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Do Reishi Mushrooms Really Treat Cancer?
Do Reishi Mushrooms Really Treat Cancer?
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Phụ đề (165)
0:00
Mushrooms kind of seem to be the solution to all problems.
0:03
Want to boost your memory?
0:04
Try Lion’s Mane mushrooms!
0:06
Are your depression symptoms proving to be treatment-resistant?
0:10
What about taking advantage of the hundreds of mushrooms that make psilocybin?
0:14
Just got a cancer diagnosis?
0:16
No way.
0:16
Mushrooms cannot be this good.
0:18
I mean, I’ve heard they can kick your immune system up a notch, but fighting cancer?!
0:22
As it turns out, scientists have looked into
0:25
one mushroom in particular that does seem to act as an anti-cancer agent.
0:30
But their conclusions only go so far.
0:33
So here’s what we know about the science of Reishi mushrooms.
0:37
[♪ INTRO]
0:40
Its scientific name is Ganoderma lucidum, but depending on where you are in the world,
0:44
you might know it by names like Lingzhi or Reishi.
0:47
Throughout Asia, this mushroom has been used medicinally for generations.
0:51
But it hadn’t been studied in the lab until somewhat recently.
0:54
And pre-clinical investigations have concluded that these mushrooms seem
0:57
to be generally great at boosting immune systems.
1:01
Now, I know you can walk down any supplement aisle
1:03
and see the words “immune boosting” painted across pretty much everything.
1:06
But when scientists talk about immune boosting mushrooms, they’re basing that statement off
1:11
of things like how many immune cells you have before and after consuming the stuff.
1:15
This is a measure of how strong your body’s defenses are.
1:18
They also look at symptoms and signs of disease,
1:21
like how many tumors you grow and how much bigger or smaller they are getting.
1:25
So, as buzz-word-y as “immune boosting” sounds,
1:28
it is a testable thing … Even in extreme immune challenges like cancer.
1:32
And yes, researchers have studied what this mushroom can do to prevent cancer growth.
1:37
The research in mice is pretty exciting!
1:40
In one study of mice with colon cancer, the group fed G. lucidum extracts had a
1:45
higher survival rate than the mice that did not get the supplements.
1:48
The mushrooms significantly decreased the size and number of tumors.
1:52
Not only were those mice surviving, but they were comparatively thriving,
1:56
with fewer cancer symptoms, from less weight loss to less diarrhea.
2:00
And a lot of it is probably thanks to the work these mushrooms do to keep inflammation down.
2:05
Cancer thrives in inflamed areas of the colon.
2:09
Reishi mushrooms are full of the kind of carbohydrates that can be fermented
2:12
into short-chain fatty acids, which have anti-inflammatory properties.
2:16
So maybe it’s not surprising that these
2:18
mushrooms have been associated with improved outcomes for colon cancer.
2:22
…At least in mice.
2:23
But mice continue not to be people.
2:26
So another study investigated the same effect in human colon tumor cells.
2:30
These were what’s called in vitro studies.
2:32
So the experiments were still pre-clinical and not
2:35
necessarily how this would work inside a living person.
2:38
But we’re talking about real human cancer cells in a dish.
2:41
And when those cancer cells were supplemented with processed G. lucidum extracts, they died!
2:47
So even in human cells, these mushrooms can kill cancer.
2:50
…This time by urging them into apoptosis, or programmed cell death.
2:54
And the higher the dose of mushroom extract those cells were exposed to,
2:58
the less viable they became.
3:00
Dose response.
3:01
It’s important.
3:02
And, critically, this did not happen to properly functioning human cells.
3:05
So it’s not like G. lucidum mushrooms are generally toxic like many other mushrooms.
3:10
Instead, they just go after cancer cells.
3:13
We love a mushroom on a mission!
3:14
It seems that with more of these processed mushroom extracts,
3:18
researchers found higher levels of the proteins that promote apoptosis.
3:21
Plus lower levels of the proteins that prevent apoptosis from happening.
3:25
Meaning that these mushrooms hit the gas and take
3:28
off the brakes when it comes to programmed cancer cell death.
3:31
But so far, all I’ve talked about is how G. lucidum goes after colon cancer.
3:35
And there are a lot of cancers out there that are not colon cancer.
3:39
So here’s some data on how the mushrooms fight breast cancer:
3:42
Another in vitro study found that G. lucidum extract killed
3:45
both mouse and human breast cancer cells.
3:47
And if that’s not enough, the mushroom extract also dealt with
3:50
whatever cancer cells were left over by preventing them from spreading.
3:54
When this mushroom extract was introduced to the
3:56
cancer’s environment, it brought with it more cancer-fighting immune cells,
3:59
and this includes CD8+T cells and natural killer cells, which both kill cancer cells.
4:05
Plus, they increased the prevalence of chemicals like reactive oxygen species,
4:09
which damage the DNA of cancer cells.
4:11
Researchers have tested this effect both in vitro and in live organisms with matching results.
4:17
The same scientists gave G. lucidum extracts to mice and saw significantly
4:21
less cancer spread compared to mice that didn’t get the supplement.
4:25
So pre-clinical studies of several kinds of cancer show promising results.
4:29
But the studies I’m about to describe might be the most useful in terms of
4:33
figuring out how real people with cancer could use these mushrooms.
4:37
See, there’s a gold standard of treatment for people diagnosed with ovarian cancer.
4:41
It’s a chemotherapy called cisplatin.
4:43
If we trust anything when it comes to cancer treatment,
4:45
it’s surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy.
4:48
But some cancers have a nasty habit of chemoresistance, making cisplatin …less effective.
4:54
So one research group tried giving mice with ovarian cancer cisplatin and G. lucidum spores.
5:00
The idea is that we know cisplatin can work.
5:02
But sometimes it needs a little extra boost to keep cancer cells sensitized to it.
5:07
And that’s where the mushroom comes in.
5:09
Cisplatin uses some of the same methods we’ve already covered to kill cancer cells.
5:14
Namely, it increases reactive oxygen species.
5:17
It should work every time.
5:18
But treatment-resistant cancer cells tend to have more anti-oxidative factors that keep
5:23
reactive oxygen species low so they can survive in spite of our efforts.
5:28
But since we know that G. lucidum can also increase reactive oxygen species,
5:32
adding mushrooms to the equation can tip the scales in our favor again
5:36
and put cancer cells back on track for cell death.
5:39
When mice got this combo treatment,
5:41
their cancer cells had higher rates of apoptosis and other forms of cell death.
5:45
…Making cisplatin and mushrooms more effective together than either is apart.
5:49
The evidence is looking pretty solid at this point in support of cancer-fighting mushrooms.
5:54
But we have not gotten to the clinical trials yet.
5:56
And before we do, it’s time to interrupt this video with a brief message from our sponsors.
6:01
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6:12
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6:30
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6:38
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6:47
While the pre-clinical data makes G. lucidum mushrooms look really good,
6:51
clinical trials are old, few, and not conclusive.
6:55
Several reviews have focused on just a few studies.
6:57
Like one published in 2003 that investigated an oral treatment called Ganopoly made of G. lucidum.
7:03
30 advanced stage cancer patients diagnosed with
7:06
all sorts of cancers ate Ganopoly every day, three times per day, for 12 weeks.
7:11
After that regimen, researchers found significant changes to the patients’ blood plasma.
7:15
There were more natural killer cells and more immune cell signals.
7:19
…But not across the board.
7:20
Some immune cell signals decreased.
7:22
Generally, boosting natural killer cells is a good sign because they help fight
7:26
cancer and tend to be less present in advanced stage cancer patients.
7:30
But overall, this study had mixed effects in a very small sample.
7:35
So it might not have been the resounding success that they were hoping for.
7:38
Another study in the aughts tested 96 people whose colonoscopies identified colorectal tumors.
7:44
They took G. lucidum extract daily for a year while another 102 patients did not.
7:49
At the year’s end, the control group’s colonoscopies had more tumors and larger ones,
7:54
while the mushroom group had fewer than they started out with and they got smaller.
7:59
That’s encouraging evidence.
8:00
But again, the results weren’t as clear cut as we might want them to be.
8:04
Only about half of the treatment group had seen a reduction in the number and size of their tumors.
8:08
So it’s effective …for some people.
8:11
Which people?
8:12
Well, that’s up to a future study to figure out.
8:14
But maybe there hasn’t been that follow up because
8:17
of this other study that kind of took the wind out of their sails.
8:20
In the same time period, another investigation assessed 41 people with advanced colon cancer.
8:25
They each ate mushrooms every day for 12 weeks.
8:28
Several of their immune cell signals and natural killer cells increased
8:31
by the end of the study …but not significantly.
8:34
Considering they were looking at the same kind of cancer,
8:36
it’s hard to definitively say that these mushrooms help when the results are so all over the place.
8:41
There’s a ton of research explaining the various pathways and mechanisms
8:45
that G. lucidum targets to potentially fight cancer.
8:48
But when it comes to clinical trials in people,
8:50
there’s less evidence of more mushroom miracle cures.
8:54
So here is where researchers draw the line today:
8:56
pre-clinical studies support the idea that these mushrooms are good at boosting immune response.
9:01
And it’s an exciting idea.
9:03
But right now, it’s still just an idea.
9:05
Clinical trials have not overwhelmingly found these mushrooms to be a miracle cure.
9:10
Right now, the consensus is not to eat these mushrooms instead
9:13
of going through chemotherapy and radiation.
9:15
Rather, you can eat these mushrooms in addition to those other cancer fighting
9:19
tools, if your doctor approves, and it might make the effects more powerful.
9:24
For a measly mushroom, I’m still fairly impressed.
9:27
[♪ OUTRO]
