Is ergothioneine a ‘longevity vitamin’ limited in the American diet?

Abstract

There is mounting evidence for the potential for the natural dietary antioxidant and anti-inflammatory amino acid l-Ergothioneine (ERGO) to prevent or mitigate chronic diseases of aging. This has led to the suggestion that it could be considered a ‘longevity vitamin.’ ERGO is produced in nature only by certain fungi and a few other microbes. Mushrooms are, by far, the leading dietary source of ERGO, but it is found in small amounts throughout the food chain, most likely due to soil-borne fungi passing it on to plants. Because some common agricultural practices can disrupt beneficial fungus–plant root relationships, ERGO levels in foods grown under those conditions could be compromised. Thus, research is needed to further analyse the role agricultural practices play in the availability of ERGO in the human diet and its potential to improve our long-term health.

Prospective study of dietary mushroom intake and risk of mortality: results from continuous National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2003-2014 and a meta-analysis

“…A recent study has suggested that higher plasma ergothioneine was associated with a lower mortality risk [ 68 ]. In addition, mounting pieces of evidence have indicated that ergothioneine is a “longevity vitamin” because of its multiple functions in the body (e.g., antioxidant, cytoprotective, and anti-aging) [ 69 , 70 ]. Despite the benefits of ergothioneine, its consumption remains relatively low in the US, where its estimated dietary intake was the lowest compared to several other countries such as Italy and France [ 71 ].…”

A novel antioxidant ergothioneine PET radioligand for in vivo imaging applications

“…Other studies have shown that ERGO can protect neurons both in vitro and in vivo against a spectrum of stressors 33 , 34 . Taken altogether, these data strongly suggest that ERGO is involved in healthy aging, serving as a “longevity vitamin” 6 , 35 . The term “vitamin” is used in here since ERGO is a micronutrient, that the body does not need a lot of to function, but the material needs to be constantly available by uptake from an external source such as foods or supplements and it therefore does fit into that category.…”

Ergothioneine, recent developments

“…Although ET is obtained from diet [ 4 , 29 , 30 ], studies suggest that tissue levels of ET are closely associated with OCTN1 expression or polymorphisms of the transporter [ 14 , 31 ]; populations possess a number of single-nucleotide polymorphic variants (SNPs) of OCTN1 which affect ET transport kinetics [ 31 ]. Supporting this notion, subjects with higher basal blood levels of ET also had a greater uptake and accumulation of ET following oral administration, possibly due to polymorphisms of the transporter [ 32 ].…”

“…ET is present in a wide array of foods, but the highest dietary levels of ET are found in certain mushrooms [ 29 , 30 , 47 , 130 ] and Spirulina [ 131 ], which produce their own ET [ 132 ]. Several studies have investigated the putative health benefits of mushroom consumption.…”