Health consequences of improving the content of ergothioneine in the food supply

Abstract

Edited by Barry HalliwellErgothioneine (ERGO) is a potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory amino acid that is highly bioavailable to humans from the diet. ERGO is now regarded by some as a 'longevity vitamin' that has the potential to mitigate some chronic diseases of ageing and thereby increase life expectancy when present in adequate amounts. However, only limited knowledge exists regarding ERGO content in the human diet. Since ERGO is produced primarily by fungi, mushrooms are known to be the leading dietary source, but ERGO is found in relatively low amounts throughout the food chain as a result of soilborne fungi or bacteria passing it on to plants through their roots. Some conventional agricultural practices that negatively impact soil fungi, such as excessive soil disturbance (ploughing), can significantly reduce ERGO content of food crops when compared to regenerative practices such as eliminating tillage of the soil (no-till). This has led us to the concept that ERGO may be a definitive connection between soil health and human health.

Ergothioneine, where are we now?

“…Indeed, ET has many neuroprotective properties [4,5,18,26,27], as reviewed in detail in this special issue [18,25,26]. Consistent with a key protective role of ET against the development of age‐related diseases, higher dietary consumption of mushrooms, a rich source of ET [9], is associated with lower disease risk [28–31].…”

“…This fungus is notorious for the toxicity of some of its metabolites to humans, causing ergotism [2], which has even been linked to the Salem witch trials [3]. However, ergotism has nothing to do with ET, which is instead very safe for human consumption and is synthesized by a range of other fungi and some bacteria (reviewed in [4][5][6][7][8][9]). Its biosynthetic pathways are reviewed in detail in [6].…”

“…Its biosynthetic pathways are reviewed in detail in [6]. Indeed, as far as we know, humans and other animals obtain all their ET from the diet [4,5,[7][8][9][10], whereas plants seem to obtain it from fungi and other soil microorganisms [9].…”

Searching for a Longevity Food, We Bump into Hericium erinaceus Primordium Rich in Ergothioneine: The “Longevity Vitamin” Improves Locomotor Performances during Aging

“…Diversely, the amount of ERGO was 0.58 mg/g in the mycelium, 0.34 mg/g in the sporophore [ 23 ], but notably, it was about 2–4-fold higher in the primordium, 1.30 ± 0.57 mg/g. Currently, evidences exist that only few foods can be enumerated based on their high ERGO concentration [ 58 , 59 ]. The relevant ERGO amount measured in our He2 primordium extract matches with recent data, demonstrating that fungi, particularly several medicinal mushrooms, are certainly the leading natural dietary source of ERGO [ 59 ].…”

“…Currently, evidences exist that only few foods can be enumerated based on their high ERGO concentration [ 58 , 59 ]. The relevant ERGO amount measured in our He2 primordium extract matches with recent data, demonstrating that fungi, particularly several medicinal mushrooms, are certainly the leading natural dietary source of ERGO [ 59 ].…”