Increased mushroom consumption is associated with a lower risk of cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies

Advances in Nutrition, Volume 12, Issue 5, September 2021, Pages 1691-1704, https: //doi.org/10.1093/advances/nmab015

Commentary

Mushrooms are rich in bioactive compounds, and the potential health benefits associated with their ingestion have attracted the attention of recent studies, according to

In this study, a systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to evaluate the association between mushroom consumption and the risk of cancer at any given site.

Observational studies (n = 17) with RR, HR, or OR and 95% CI of cancer risk for two or more categories of mushroom consumption were included in this study.

A variable effects meta-analysis was conducted.

The results showed that the higher the consumption of mushrooms, the lower the risk of total cancer.

Higher mushroom consumption was associated with lower risk of breast and non-breast cancers, and when site-specific cancers were examined, a significant association with mushroom consumption was observed only for breast cancer.

This result could be attributed to the small number of studies conducted on other cancers.

Evidence of a significant nonlinear dose-response relationship between mushroom consumption and risk of all cancers was provided, and limitations included the possibility of recall and selection bias in the case-control design, which included 11 of the 17 studies included in this meta-analysis, and the large variability in the adjustment coefficients used in the final models for each study.

Thus, the association between higher mushroom consumption and lower risk of breast cancer may indicate a possible protective role for mushrooms in the diet, the study explained.