Oyster mushrooms improved memory in healthy older adults
In a 12-week randomized trial, 80 healthy adults aged 60–80 consumed four weekly portions of oyster mushrooms or placebo; mushroom recipients had better memory and mood scores.
Edited by Boris Djordjevic · AgingResearch.News
Eighty healthy adults aged 60–80 participated in a randomized controlled trial of oyster mushrooms. They consumed four portions a week of either mushrooms or placebo for 12 weeks. Researchers assessed memory, other thinking skills and mood at the start and end.
After 12 weeks, the mushroom group performed better than the placebo group at recalling and recognizing words after a delay. They also reported less sadness, shyness and anxiety. The placebo group became slower at switching between tasks and reported increases in several negative moods. The authors concluded that the mushroom intervention maintained mood and improved memory compared with placebo. In a separate experiment using rodent brain immune cells grown in the lab, levels of inflammation markers fell.
Why it matters
The study addressed whether adding an edible mushroom to the diet could support memory and mood in healthy older age.
Caveats
The abstract does not report how large the memory and mood differences were or provide adverse-event results. The findings concern healthy adults aged 60–80; the inflammation finding came from rodent cells in the lab, not people.
The paper
University of Reading
Food & Function, Jan 1, 2026, Open access
