The Association Between the Intake of Mushrooms and Algae (Seaweed) and Cognitive Impairment

by | Mar 27, 2024 | 2024, Antioxidants, Brain Health, Cognitive Health

Written by Harold Oster, MD. Consumption of mushrooms and algae is associated with a lower risk of cognitive impairment in older adults.

Aging womanThe prevalence of dementia is increasing with the aging of the population. As many as 15% of people older than seventy-five have Alzheimer’s Disease1, and an additional 20% have mild cognitive impairment2. Edible mushrooms have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties and have been associated with improved cognitive function in the elderly3. Algae (often called seaweeds) contain minerals, vitamins, and anti-inflammatory bioactive compounds. The consumption of algae has been associated with many health benefits, including improved cognition4.

Yun Yang et al. studied the association between the consumption of mushrooms and algae and cognitive impairment in older adults. The authors analyzed data from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS), a cohort study of approximately fifteen thousand individuals over sixty-five years old conducted by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Starting in 1998, participants from 23 provinces throughout China were evaluated every three years. Information was obtained on health status, diet, demographics, and lifestyle factors5. Intake of mushrooms and algae was assessed by questionnaire, and participants were divided into three groups based on their consumption: daily (including almost daily), occasional, and never. Cognitive function was evaluated with the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE)6. Cognitive impairment was defined as a score of seventeen or lower in those with illiteracy, twenty or lower in participants with primary education, and twenty-four or lower in those with secondary education.

The authors noted the following:

  • Based on exclusion criteria, data from 14,150 participants was included in the study.
  • 9% of participants ate mushrooms and algae daily or almost daily, 54.8% consumed them occasionally, and 42.3% never consumed mushrooms or algae.
  • After adjustment for covariables, participants who consumed mushrooms and algae daily or occasionally had a lower risk of cognitive impairment compared to those who never consumed them. (29% and 25.3%, respectively)
  • Participants who consumed mushrooms and algae daily had a lower risk of cognitive impairment compared to those who consumed them occasionally.
  • In men, occasional consumption of mushrooms and algae was associated with a 25.3% lower risk of cognitive impairment compared to participants who never consumed them.
  • Women who consumed mushrooms and algae daily or occasionally had a lower risk of cognitive impairment compared to those who never consumed them. (41.1% and 24.8%, respectively)

Results suggest that consumption of mushrooms and algae is associated with a decreased risk of cognitive impairment in older adults. The study’s limitations include its observational design and the possibility of residual confounding.

Source: Yang, Yun, Danni Zhu, Ran Qi, Yanchun Chen, Baihe Sheng, and Xinyu Zhang. “Association between Intake of Edible Mushrooms and Algae and the Risk of Cognitive Impairment in Chinese Older Adults.” Nutrients 16, no. 5 (2024): 637.

© 2024 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/
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Posted March 27, 2024.

Harold Oster, MD graduated from medical school in Miami, Florida in 1992 and moved to Minnesota in 2004. After more than 25 years of practicing Internal Medicine, he recently retired. Dr. Oster is especially interested in nutrition, weight management, and disease prevention. Visit his website at haroldoster.com.

References:

  1. 2020 Alzheimer’s disease facts and figures. Alzheimer’s & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer’s Association. Mar 10 2020;doi:10.1002/alz.12068
  2. Ritchie K. Mild cognitive impairment: an epidemiological perspective. Dialogues Clin Neurosci. Dec 2004;6(4):401-8. doi:10.31887/DCNS.2004.6.4/kritchie
  3. Cha S, Bell L, Shukitt-Hale B, Williams CM. A review of the effects of mushrooms on mood and neurocognitive health across the lifespan. Neuroscience and biobehavioral reviews. Jan 19 2024;158:105548. doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2024.105548
  4. Lomartire S, Marques JC, Gonçalves AMM. An Overview to the Health Benefits of Seaweeds Consumption. Mar Drugs. Jun 15 2021;19(6)doi:10.3390/md19060341
  5. Han S, Mo G, Gao T, Sun Q, Liu H, Zhang M. Age, sex, residence, and region-specific differences in prevalence and patterns of multimorbidity among older Chinese: evidence from Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey. BMC Public Health. Jun 4 2022;22(1):1116. doi:10.1186/s12889-022-13506-0
  6. Harrison J. Cognitive approaches to early Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis. The Medical clinics of North America. May 2013;97(3):425-38. doi:10.1016/j.mcna.2012.12.014