The mainstream cancer research industry treats prostate cancer (and men’s health in general) almost as an afterthought.
As I often report, the dreadful prostate specific antigen (PSA) screening test is woefully inaccurate, with a 75 percent false-positive rate. Overdiagnosis is a huge problem. And the medieval treatments for the disease haven’t improved in 50 years.
For these reasons, I’ve always felt that the best approach is to prevent prostate cancer in the first place!
And now, it may be easier than ever to do just that…
In fact, a new study has found that men who eat a delicious, but once-feared food have a much lower risk of developing prostate cancer. Not to mention, you can add this tasty food to just about any meal…at breakfast, lunch, or dinner!
I’ll tell you all about that study in a moment, but first, let’s back up to talk about this mysterious food…
Long history in cuisine and medicine for this once-feared food
Historians believe ancient humans probably began foraging for wild mushrooms— which are technically a fungi—along with berries and fruits thousands of years ago. Over time, they learned which ones were edible, which ones were poisonous, which ones could be used medicinally, and which ones worked as psychedelics, causing hallucinations.
Edible mushrooms started to appear in Asian cooking around the 6th century. But they didn’t catch on in European cuisine until closer to the 17th century. However, in Mesoamerica, the ancient Incas and Mayans used mushrooms in cooking—as well as medicinally and in spiritual ceremonies—long before that.
Today, edible mushrooms are commercially cultivated and enjoyed widely around the world in salads, soups, stir fries, pasta dishes, and on top of steaks. And now, researchers recognize their role in disease prevention.
In fact, a 2012 review found that certain compounds in mushrooms have anticancer, anti-inflammatory, and anti-diabetic properties. Plus, in vitro and lab studies have found that mushrooms thwart tumor growth. Which brings us back to the new study…
Mushrooms linked to prostate health
For the new, long-term study, researchers looked at the ability of mushrooms to prevent prostate cancer in nearly 37,000 men between the ages of 40 and 79.
Over the 25-year follow-up period, 3.3 percent of the men developed prostate cancer. But men who regularly ate mushrooms had a much lower risk.
In fact, there was even a clear dose-response effect. This means the more mushrooms men ate, the lower their risk. So, men who consumed mushrooms once or twice a week had an 8 percent lower risk of prostate cancer. And men who ate mushrooms three or more times a week had more than double the protection—with a 17 percent lower risk.
Men over 50 years who ate mushrooms regularly received the most protection. Plus, men who regularly ate more dairy and meat—and fewer fruits and vegetables—also received a big boost by adding mushrooms to their diet.
Of course, these findings make a lot of sense to me, as mushrooms contain loads of antioxidants, minerals, and vitamins. They also contain a potent, sulfur-containing compound called L-ergothioneine (ET).
ET is found throughout the body and is concentrated in high amounts in the mitochondria—your cells’ energy factories. However, cells deficient in ET are more susceptible to:
- Oxidative stress, resulting in mitochondrial damage
- DNA damage
- Protein oxidation
- Oxidation of cell membranes and blood lipids
Of course, the mushroom-prostate link makes a lot of sense for another reason too…
As you may recall, according to the “the doctrine of signatures,” a plant’s shape gives clues about the organ in the human body that it benefits. So, since mushrooms are shaped like a certain part of the man’s anatomy, it makes sense that they would support his sexual organs!
How much do you need?
As this study suggests, the more mushrooms men eat per week, the greater their protection against prostate cancer.
So, try to enjoy at least half a cup of them with your meals several times a week.
Just be aware that even edible mushrooms can harbor small amounts of toxins (most notably hydrazines, a group of chemical compounds considered to be carcinogenic). But an easy, thorough sauté can quickly destroy these trace chemicals.
I enjoy sautéed mushrooms on top of my grass-fed steaks for a delicious and healthy treat. I also like to put a little bit of meat sauce on top of a juicy, sautéed portabella mushroom, as they do in Italy. Mushrooms also taste great in pastas, soups, salads, and stir fries, as I mentioned above.
P.S. In addition to incorporating mushrooms into your diet, you can learn everything you need to know about how to NATURALLY conquer prostate cancer, banish an enlarged prostate, and maximize your manhood in my comprehensive, science-backed Insider’s Ultimate Guide to Perfect Prostate Health. To learn more about this innovative learning protocol, or to sign up today, click here now!
Sources:
“Mushroom consumption and incident risk of prostate cancer in Japan: A pooled analysis of the Miyagi Cohort Study and the Ohsaki Cohort Study.” Int J Cancer, October 8, 2019. doi.org/10.1002/ijc.32591
“Recent developments in mushrooms as anti-cancer therapeutics: a review.” 3 Biotech, 2012; 2(1): 1-15. doi.org/10.1007/s13205-011-0036-2