One of the funny things I notice about businesses in Japan is how they take advantage of special occasions to sell products. If there’s anyone famous in the world, you can bet a bakery is making a cream puff or something else in his or her honor. Obscure holidays are pulled from the abyss with great fanfare with stories on the news telling where to buy related stuff. Of course, the H1N1 virus has been a bonanza for health oriented businesses, but it’s been a real punch in the gut for countless industries that depend on people going out and having a good time. We went to an amusement park yesterday with no lines. Then we ate at a restaurant that is trying to make the best of a bad situation. The restaurant is called Popo la Mama, a family oriented pizza and pasta place. (I always eat the Red Carbonara, in case you wanted to know.) But now they have a SPECIAL menu featuring food that will help you fight the flu virus. I couldn’t resist taking a picture.
It says: Influenza fighting power! (Then below) Maitake mushroom contain beta-glucan which will activate your immune system to resist the influenza virus (carefully look to see the graphic depiction).
Some quick research confirms that maitake mushrooms, a.k.a., medical mushrooms, contain beta glucans that are supposed to help activate your immune system. You can buy Maitake mushroom extract for more potency (but don’t take too much). I doubt eating fresh maitake will stop anyone from getting the H1N1 virus, but I guess our systems could always use the extra help — especially if we’re taking the risk of eating out in public with our families.
In our case, we’ve already all gotten the Swine Flu and recovered, so we do as we please. On second thought, my daughter puked after finishing her meal. It seems she had picked up a different virus.
It’s true that mushrooms contain Beta glucan (which has proven immunomodulatory effects), but a recent study showed you would have to eat 2-3 cups of them a day to benefit. Yeast sourced Beta glucan has been extensively researched and has been found to be significantly more biologically active than other sources. You can read the research recently published in the Journal of the American Nutraceutical Association on PubMed or Transfer Point’s website.
While yeast do contain beta glucans, yeast-derived beta glucans are much simpler compounds with less extensive side-branching and much lower molecular weights than the beta glucans contained in higher fungi, ie, mushrooms. Many of the effects of the very long-chain beta glucan polysaccharides in mushrooms are derived from the sequences of cleavaged compounds as the long polysaccharide chains are broken down. Mushroom-derived beta glucans trigger a more broad-based immune response.
Thanks for your input (both of you). Wow.