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| Home » Mushrooms, olive oil can guard against disease |
| Mushrooms, olive oil can guard against disease |
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Mushrooms, olive oil can guard against disease
National Post
Thu 01 Sep 2005
Page: A22
Section: Body & Health
Byline: Margaret Munro
Source: CanWest News Service
Foodies take heart -- high-end olive oil and mushrooms have been shown to have unusual medicinal power.
Researchers reported yesterday that shiitake, oyster and maitake mushrooms, as well as more common portabellas and white buttons, contain high levels of an antioxidant linked with protection against chronic disease.
Another team, reporting in the journal Nature today, has shown extra-virgin olive oil contains a natural compound called oleocanthal that mimics the pain-relieving activity of the anti-inflammatory drug ibuprofen. Fifty millilitres of olive oil can contain the equivalent of about 10% of the ibuprofen dose recommended for adult pain relief, they report.
The scientists say routinely drizzling olive oil on salads and food might confer some of the long-term benefits associated with ibuprofen, such as reduced risk of cancer, heart attacks and some dementias.
"It certainly can't hurt," says Paul Breslin, of the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia, who co-authored the Nature report.
He and his colleagues say the finding could explain some of the often-quoted health benefits of a Mediterranean diet, which is high in olive oil, fish and fresh fruits and vegetables.
Not all olive oils contain oleocanthal. Mr. Breslin says the easiest way to determine if an olive oil contains the compound is to taste a bit to see if triggers a "good throat sting" -- an unusual sensation or irritation at the back of the throat. He says extra virgin olive oil from Tuscany often contains high levels of oleocanthal. The researchers also found oil from other regions, including California, can contain the compound.
As for mushrooms, researchers from Penn State University have found the fungi are a natural source of an antioxidant, ergothioneine, that is associated with protection against chronic disease.
Unlike olive oil, which loses its medicinal power when cooked, the scientists said levels of ergothioneine do not decrease when mushrooms are cooked.
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