The Effects of Two-week Fungal-based Essence in Healthy Malaysian Adults: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial
Main Article Content
Abstract
Introduction: Despite many edible fungi being claimed to be potential sources of functional food, clinical trials on the effect of fungal-based essence on cognitive function are generally lacking. This study aimed to determine the effect of a commercialised fungal-based essence on general health, perceived stress, and fatigue levels, derived from their questionnaire-based perceptions after the consumption of fungi extract. Materials and methods: A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial was conducted among the healthy Malaysian adult volunteers using the hot water extraction of five edible fungi species, i.e., Boletus edulis, Cordyceps militaris, Ganoderma lucidum, Hericium erinaceus, and Lentinula edodes. Forty participants were allocated a 3:1 ratio to receive fungal-based essence and chicken essence. The questionnaire was carried out at baseline and on day 14, with data from 40 participants being analysed, while the 10-person control group was given chicken essence. Results: The T-test analysis showed that the ingestion of fungal-based essence improved general health, lowered perceived stress, and reduced fatigue levels significantly in both the test and control groups. Conclusion: Our findings support the consistent uptake of fungal-based essence, which could be effective for the improvement of general health and overcoming stress, as well as a promising candidate for use as an anti-fatigue food.
Downloads
Article Details
References
Kocalevent RD, Hinz A, Brähler E, Klapp BF. Determinants of fatigue and stress. BMC Res Notes. 2011; 4(1):238. https://doi.org/10.1186/1756-0500-4-238
Penner IK, Paul F. Fatigue as a symptom or comorbidity of neurological diseases. Nat Rev Neurol. 2017; 13(11):662-675. https://doi.org/10.1038/nrneurol.2017.117
Gawron VJ, French J, Funke D. An overview of fatigue. Stress, workload, and fatigue. CRC Press; 2000.
Molendijk M, Molero P, Sánchez-Pedreño FO, Van der Does W, Martínez-González MA. Diet quality and depression risk: a systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of prospective studies. J Affect Disord. 2018; 226: 346-354. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2017.09.022
Gupta E, Mishra P. Functional food with some health benefits, so called superfood: A review. Curr Nutr Food Sci. 2021; 17(2): 144-166. https://doi.org/10.2174/1573401316999200717171048
Teoh SL, Sudfangsai S, Lumbiganon P, Laopaiboon M, Lai NM, Chaiyakunapruk N. Chicken essence for cognitive function. A Systematic review and meta-Analysis. Nutrients. 2016; 8(1): 57. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu8010057
Huang WC, Lin CI, Chiu CC, Lin YT, Huang WK, Huang HY, Huang CC. Chicken essence improves exercise performance and ameliorates physical fatigue. Nutrients. 2014; 6(7): 2681-2696. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu6072681
Hsu YJ, Wang CY, Lee MC, Huang CC. Hepatoprotection by traditional essence of ginseng against carbon tetrachloride - Induced liver damage. Nutrients. 2020; 12(10): 3214. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12103214
Tkacheva N, Eliseeva T. Benefit whites mushrooms –5 good reasons to add a superfood to your diet. J Health Nutr Diet. 2021; 3(17):19-22.
Moura MA, Martins BD, Oliveira GP, Takahashi JA. Alternative protein sources of plant, algal, fungal and insect origins for dietary diversification in search of nutrition and health. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2022; 63(31): 10691-10708. https://doi.org/10.1080/10408398.2022.2085657
Kapri M, Srivastav PP, Sharma SS. Mushroom as a source of fungal based functional foods. J Funct Foods. 2022; 331-389. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119776345.ch10
Strong PJ, Self R, Allikian K, Szewczyk E, Speight R, O’Hara I, Harrison MD. Filamentous fungi for future functional food and feed. Curr Opin Biotechnol. 2022; 76: 102729. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copbio.2022.102729
Gupta A, Meshram V, Gupta M, Goyal S, Qureshi KA, Jaremko M, Shukla KK. Fungal endophytes: microfactories of novel bioactive compounds with therapeutic interventions; a comprehensive review on the biotechnological developments in the field of fungal endophytic biology over the last decade. Biomolecules. 2023; 13(7): 1038. https://doi.org/10.3390/biom13071038
Mehra A, Zaidi KU, Mani A, Thawani V. The health benefits of Cordyceps militaris - A review. Kavaka. 2017; 48(1): 27-32.
Bulam S, Üstün NŞ, Pekşen A. Health benefits of Ganoderma lucidum as a medicinal mushroom. Turkish JAF Sci. 2019; 7: 84-93. https://doi.org/10.24925/turjaf.v7isp1.84-93.2728
Ponnusamy C, Uddandrao VS, Pudhupalayam SP, Singaravel S, Periyasamy T, Ponnusamy P, Prabhu P, Sasikumar V, Ganapathy S. Lentinula edodes (edible mushroom) as a nutraceutical: A review. Biosci Biotechnol Res Asia. 2022; 19(1): 1-11. http://dx.doi.org/10.13005/bbra/2964
Tan Y, Zeng NK, Xu B. Chemical profiles and health-promoting effects of porcini mushroom (Boletus edulis): A narrative review. Food Chem. 2022; 390: 133199. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2022.133199
Serdar CC, Cihan M, Yücel D, Serdar MA. Sample size, power and effect size revisited: simplified and practical approaches in pre-clinical, clinical and laboratory studies. Biochem Med. 2021; 31(1): 27-53. https://doi.org/1-.11613/BM.2021.010502
Yusoff MSB. The validity of two Malay versions of the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) in detecting distressed medical students. Asean J Psychiatry. 2010; 11: 135-142.
Cohen S. Perceived stress in a probability sample of the United States. In S. Spacapan & S. Oskamp (eds). The Social Psychology of Health (pp. 31–67). Sage Publications, Inc; 1988
Chalder T, Berelowitz G, Pawlikowska T, Watts L, Wessely S, Wright D, Wallace EP. Development of a fatigue scale. J Psychosom Res. 1993; 37(2): 147–153.
Azhar MZ, Zubaidah JO, Norjan KO. Effect of taking chicken essence on cognitive functioning of normal stressed human volunteers. Malays J Med Health Sci. 2008; 4: 57-68.
Zain AM, Syedsahiljamalulail S. Effect of taking chicken essence on stress and cognition of human volunteers. Malay J Nutri. 2003; 9(1): 19-29.
Julious SA. Sample size of 12 per group rule of thumb for a pilot study. Pharm Stat. 2005; 4(4): 287-291. https://doi.org/10.1002/pst.185
Li YF, He RR, Tsoi B, Kurihara H. Bioactivities of chicken essence. J Food Sci. 2012; 77(4): R105-R110. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1750-3841.2012.02625.x
Dufossé L, Fouillaud, Caro Y. Fungi and fungal metabolites for the improvement of human and animal nutrition and health. J Fungi. 2021; 7(4): 274 https://doi.org/10.3390/jof7040274
Marx W, Lane M, Hockey M, Aslam H, Berk M, Walder K, Borsini A, Firth J, Pariante CM, Berding K, Cryan JF. Diet and depression: exploring the biological mechanisms of action. Mol Psychiatry. 2021; 26(1): 134-150. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41380-020-00925-x
Firth J, Marx W, Dash S, Carney R, Teasdale SB, Solmi M, Stubbs B, Schuch FB, Carvalho AF, Jacka F, Sarris J. The effects of dietary improvement on symptoms of depression and anxiety: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Psychosom Med. 2019; 81(3): 265–280. DOI: 10.1097/PSY.0000000000000673
Wu S, Wang G, Yang R, Cui Y. Anti-inflammatory effects of Boletus edulis polysaccharide on asthma pathology. Am J Transl Res. 2016; 8(10): 4478.
Vidović SS, Mujić IO, Zeković ZP, Lepojević ŽD, Tumbas VT, Mujić AI. Antioxidant properties of selected Boletus mushrooms. Food Biophys. 2010; 5: 49-58. DOI 10.1007/s11483-009-9143-6
Avram I, Pelinescu D, Gatea F, Ionescu R, Barcan A, Rosca R, Zanfirescu A, Vamanu E. Boletus edulis extract—A new modulator of dysbiotic microbiota. Life. 2023; 13(7): 1481. https://doi.org/10.3390/life13071481
Lemieszek MK, Ribeiro M, Alves HG, Marques G, Nunes FM, Rzeski W. Boletus edulis ribonucleic acid–a potent apoptosis inducer in human colon adenocarcinoma cells. Food Funct. 2016; 7(7): 3163-3175. DOI: 10.1039/c6fo00132g
Zhang T, Yang S, Du J. Antidepressant-like effects of cordycepin in a mice model of chronic unpredictable mild stress. Evid Based Complementary Altern Med. 2014; 2014: 438506. http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/438506
Guo J, Li C, Wang J, Liu Y, Zhang J. Vanadium-enriched Cordyceps sinensis, a contemporary treatment approach to both diabetes and depression in rats. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2011; 450316. doi:10.1093/ecam/neq058
Zhao S, Rong C, Gao Y, Wu L, Luo X, Song S, Liu Y, Wong JH, Wang H, Yi L, Ng T. Antidepressant-like effect of Ganoderma lucidum spore polysaccharide-peptide mediated by upregulation of prefrontal cortex brain-derived neurotrophic factor. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol. 2021; 105(23): 8675-8688. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-021-11634-y
Singh R, Shri R, Singh AP, Dhingra GS. Valorization of Ganoderma species: chemical characterization and antidepressant-like activity. Waste Biomass Valorization. 2021; 12: 2025-2036. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12649-020-01157-4
Gao JJ, Nakamura N, Min BS, Hirakawa A, Zuo F, Hattori M. Quantitative determination of bitter principles in specimens of Ganoderma lucidum using high-performance liquid chromatography and its application to the evaluation of ganoderma products. Chem Pharm Bull. 2004; 52(6): 688–695.
Ryu S, Kim HG, Kim JY, Kim SY, Cho KO. Hericium erinaceus extract reduces anxiety and depressive behaviors by promoting hippocampal neurogenesis in the adult mouse brain. J Med Food. 2018; 21(2):174-180. DOI: 10.1089/jmf.2017.4006
Chiu CH, Chyau CC, Chen CC, Lee LY, Chen WP, Liu JL, Lin WH, Mong MC. Erinacine A-enriched Hericium erinaceus mycelium produces antidepressant-like effects through modulating BDNF/PI3K/Akt/GSK-3β signaling in mice. Int J Mol Sci. 2018; 19(2): 341. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms19020341
Yang Y, Ye H, Zhao C, Ren L, Wang C, Georgiev MI, Xiao J, Zhang T. Value added immunoregulatory polysaccharides of Hericium erinaceus and their effect on the gut microbiota. Carbohydr Polym. 2021; 262:117668. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.carbpol.2021.117668
Shahbazi R, Yasavoli-Sharahi H, Alsadi N, Sharifzad F, Fang S, Cuenin C, Cahais V, Chung FF, Herceg Z, Matar C. Lentinula edodes cultured extract and Rouxiella badensis subsp. acadiensis (Canan SV-53) intake alleviates immune deregulation and inflammation by modulating signaling pathways and epigenetic mechanisms. Int J Mol Sci. 2023; 24(19): 14610. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms241914610
Finimundy TC, Scola G, Scariot FJ, Dillon AJP, Moura S, Echeverrigaray S, Henriques JP, Roesch-Ely M. Extrinsic and intrinsic apoptotic responses induced by shiitake culinary-medicinal mushroom Lentinus edodes (agaricomycetes) aqueous extract against a larynx carcinoma cell line. Int J Med Mushrooms. 2018; 20(1): 31–46.
Xu X, Yang J, Ning Z, Zhang X. Lentinula edodes-derived polysaccharide rejuvenates mice in terms of immune responses and gut microbiota. Food Funct. 2015; 6(8): 2653-2663. https://doi.org/10.1039/C5FO00689A
Wu JY, Leung HP, Wang WQ, Xu C. Mycelial fermentation characteristics and anti-fatigue activities of a Chinese caterpillar fungus, Ophiocordyceps sinensis strain Cs-HK1 (Ascomycetes). Int J Med Mushrooms. 2014; 16(2):105–114. 10.1615/IntJMedMushr.v16.i2.10
Song J, Wang Y, Teng M, Cai G, Xu H, Guo H, Liu Y, Wang D, Teng L. Studies on the antifatigue activities of Cordyceps militaris fruit body extract in mouse model. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2015; 174616. http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2015/174616
Ouyang MZ, Lin LZ, Lv WJ, Zuo Q, Lv Z, Guan JS, Wang ST, Sun LL, Chen HR, Xiao ZW. Effects of the polysaccharides extracted from Ganoderma lucidum on chemotherapy-related fatigue in mice. Int J Biol Macromol. 2016; 91: 905-910. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2016.04.084
Liu J, Du C, Wang Y, Yu Z. Anti-fatigue activities of polysaccharides extracted from Hericium erinaceus. Exp Ther Med. 2015; 9(2): 483-487. https://doi.org/10.3892/etm.2014.2139
Fukushima-Sakuno E. Bioactive small secondary metabolites from the mushrooms Lentinula edodes and Flammulina velutipes. J Antibiot. 2020; 73(10): 687–696. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41429-020-0354-x