The yellow oyster mushroom is known to lower blood pressure and help improve immunity. The fact that it is good for vascular health has led the Rural Development Administration to directly develop varieties. It primarily grows in Korea, East Asia, and Russia.
Research has been conducted on how the yellow oyster mushroom, known by the nickname "longevity mushroom," actually helps health. A research team from Kumamoto University in Japan announced the results of a study comparing the health status of mice that consumed yellow oyster mushroom powder and those that did not in the international journal "npj Aging" on the 8th.
Yuichi Oike, a professor at Kumamoto University, fed yellow oyster mushroom powder to 10 mice and examined their heart health. The mice were given about 9g of mushroom powder per day for each kilogram of body weight. The control group was given only regular feed without the mushroom powder.
The group of mice that consumed mushroom powder showed a significant improvement in heart function compared to those that ate only regular feed over the course of 12 months. The researchers noted, "Mice that consumed mushroom powder showed improved left ventricular systolic function associated with aging, and decreased diastolic dysfunction compared to the control group." When heart failure progresses with aging, hypertrophy manifests, but the mice that consumed mushroom powder showed a reduction in this hypertrophic response.
The results of a treadmill test conducted on the mice showed that the exercise capacity of the group that consumed mushroom powder was better than that of the other group. The amount of blood delivered to the body with each heartbeat was also about 20% higher in the group that consumed mushroom powder.
The researchers believe that an antioxidant substance called ergothioneine found in the yellow oyster mushroom helped improve the heart health of the mice. There are 7.6mg of ergothioneine in 1g of yellow oyster mushroom, which is significantly higher than in other foods. The researchers stated, "Ergothioneine increases the expression of antioxidant enzymes and helps relieve damage caused by reactive oxygen species in tissues," and confirmed that "the yellow oyster mushroom is a promising dietary method to alleviate the decline in heart and vascular function associated with aging."
However, additional research is needed to determine if the results of this study can be directly applied to humans. The amount of yellow oyster mushroom consumed by the mice was not insignificant. This level is equivalent to a person weighing 80kg needing to consume 720g of dried mushrooms per day.
Dr. Robert Beelman from Penn State University, who did not participate in this study, remarked, "The results derived from mouse studies do not always apply directly to humans," while adding, "However, the evidence that ergothioneine is health-promoting enough to be called a 'longevity nutrient' continues to accumulate."
Reference material
npj Aging (2025), DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41514-024-00191-z