Health
Calcium Crucial to Women on the Pill
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Calcium Crucial to Women on the Pill
Aug. 31, 2005 -- The next time you order pizza, grill burgers, or make a salad, you could boost your antioxidant intake by tossing in a few mushrooms.
AntioxidantsAntioxidants are chemicals found naturally in foods including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and legumes. They're also in tea, wine, and coffee.coffee.
There are thousands of antioxidants. Scientists don't have them all figured out, but they've found plenty of signs that antioxidants help protect the body from harsh environments and disease.
For instance, researchers reported in August that antioxidants in brightly colored fruits and veggies may lower some types of arthritis. In June, another study showed that antioxidants in fruit and vegetable juices may reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease. Antioxidants have also been studied for their effects on heart health and cancer.
Marvelous Mushrooms
When it comes to one particular antioxidant, mushrooms muscle aside the competition, new research shows.
Move over, wheat germ. Take a number, chicken liver. Until now, those two foods were trumpeted as the best known food sources of the antioxidant ergothioneine, but mushrooms beat them easily, according to a Pennsylvania State University news release.
Penn State researchers including food science graduate student Joy Dubost jotted down every little bit of ergothioneine in different kinds of mushrooms. Their results were presented in Washington at the 230th national meeting of the American Chemical Society.
Top-Ranked Mushrooms
Even the white button mushroom -- America's most commonly eaten mushroom -- has 12 times more ergothioneine than wheat germ and four times more than chicken liver. More exotic mushrooms - such as shiitake, oyster, king oyster, and maitake mushrooms -- have even more of the antioxidant, the news release states.
Which mushrooms rate highest for the antioxidant? Portabellos, write Dubost and colleagues in their report.
Fungus Among Us
Mushrooms are fungi. That may not sound very glamorous, but many mushrooms are upscale gourmet fare, and some have been used in traditional medicines.
Browse through supermarkets, Asian groceries, or farmers' markets and you may find shiitakes, oyster mushrooms, portabellos, and white button mushrooms.
Cooking doesn't hurt ergothioneine levels, notes Dubost in the news release.