Mushrooms & antioxidants

This great article shows that Mushrooms are full of antioxidants and that they may have anti-aging potential. Mushrooms may contain unusually high amounts of two antioxidants that some scientists suggest could help fight aging and bolster health, according to a team of researchers.

In a study, researchers found that mushrooms have high amounts of the ergothioneine and glutathione, both important antioxidants, said Robert Beelman, professor emeritus of food science and director of the Penn State Center for Plant and Mushroom Products for Health. The professor said that: "When the body uses food to produce energy, it also causes oxidative stress because some free radicals are produced. Free radicals are oxygen atoms with unpaired electrons that cause damage to cells, proteins and even DNA as these highly reactive atoms travel through the body seeking to pair up with other electrons."
Furthermore, according to the researchers, who report their findings in a recent issue of Food Chemistry, the amounts of ergothioneine and glutathione in mushrooms vary by species with the porcini species, a wild variety, containing the highest amount of the two compounds among the 13 species tested. The researchers found that the porcini has the highest, by far, of any we tested, said Beelman. This species is really popular in Italy where searching for it has become a national pastime.
Here is the link to the complete article from Science Daily.