Researchers study benefits of white button mushrooms

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Researchers study benefits of white button mushrooms

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Mushrooms are among the many foods thought to play an important role in

keeping the immune system healthy. Now, Agricultural Research Service

(ARS)-funded scientists have conducted an animal-model and cell-culture

study showing that white button mushrooms enhanced the activity of

critical cells in the body's immune system. In the United States, white

button mushrooms represent 90 percent of the total mushrooms consumed.

The study was conducted at the Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research

Center on Aging (HNRCA) at Tufts University by center director Simin

Meydani, colleague Dayong Wu, and others. The results suggest that white

button mushrooms may promote immune function by increasing production of

antiviral and other proteins that are released by cells while seeking to

protect and repair tissue.