The role of mushrooms in reducing the risk of breast and prostate cancers and in stunting the growth of these cancers will be tested shortly with the start of human clinical trials at the City of Hope research centre in California.
Earlier laboratory studies successfully used a mushroom extract to slow breast cancer growth in mice and lower the level of male hormones involved in prostate cancer, opening the door for clinical studies to determine the impact of eating mushrooms on these cancers.
Australian Mushroom Growers Association General Manager, Greg Seymour and US Mushroom Council President, Bart Minor met recently with the US based researchers to present them with a cheque for $560,000 to fund the pilot clinical trials.
The trials also have the backing of the California Breast Cancer Research Program, the American Institute for Cancer Research and the US National Institutes of Health.
Mr Seymour said the clinical trials were an important step in confirming the impact in human of mushrooms as a natural, whole food, cancer fighter.
"When you consider that laboratory research with mice showed an impact from the equivalent of just five button mushrooms a day, the potential health benefits are significant."
Mr Seymour said mushroom consumption in Australia had grown five fold over the past thirty years and growers were naturally excited that they could potentially play a role in reducing the impact of cancer in Australia.
"Cancer is still the leading cause of death in Australia and while the survival rate for many common cancers has increased by more than 30 per cent over the last twenty years, our objective is to determine if the regular addition of mushrooms to the diet can further assist in reducing cancer risk and help recovery."
Shiuan Chen, Ph.D., director of the Department of Surgical Research and leader of the mushroom project said laboratory studies found that mushrooms suppressed the effects of a natural substance in the body called aromatase. With 75 percent of postmenopausal women with breast cancer having tumors that depend on estrogen to grow, blocking aromatase is a key way that physicians reduce circulating estrogen levels among their postmenopausal patients.