Mushrooms contain compounds called β-glucans that can help boost your immune system and reduce inflammation. These compounds show promise in cancer treatment when combined with conventional therapies and may help fight infections. While mushrooms have long been used in traditional medicine, modern research is confirming their health benefits and understanding how they work in the body.
This review explains how leftover materials from oilseed processing, which are usually discarded as waste, contain valuable nutrients and healing compounds. These by-products can be used to make healthier foods like bread, burgers, and drinks, or turned into supplements and medicines. By using these materials instead of wasting them, we can reduce environmental problems, provide better nutrition, and create sustainable food products that help prevent diseases like diabetes and heart problems.
Researchers analyzed gut bacteria and fungi in hypertensive patients compared to healthy people across two regions in China. They found that hypertensive patients have significant changes in their gut bacteria, particularly an overgrowth of harmful species like Clostridium and a decrease in beneficial bacteria. Interestingly, fungi in the gut showed minimal differences. These bacterial changes could potentially be used as early warning signs for hypertension and might become targets for new treatments.
Your gut bacteria function like an extra organ, helping digest food and producing important compounds that affect your whole body. The type of bacteria in your gut depends on diet, delivery method at birth, and antibiotics you’ve taken. Eating more fiber and taking certain probiotics can improve your bacterial balance and help prevent diseases like diabetes, obesity, and heart problems. This suggests that managing your gut microbiome through diet might be just as important as taking traditional medicines for staying healthy.
This study examined how different eating patterns affect people’s overall quality of life in Iran. Researchers found that people who eat more vegetables, fruits, legumes, and lean proteins report better physical and mental health. In contrast, diets high in processed foods, red meat, and sweets were associated with worse mental health in men. Interestingly, the benefits of healthy eating appeared stronger in women than men, suggesting that gender may influence how diet affects quality of life.
This study compared three ways to dry chili peppers and found that each method affects the peppers differently. Hot air drying at 75°C best preserved the spicy compounds and red color, making peppers more nutritious. Shade drying for 12 days created a richer, fruitier aroma with coconut-like flavors. The choice of drying method matters for getting the desired flavor and health benefits in dried chili peppers used for cooking and seasoning.
Researchers discovered that Ganoderma mushroom mycelium can clean up rum distillery wastewater while producing edible, protein-rich fungal biomass. The mycelium successfully removed harmful compounds from the wastewater and accumulated bioactive compounds with health benefits. This dual-benefit approach transforms an environmental waste problem into a valuable food ingredient, offering a sustainable and economical solution for the distillery industry.
This study examined how different eating patterns affect how long Chinese elderly people live. Researchers tracked 11,958 people aged 65 and older over 10 years and identified four main dietary patterns. The healthiest pattern—which included fruits, vegetables, nuts, and adequate staple foods—was associated with lower mortality risk for both men and women. The northeastern pattern with tea, garlic, and fermented vegetables also protected against early death.
This study examined growing oyster mushrooms on different substrate mixtures combining wheat straw with recycled coffee grounds and olive plant waste. The researchers found that mushrooms grown on substrates with lower amounts of these waste materials produced comparable yields to standard straw while offering better nutritional profiles, including higher protein and lower fat content. The findings suggest that using these recycled agricultural wastes could benefit mushroom farming in regions where wheat straw is difficult to obtain, though lead contamination from coffee grounds was a concern requiring better cleaning procedures.
A study of nearly 10,000 Iranian adults found that people who followed a plant-based diet had a higher risk of developing kidney stones. However, the quality of plant-based eating did not matter—neither healthful nor unhealthful plant-based diets changed the risk significantly. This suggests that while plant-based diets are generally healthy, people at risk for kidney stones should ensure adequate calcium intake and proper hydration.