My Brother is a Mushroom Farmer

 

My younger brother has recently picked up a strange hobby… mushroom farming. He has turned our empty loft upstairs into a small mushroom farm growing oyster, shitake, and lion’s mane fungi. At first, I thought he was crazy for becoming a mushroom farmer, however, after doing some research, mushrooms have more benefits than I thought.

Historically, mushrooms have been part of our diet since the days of hunter-gatherer societies. Ancient texts show mushrooms being used medicinally in ancient Egypt and China where they were believed to promote health and longevity (Jayachandran et al., 2017). Now with modern-day technology, we can really find out why mushrooms are so beneficial. Evolutionarily, fungi have evolved rapidly resulting in a large range of biodiversity and fungi that can survive, even in extreme environments (Gostinčar et al., 2009). With over 100,000 known species of fungi, not all are good for consumption and some may even be harmful, however, the mushrooms that are edible have a multitude of advantages. Mushrooms play important roles as decomposers in ecosystems because they do not have leaves or chlorophyll like other plants, they break down dead matter as a source of energy. This is why mushrooms contain polysaccharides, amino acids, minerals, carbohydrates, and protein (Jayachandran et al., 2017). While mushrooms are an excellent food source nutritionally, they also provide various health benefits as well. A European study found that eating mushrooms consistently can help to lower the risks and effects of type II diabetes (Mehrotra et al., 2014). In addition, mushrooms can also serve as antioxidants against free radical damage in the body and promote a healthy gut microbiome (Jayachandran et al., 2017). Eating mushrooms has even been shown to help fight cancer. 

So while I may not become a full-blown mushroom farmer like my brother anytime soon, I will be happy to take some of his produce and add it into my dinner!

Gostinčar, C., Grube, M., De Hoog, S., Zalar, P., & Gunde-Cimerman, N. (2009). Extremotolerance in fungi: Evolution on the edge. FEMS Microbiology Ecology, 71(1), 2-11. doi:http://dx.doi.org.dml.regis.edu/10.1111/j.1574-6941.2009.00794.x

Jayachandran, M., Xiao, J., & Xu, B. (2017). A critical review on health promoting benefits of edible mushrooms through gut microbiota. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 18(9), 1934. doi:http://dx.doi.org.dml.regis.edu/10.3390/ijms18091934

Mehrotra, A., Calvo, M. S., Beelman, R. B., Levy, E., Siuty, J., Kalaras, M. D., & Uribarri, J. (2014). Bioavailability of vitamin D2 from enriched mushrooms in prediabetic adults: A randomized controlled trial. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 68(10), 1154-60. doi:http://dx.doi.org.dml.regis.edu/10.1038/ejcn.2014.157