Whether you’re training for a marathon, just want to maintain good health or looking to decrease feelings of fatigue, medical mushrooms may be your answer. According to a recent study by researchers Pavia University in Italy, medicinal mushrooms reishi and cordyceps sinensis can help improve the performance of endurance athletes.
Both reishi and cordyceps sinensis are medicinal mushrooms that have long been used in traditional Chinese medicine. Cordyceps sinensis is believed to help liver regulation, digestion, relieve symptoms of depression, and work as an anticancer treatment. Studies have also demonstrated that cordyceps sinensis can help regulate insulin sensitivity and lower plasma cholesterol levels.
Reishi, also known as lingzhi mushroom and Ganoderma lucidum, is one of the oldest medicinal mushrooms in the world. The mushroom has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for over 2,000 years. Previous research suggest reishi can help enhance immune system functioning, reduce feelings of depression, lower blood pressure, and treat hepatitis, bronchitis and bronchial asthma. It is also believed that reishi mushrooms have antitumor and anticancer properties
The Effects of Reishi and Cordyceps Sinensis on Athletic Performance
For the experiment researchers Paola Rossi, et al., measured athletes’ ability to recover from symptoms of fatigue and underperformance. They described these symptoms as nonfunctional overreaching (NFO) and the overtraining syndrome (OTS). Caused by inadequate rest between excessive exercise, the excess of oxidative stress can contribute to decreased coordination, increased heart rate and reduced tolerance to training load. They hypothesized that treatment with medicinal mushroom supplements would improve athletic performance.
The researchers recruited seven healthy male cyclists as participants for the study. A training evaluation was conducted before start of treatment along with measurements of the testosterone and cortisol ratios (T/C). It is believed that a decrease of less than 30% in the T/C ratio means the workout is effective. A decrease of more than 30% of the T/C ratio can lead to overtraining. For the double-blind study the participants were given a placebo supplement for the first month and then supplements of cordyceps sinensis and reishi in the three months following. To measure athletic performance, the subjects participated in daily workouts and cycling races. Saliva and blood were collected before and after each race.
After analyzing the data Rossi, et al., found that after three months of reishi and cordyceps sinensis supplements the participants’ T/C ratio changed significantly. This change in testosterone and cortisol ratio helped protect the subjects against nonfunctional overreach and the overtraining syndrome. The researchers also found an increase in activity of free radicals to scavenge, helping protect the participants from oxidative stress. Based on these results, the researchers believe that dietary supplementation of reishi and cordyceps sinensis can protect endurance athletes from excessive oxidative stress, overreaching and overtraining.
Please check with your doctor before taking any mushroom supplements. Do not discontinue or make changes to your medication without consulting with your physician first! The author of this story is a staff writer for National Nutraceuticals’ online news portals, such as Amino Acid Information Center at http://www.aminoacidinformation.com.
Source: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3995149/
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