Mushrooms in the diet may reduce the risk of depression

EVERYONE KNOWS that they should be trying to have five fruit and vegetables a day.

With this in mind I have written before about the benefits of varying the colours that you take, because that way you will get the widest range of healthy nutrients.

Red fruit and vegetables are good sources of lycopene, ellagic acid and quercetin. Lycopene is known to be beneficial for men and prostate health and is also protective to the heart.

Ellagic acid is a powerful antioxidant that seems to have anti-cancer properties, and is especially protective to the bowel.

Apples are rich in quercetin, another antioxidant, which helps joints and allergies.

Yellow and orange fruit and vegetables contain betacarotene, flavanoids and lycopene.

Green fruit and vegetables reduce cancer risks, lower blood pressure and LDL cholesterol levels, help the function of the digestive tract, support retinal health and vision, and boost the immune system.

Blue and purple fruit and vegetables boost the immune system and are antiinflammatory.

White fruit and vegetables contain nutrients such as beta-glucans and lignans that boost the immune system. Mushrooms are considered white vegetables. Recent research published in the Journal of Affective Disorders suggests that in terms of preventing various mental conditions, including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and depression they are almost a super food.

The researchers collected data from more than 24,000 adults with an average age of 45 years, between 2005 and 2016. They found that people who routinely ate mushrooms had markedly lower odds of having depression.

Mushrooms are the richest source of ergothioneine, an antioxidant that may protect against cell and tissue damage in the body. It cannot be synthesised in the body and can only be obtained in the diet. The researchers think that having high levels of this may lower the risk of oxidative stress, which could reduce the symptoms of depression. Indeed, white button mushrooms have previously been shown to also lower anxiety.

They found that the risk of depression was reduced by 45 per cent in those people who regularly ate mushrooms, after allowing for sociodemographics, major risk factors, self-reported diseases, medications and other dietary factors.