Are mushrooms a plant or animal?
Of course, they are neither...
But they do share similarities with both and that actually matters for how mushrooms are able to support our immune system.
HOW MUSHROOMS BREATH
Believe it or not, in a metabolic sense, mushrooms are actually more similar to humans than to plants. Unlike plants (which take in carbon dioxide and give off oxygen) mushrooms take in oxygen and give off CO2. In other words, they breathe, much like humans do. Structurally, however, mushrooms are more similar to plants than to animals, in that they have rigid cell walls made from “long chain poly-saccharides”. (a fancy word for sugars) These polysaccharides can be quite complex, and there are lots of different ways that the parts of the chain can be connected together.
BETA-GLUCANS IN MUSHROOMS
The cell walls in mushrooms are made up of something called “beta-linked” polysaccharides, otherwise known as beta-glucans. These beta-glucans are a special type of polysaccharide that have a significant impact on the immune system.* The fact that they form an integral part of mushroom cell walls explains the broad immunomodulatory effect that mushrooms have on our bodies*.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR
Beta-glucans are one of the key active ingredients in medicinal mushrooms, which is why it is important to use mushroom supplements that: Are made from whole mushroom fruiting body (as opposed to just mycelium on grain)- List the beta-glucan percentage on the supplement facts panel.
- This is how you can ensure you'll get mushrooms that actually make a difference!