Take mushrooms, put outside in the sun
|Published
Angela Day mushrooms 07. Picture: Steve Lawrence 260209 Angela Day mushrooms 07. Picture: Steve Lawrence 260209
London - Mushrooms exposed to the sun can provide as much vitamin D as a health supplement, a study has found.
Researchers recommend people take the fungi out of their wrapping and leave them outside for half an hour before eating.
Much like our skin, mushrooms transform ultraviolet light from the sun into the vitamin and continue to do so even after they have been harvested.
The nutrient is essential for the immune system, strong healthy bones and teeth and the absorption of calcium.
In the study, 30 adults were given a daily capsule for 12 weeks containing either 2 000 units of vitamin D, or sun-exposed mushroom powder.
At the end of the trial, there was no significant difference in the participants’ vitamin D levels.
Lead author Dr Michael Holick, from the Boston University School of Medicine, said: “These results provide evidence that ingesting mushrooms which have been exposed to UV light and contain vitamin D2 are a good source of vitamin D that can improve the vitamin D status of healthy adults. Furthermore we found ingesting mushrooms containing vitamin D2 was as effective in raising and maintaining a healthy adult’s vitamin D status as ingesting a supplement that contained either vitamin D2 or vitamin D3.”
Dr Holick said mushrooms continue to produce vitamin D after they are harvested as long as they are placed in direct sunlight.
He advised consumers take their mushrooms – any variety will work – out of their wrapping and place them outside between 10am and 3pm.
“Yes, we are talking about regular mushrooms,” he said.
“Just take them out of the packaging and place them in the sunshine.
“It doesn’t matter which way up they are, after about 30 minutes they should produce a good source of vitamin D.
‘Many experts believe that cooking will not damage the vitamin levels, and it is perfectly stable with heat, said Dr Holick.
“If anything, it makes it far easier to absorb the nutrient.”
Adults need 2 000 units of vitamin D a day. One portion of sun-exposed mushrooms provides around 400 units. - Daily Mail