The Incredible Impacts of Ergothioneine on Aging & Longevity

Introduction to Ergothioneine 0:00

Ergothionine, have you heard of it? Well, this is a brain nutrient that most people have never heard about, but it's got very exciting research on it. And there's so many nutrients in foods and supplements that protect your brain against aging and improve your cognitive function like memory. But one nutrient, that is up and coming, really a superstar that, most, people, I've not heard, about is Ergotionin. Now ergothionine is a sulfur containing amino acid. It's actually a very potent antioxidant.

And here's the thing, your body does not make it. That means you have to get it in your diet or you're going to have fascinating compound because it has the ability to cross the blood brain barrier. And not all nutrients can do that. It also has been shown to have a high distribution within the brain. So it's a powerful antioxidant, it is anti-inflammatory, and it as many protective roles. Let's review some of the roles that ergothionine has in the body as really a protector.

How Ergothioneine Protects the Brain 0:58

Well, first, It prevents mitochondrial dysfunction. Now remember, mitochondria is the energy producing warehouses or factories in our cells. And so ergothionine helps to prevent those energy producing factories from being damaged. Next, ergathionin counteracts inflammation. So it works to reduce inflammation, and that's very important, especially for conditions that affect the brain and nervous system. These conditions are often referred to as neuro, degenerative diseases because they lead to degeneration of the nervous system.

Now, ergothionein also helps to regulate aging pathways. Ergothionine has been shown to you regulate age related signaling pathways and a process known as anti senescence. So that's very important when you're clearing out the debris of cells, helping old cells to be replaced with new cells. Well, what's the clinical evidence? What are the studies showing the link between ergothionein and cognitive function? Well as you look through the literature and I've done a literature search and i've written about this, it's actually very impressive because there are numerous studies that have shown a clear link, between ergo thionine levels and Cognitive health, especially in the aging population.

Let's talk more about, this you know, ergothionin has a correlation at least supplementation or getting higher amounts in a diet is correlated with reducing cognitive decline. So studies show a stepwise decline in ergothione levels that correlates with the increasing severity of cognitive impairment. People have low plasma or blood levels of ergothyne shown to be predictive of accelerated cognitive decline and people who are initially cognitively normal.

Research on Cognitive Decline and Dementia 2:23

So that's very important. There's a neurodegeneration link. Research has established that low ergotherapy predisposes people to neuro degeneration, as I mentioned earlier, and is associated with cerebral vascular diseases like in dementia. So those with the lowest ergothiny concentrations are found in Dementia patients and these low levels are associated with physical brain changes like reduced cortical thickness and hippocampal volumes. These are all things you can measure on MRI studies and you actually see a change in the structure of the brain.

Let's look at an international comparison of ergothyroid consumption with Americans and other places in So it's estimated that the average ergothione consumption in America is about 1.1 milligrams per day, which is significantly lower than in some European countries. Like Italy, for example, they average up to 4.6 milligrams a day. And this consumption gap coincides with a higher prevalence of chronic neurological diseases of aging and lower life expectancies in the United States. Now, ergothyione also can have benefits for mild cognitive impairment.

look at a double blind randomized placebo controlled study and people over the age of 60 with again cognitive decline those who received a high dose of ergothionine three times a week for one year had improved learning ability they also showed stabilized blood levels of the neurofilament light chain which is a key marker of neuronal damage damage to the brain neurons when they compared these people to those in a placebo group. So it's quite significant. Also, ergothionine has been shown to help cognitive decline in the elderly.

A study examining over 470 adults, over 50 attending, who are attending memory clinics, about 50 different memory, clinics for five years found that lower

Golden Oyster Mushroom as a Source 4:10

blood levels of ergothyronine were associated with poor baseline cognitive performance and the faster rate of decline. In multiple cognitive aspects, including memory, executive function, and attention. What's one of the ways you can really get a rich source of ergothionine? Well, with my patients, often I recommend golden oyster mushroom. And this is more than just a beautiful yellow fungus. It's actually a type of fungus in nature, but it actually can be used as a functional food. Its rich in many different compounds.

Like I said, it's high in ergothyronine and it has been used for centuries for its culinary uses. And now modern research is showing that golden oyster mushroom has powerful antioxidant properties, helps to support cognitive function, especially a lot of these benefits due to its composition of ergothionein. And one thing's about golden Oyster, which is unique, is that it has other powerful antioxidants besides ergothyione. Golden Oysters mushroom is rich in antioxidants. It's rich and flavonoids and carotenoids.

it's highly effective at protecting against oxidative stress in the brain and nervous system. which are key drivers of aging and cellular damage. Golden oyster mushroom contains polysaccharides, certain beta glucans that act as prebiotics, promote a healthy gut microbiome. And of course we know the connection between the gut micro biome and the brain or the got brain axis. Also golden oyster mushrooms has essential nutrients. It has a central amino acids and other minerals, which helps with cellular function.

But the main player, the star, is the ergothionine. Golden oyster mushroom is an exceptionally rich source of ergophioninine, which is a diet-derived sulfur-containing compound that the body cannot use on

Supplement Formula and Closing Remarks 5:49

its own. product in our clinic. You can read about it on dr.stengler.com and that's our mushroomy memory wellness formula. It's in the formula with as well as reishi extract and lion's vein. Powerful mushroom extracts that have been shown to help with cognitive function. Well, if you want to see other videos on dietary supplements that can help memory, antioxidants, you can see these on my YouTube channel. And if haven't subscribed, now's a good time to subscribe. I'll talk to you in