Medicinal Components in Edible Mushrooms on Diabetes Mellitus Treatment

Author: mycolabadmin
2022-02-17
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Summary

This research examines how edible mushrooms can help treat diabetes through their natural medicinal properties. Scientists found that certain mushrooms contain compounds that can help control blood sugar levels and improve the body’s response to insulin. The study is significant for everyday life in several ways: • Provides a natural dietary approach to managing diabetes through commonly available edible mushrooms • Offers a potentially cost-effective supplement to conventional diabetes treatments • Identifies specific mushroom varieties that can be incorporated into regular diets for health benefits • Suggests new ways to use common food items for medicinal purposes • Demonstrates the potential of natural products in managing chronic diseases

Background

Mushrooms belong to the family ‘Fungi’ and have become renowned for their medicinal properties and accessibility worldwide. They possess pharmaceutical properties including anti-diabetic, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, and antioxidant effects. Mushrooms have been used as food and medicine for thousands of years, with many Asian and South-Asian countries using traditional wild edible mushrooms as nutritious foods.

Objective

To elucidate the role of edible mushrooms in diabetes mellitus treatment by examining bioactive compounds of mushrooms, pathophysiology of insulin resistance, and the preventive mechanisms of insulin resistance using edible mushrooms. The study aimed to systematically review contemporary literature to represent work performed on mushrooms focusing on diabetes, insulin resistance, and preventive mechanisms using different mushroom extracts.

Results

The review identified 13 varieties of mushrooms with anti-diabetic properties, with 11 varieties demonstrating anti-diabetic activities in vivo and in vitro. The most extensively studied varieties were Pleurotus, Grifola, and Ganoderma species. Mushrooms’ anti-diabetic activity was found to be primarily dependent on their polysaccharide (β-D-glucan) and vitamin D contents. The studies showed multiple mechanisms of action including blood glucose-lowering effects through polysaccharides and terpenoids, and regulation of insulin resistance through vitamin D pathways.

Conclusion

Mushrooms are beneficial fungi with significant potential for treating non-communicable diseases, especially diabetes. However, further research is needed in the clinical field, including animal studies, enzyme inhibition assays, human trials, and pilot studies to fully understand their therapeutic applications. Special focus should be given to investigating the link between vitamin D and insulin resistance along with enzymatic assays.

Published in:Pharmaceutics,
Study Type:Systematic Review,
Source: 10.3390/pharmaceutics14020436