(P25-018-24) Does Consuming Mushrooms With a Healthy Mediterranean-Style Dietary Pattern Affect Subjective Indexes of Brain Health and Well-Being in Middle-Aged and Older Adults?

Objectives: Limited research suggests that mushroom consumption may improve indexes of brain health. We designed this study to assess the effects of consuming mushrooms as part of a healthy U.S. Mediterranean-style dietary pattern (MED) on indexes of anxiety, depression, overall well-being, and cognitive function.

Methods: Fifty-nine adults (aged 46 ± 12 y; BMI 28.3 ± 2.84 kg/m2, mean ± SD) without severe depression were provided a MED diet with mushrooms (MED-mushroom) or without mushrooms (MED-control). The MED-mushroom group received 84 g/day of Agaricus Bisporus (White button) 4 d/week and Pleurotus ostreatus (Oyster) 3 d/week for 8 weeks. Baseline and post-intervention outcomes measured included General Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), Beck’s Depression Inventory (BDI), Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), Profile of Mood States (POMS), Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS), and Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short Form Health Survey Version 2 (SF36v2). These brain health-related outcomes are exploratory due to the paucity of human research.

Results: Mushroom consumption did not influence any of the study outcomes. Adopting and consuming a MED diet for 8 weeks increased (improved) vigor-activity (POMS: M=1.53, SD=1.04 arbitrary units (au) at baseline and M=1.73, SD=1.06 au post; time p=0.035) and immediate memory (RBANS list learning: M=28.49, SD=4.13 au at baseline and M=30.47, SD=3.85 au post; story memory: M=16.83, SD= 3.32 au at baseline and M=17.73, SD=3.23 au post; time p< 0.05). Mixed effects were observed for other domains of neuropsychological function (e.g., improvements in language were observed for the picture naming test but there were no changes in semantic fluency). There were no changes in other measured indexes of brain health (GAD-7, BDI, PHQ-9, or SF36v2) with adoption of either MED diet.

Conclusions: Adopting a healthy U.S. Mediterranean-style dietary pattern with or without consuming 1 serving/d of whole white button or oyster mushrooms may improve vigor-activity and immediate memory among middle-aged and older adults.

Funding Sources: This study was funded by the Mushroom Council.