|
Whole Mushroom Products versus Extracts Much of the research done on medicinal mushrooms and botanical supplements in general has been done on extracted and purified compounds. Particularly in regard to antioxidants, is quite likely that whole mushroom products and extracts may be more effective and have more broad-based modes of action. Dr. Lisa Melton (Science writer, The Novartis Foundation) in a recent article in the New Scientist, reported that while epidemiological evidence linking dietary antioxidant intake and reduced incidences of risks of a range of disease is strong, when such antioxidants have been extracted, purified or synthesized and put into supplements, the results, according to randomized clinical trials, do not produce the same benefits, and may even be harmful. Knowledgeable researchers are aware that the testing of single nutrients using a drug model can be misleading. Whole foods contain a “family of nutrients” that can synergistically “recharge” each other, making single nutrient studies fairly irrelevant as to the holistic interaction of the substances in vivo. This is particularly true in the treatment of cancer patients. Carcinogenesis can be broken down into three stages: initiation, promotion and progression. Each stage involves different cellular processes. The stimulation and modulation of the patient’s immune system attributed to the various polysaccharides in mushrooms are most likely to affect primarily the promotion and progression stages of cancer. Each of the several polysaccharides contained in a mushroom may elicit quite different and specific host responses which are likely mediated by different cell surface receptors in the patient. Thus a combination of different responses could conceivably provide greater tumor inhibition effect than could be induced by a single polysaccharide (Borchers et al., 2004). Other substances contained in the mushrooms appear to be able to interfere with tumor initiation through a variety of mechanisms including enhancement of the patient’s antioxidant capacity and detoxification of mutagenic compounds. Other mushroom constituents may inhibit promotion and progression by exerting direct cytotoxicity against tumor cells (Fujiyama et al., 1998). Research suggests the “whole” mushroom products contain a variety of compounds that may modulate the progression of cancer at different stages and/or may act on the same stage but through different mechanisms. Highly purified extract and compounds are not likely to have the same broad-based activity. Borchers, A.T., C. Keen & M. Gershwin, 2004. “Mushrooms, tumors and immunity: an update”. Experimental Biology and Medicine 229:393-406. Fujimiya, Y., Y. Suzuki, K. Oshiman, H. Kobori, K. Moriguchi, H. Nakasima, Y. Matumoto, S. Takahara, T. Ebina, R. Kakkura. 1998. “Selective tumorcidal effect of soluble proteoglucan extracted from the basidiomycete, Agaricus blazei, Murrill, mediated via natural killer cell activation and apoptosis”. Cancer Immunology Immunotherapy. 46:147-159. Back to Health & Nutrition |
Click here to learn about and order our new Health Products
Our Fresh Mushrooms | Recipes | About Us | Our Nutraceutical & Functional Food Products | Equipment Sales | Copyright © 2008 Golden Gourmet Mushrooms, All rights reserved. Last updated 9/1/06.
|
