Researchers with Japan’s National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology have reported that middle-aged and older adults who consumed more mushrooms scored higher on standard memory assessments, according to a recent report. The decade-long observational study tracked 3,162 adults as part of a national aging project, the research team stated. Participants recorded their dietary habits in detailed food diaries and investigators measured short-term and working memory using digit span tests. Adults with higher mushroom intake scored measurably higher on both the forward and reverse digit span tasks, which require holding and mentally manipulating information, according to the report.
The association remained significant after the research team adjusted for age, overall diet quality, chronic health conditions and socioeconomic factors, the report stated. The benefits appeared most pronounced at moderate to high intake levels. However, researchers emphasized that the study measured a correlation between diet and cognitive performance rather than a direct causal relationship, the report noted. The analysis was conducted collaboratively by government research institutions in both Japan and the U.S., and no funding was provided by the commercial mushroom industry, according to the report.
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