White Mushroom
Low-calorie umami fungi rich in ergothioneine, copper, selenium, and B vitamins.
Moderate evidence
🥦Vegetables
Evidence tier
Moderate
Research weight
Citations
8 verified / 8
Classification
Vegetables
❝
What the evidence says. Several controlled trials; effects real but modest or context-dependent.
Nutrition per serving 1 cup sliced, raw (70 g)
- Sugars 1.4 g2%
- Fibre 0.7 g1%
- Other carbs 0.2 g0%
- Protein 2.2 g3%
- Other 65.5 g94%
15 kcal2.2 g protein0.7 g fiber1.4 g sugar
| Nutrient | Per serving | % daily value |
|---|---|---|
| Vitamin C | 1.5 mg | 2% |
| Fiber | 0.7 g | 3% |
| Potassium | 223 mg | 5% |
| Folate | 12 µg | 3% |
| Vitamin A | 0 µg | 0% |
| Vitamin K | 0 µg | 0% |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.07 mg | 4% |
| Manganese | 0.03 mg | 1% |
| Copper | 0.22 mg | 25% |
| Vitamin E | 0.01 mg | 0% |
| Magnesium | 6.3 mg | 2% |
| Calcium | 2.1 mg | 0% |
Composition data: USDA FoodData Central ↗
What is White Mushroom?
White Mushroom is a vegetable used for very low calorie, high satiety food. NutriDex grades the human evidence as Moderate. White button mushrooms (Agaricus bisporus) are very low in calories yet supply potassium, copper, selenium, B vitamins, and the antioxidant amino acids ergothioneine and glutathione. Pooled observational evidence links higher mushroom intake to modestly lower risks of total cancer, all-cause mortality, and cognitive impairment, and randomized trials show UV-exposed mushrooms raise serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D comparably to supplemental vitamin D2. Causal cardiometabolic benefits in humans remain limited, so mushrooms are best framed as a nutrient-dense, low-energy dietary addition rather than a treatment.
Purported Benefits
✓Very low calorie, high satiety food
✓Linked to lower cancer risk in cohorts
✓Associated with reduced cognitive impairment
✓UV-exposed forms boost vitamin D status
✓Rich in ergothioneine and copper
Dosing & Compounds
Typical Dose
Standard serving: 1 cup sliced, raw (70 g). Eat whole (with skin where edible); favour whole fruit over juice.
Active Compounds
Safety & Cautions
Eat cooked rather than raw — raw Agaricus bisporus contains the hydrazine agaritine, largely degraded by cooking. Wild-foraged mushrooms carry serious misidentification/poisoning risk; only cultivated mushrooms should be eaten. Generally well tolerated; mushrooms are higher in the FODMAP mannitol, which may trigger symptoms in sensitive IBS patients. Educational only — always check with your doctor or pharmacist before combining White Mushroom with any medicine.
Key Studies
systematic review
Cardwell et al. 2023
✓ Full text
Systematic review of mushroom consumption and cardiometabolic outcomes found limited experimental evidence for improved triglycerides and hs-CRP, but no consistent observational association with cardiovascular disease.
meta-analysis
Ba et al. 2021
✓ Full text
Meta-analysis of 17 cancer studies found higher vs lower mushroom intake associated with lower total cancer risk (RR 0.66, 95% CI 0.55-0.78), with 10 g/day linked to 17% lower risk (RR 0.83, 95% CI 0.73-0.96).
meta-analysis
Li et al. 2021
✓ Full text
Pooled analysis of 5 prospective cohorts (601,893 participants, 50,787 deaths) found mushroom consumption associated with lower all-cause mortality (pooled RR 0.94, 95% CI 0.91-0.98; I2=15%).
meta-analysis
Shao et al. 2014
✓ Full text
Meta-analysis of observational studies found dietary mushroom intake associated with reduced breast cancer risk (highest vs lowest OR 0.65, 95% CI 0.52-0.81); 1 g/day increment RR 0.97 (95% CI 0.96-0.98).
RCT
Urbain et al. 2011
✓ PubMed
5-week single-blind RCT in 26 vitamin-D-deficient adults: UV-B-irradiated button mushrooms raised serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D by ~3.9 nmol/L per week, similar to a vitamin D2 supplement (4.7 nmol/L/week) and superior to placebo.
prospective cohort
Ba et al. 2019
✓ Full text
In two large US cohorts (NHS and HPFS), mushroom consumption was not significantly associated with total cancer risk (>=5 servings/week vs almost never: HR 1.06, 95% CI 0.98-1.14), tempering positive findings from case-control studies.
cross-sectional study
Ba et al. 2021 (depression)
✓ PubMed
In 24,699 US adults (NHANES 2005-2016), mushroom consumers had lower odds of depression independent of demographics, lifestyle, and dietary factors, though no significant linear dose-response was seen.
cross-sectional study
Feng et al. 2019
✓ PubMed
In 663 Singaporean adults aged 60+, consuming >2 portions of mushrooms per week was associated with reduced odds of mild cognitive impairment (OR 0.43, 95% CI 0.23-0.78, p=0.006).