In the news: Adding Some Sardines, Mushrooms & Green Leafy Veggies Pays Dividends

Small Changes May Lead to Big Health Gains

Sometimes making small changes in one’s diet can add up to big benefits. Several new studies illustrate this perfectly, showing that sardines, mushrooms, and green leafy veggies are easy additions to the diet that can impact health in significant ways.

Sardines Could Help Prevent Type 2 Diabetes

As an oily fish, sardines are well known as a rich source of heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids. But regularly eating this tiny fish may help prevent the development of type 2 diabetes according to university researchers in Spain.

In the study(1), researchers put patients 65 and older who were diagnosed with pre-diabetes on a nutritional regimen aimed at reducing diabetes risk. Only one group, however, was assigned to add two cans of sardines (packed in olive oil) weekly to the diet.

At the study’s start 37% of the sardine group were deemed to be very high risk for diabetes, while at the study’s conclusion one year later only 8% remained in that category. In contrast, 27% of those in the non-sardine group were classified as very high risk to begin with, while 22% were still in that category after a year. Sardine consumers also saw improvements in insulin resistance and other biomarkers of heart health.

Study participants ate the whole sardine which contains calcium, vitamin D and the heart-healthy amino acid taurine in addition to omega-3 fats. Sardines are inexpensive and readily available, making their addition to a healthy diet a practical strategy to consider for lowering type 2 diabetes risk.

Mushrooms May Lower the Risk of Cancer

Results from several large-scale epidemiologic studies suggest that regular mushroom intake is tied to a lower risk of developing various cancers. For example, an analysis of two large and long studies which was published in 2019(2) reports that eating mushrooms at least once or twice weekly is associated with an 8% lower risk of prostate cancer. Consuming them 3 or more times a week is tied to a 17% lower prostate cancer risk.

Now, a review and meta-analysis(3) of 17 studies involving about 19,500 cancer patients found that people who included any variety of mushrooms into their daily diets had a lower cancer risk. Breast cancer risk was particularly associated with mushroom intake, but a lower risk cancer overall was seen.

Specifically, those who consumed roughly ¼ to ½ cup of mushrooms daily had a 45% lower risk of cancer than non-consumers of mushrooms. The researchers were not able to pin down the ‘best’ type of mushrooms, as many of the individual studies didn’t identify or quantify which mushrooms were consumed. Importantly, eating any kind of mushroom on a regular basis was associated with reduced risk.

Commonly consumed mushrooms include white button, shitake, maitake, oyster, cremini, and portabella. Shitake, maitake and oyster mushrooms have higher levels of a compound called ergothioneine which is a potent antioxidant. Mushrooms also contain fiber and selenium among other nutrients.

Nitrate-Rich Veggies Tied to Heart Health

Dietary nitrates, found in leafy green and other veggies, including beets and celery, are the precursors to nitric oxide – a compound that helps expand blood vessels for healthy blood flow. Looking at diet and health data of over 50,000 people followed for more than two decades, a new study(4) found that eating nitrate-rich veggies is tied to better blood pressure and a reduction in risk of heart disease.

Notably, adding only about 1 cup daily of raw green leafy veggies – roughly ½ cup cooked--provided long term heart benefits.

References

1. Diaz-Rizzolo DA, et al. Type 2 diabetes preventive effects with a 12-months sardine-enriched diet in an elderly population with prediabetes: An interventional, randomized, and controlled trial. Clin Nutr: 40:2587-98, 2021.
2. Zhang S, et al. Mushroom consumption and incident risk of prostate cancer in Japan: A pooled analysis of the Miyagi Cohort and the Ohsaki Cohort Studies. Int J Cancer. 146, 2712–20, 2020.
3. Ba DM, et al. Higher Mushroom Consumption Is Associated with Lower Risk of Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies. Adv Nutr. Published online Mar, 2021.
4. Bondonno CP, et al. Vegetable nitrate intake, blood pressure and incident cardiovascular disease: Danish Diet, Cancer, and Health Study. Eur J Epidemiol. Published online Apr, 2021./li>