March 13, 2008
What Do Mushrooms and Milk Have in Common? Vitamin D
Many Americans are familiar with the age-old advertising slogan 'Got Milk?' The key message was drink your milk for a healthy dose of vitamin D. Well, researchers are finding that one could just as easily ask 'Got Mushrooms?'
Yes, that's right. Mushrooms contain vitamin D and research indicates that mushrooms actually have the capacity to boost their vitamin D content when exposed to the ultraviolet light found in sunlight.
"Mushrooms are the only natural fresh vegetable or fruit that contains vitamin D. Mushrooms contain ergosterol - a plant sterol - that is converted to vitamin D when exposed to the right amount of sunlight," said Mona S. Calvo, Ph.D. nutritionist and expert regulatory review scientist at the Food and Drug Administration's Center for Safety and Applied Nutrition. "In simple terms, this 'sun-blushing' process allows mushrooms to provide vitamin D."
According to the Mushroom Council, early research indicates that vitamin D levels in mushrooms can be boosted by exposing them to light for a brief period of time during the growing process. In fact, it may be possible to increase the vitamin D levels to the point that mushrooms could provide up to 100 percent of the daily requirement of vitamin D.
That's good news, especially for those who don't like getting their vitamin D in other ways. Right now, according to a study published in the journal of the American Heart Association, as few as 10 percent of Americans have the optimal blood levels of vitamin D. Along with proper nutrition, one can also get vitamin D through exposure to the sun, but that's not always the best solution considering the dangers of over-exposure. Hence, despite the importance of vitamin D for good health, few people get enough of it.
Vitamin D helps promote the absorption of calcium, which is key to healthy bones and teeth. And there is evidence that vitamin D can help reduce the risk of diseases such as heart disease, osteoporosis and diabetes. There are even indications that it helps promote a healthy immune system and it may help lower the risk of several cancers, such as colorectal, prostate, breast and lung.
So, eat your mushrooms and get your daily vitamin D, along with a host of other important nutrients. Mushrooms really are one of nature's healthiest foods. And now there's an easy way to obtain the many health benefits of mushrooms - through the Mushroom Matrix line of nutritional supplements. Matrix products are produced from certified organic medicinal mushroom varieties grown in the U.S. by Golden Gourmet Mushrooms of San Marcos, California. For more information on the Mushroom Matrix visit
www.mushroommatrix.com.
|
