

supplements without consulting a health

care provider. Some people are buying

mushroom products or extract online, but

these are not FDA-approved.

 

“While our research has promising early

results, the study is ongoing. That said,

it couldn’t hurt if people wanted to add

more fresh white button mushrooms to

their everyday diet.”

 

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Discoveries like this are really positive, practical and not financially burdensome contributions to sustainable living. I’ll just go to D’s comments …

 

“Food as medicine has been around for thousands of years. This is a good example to understand how important organic whole foods can help a body stay healthy. It is recommended that one eats a wide variety of vegetables to enhance your health. Hopefully, very soon, we can learn how many mushrooms to eat to keep cancer at bay.”

 

Cancer has been one of our major causes of death. Chemotherapy processes have helped us become free of many of the cancer forms – though often with considerable expense and discomfort. This discovery promises us a brighter future.