Dietary supplements made from mushrooms

Peer-reviewed | Manuscript submitted: January 02, 2018 | Revision accepted: March 16, 2018

An overview of health-related aspects with a focus on cardiometabolic effects and an overview on food law regulations

Introduction

Dietary supplements are very popular in Germany. According to a market analysis performed by the working group of the Bund für Lebensmittelrecht und Lebensmittelkunde, from April 2015 to March 2016, 177 million packages of supplements were sold in Germany, corresponding to annual sales of €1.175 billion. Vitamins and minerals accounted for around 70% of all packages sold, but products containing plant-derived ingredients still accounted for 18% of sales [1]. The category known as “botanicals” also includes mushrooms (macromycetes, cap mushrooms), even if these are not considered plants from a taxonomic point of view [2].

“Medicinal mushrooms” are gaining an ever larger share of the market for dietary supplements made from mushrooms. These products are crushed, powdered mushrooms or mushroom extracts, sold in the form of capsules, tablets, or powders. They contain bioactive substances that are said to have health-promoting effects. Some products (most of which are known only as part of traditional Chinese medicine [TCM]) are even said to have therapeutic effects [3]. The growing number of publications that have appeared in PubMed and Web of Science since the 1980s under the keyword combination “mushrooms” and “dietary supplements” testifies to the growing scientific interest in dietary supplements made from mushrooms.

This article will provide an overview of dietary supplements made from mushrooms and will highlight which mushrooms are currently being focused on, which bioactive substances they contain, and what health-promoting effects are ascribed to them, as well as what has been observed in randomized, controlled trials (RCT) in humans and how these products are categorized according to the relevant laws, including laws governing food.

Abstract

Mushrooms (macromycetes) and their bioactive compounds are said to have health-promoting effects. These compounds include indigestible polysaccharides (e.g. β-glucans), mevinolin (which belongs to the group of statins), short-chain peptides, terpenoids and phenolic compounds. Most of the scientific findings regarding health-promoting effects come from in vitro and animal studies. There have been relatively few randomized controlled studies in humans regarding cardiometabolic effects; however, the studies that have been done in humans also show beneficial effects. Indications of protective effects explain the rising interest in and the booming market for fungi-based products. The potential preventive and therapeutic effects of several mushrooms and mushroom extracts raise the question of whether such products should be legally classified as dietary supplements or drugs for manufacturers, retailers, and consumers. This review discusses which criteria are decisive for legal classification. Blanket classification as either dietary supplements or drugs is not possible. Classification of such a product always requires the examination of all of the facts on a case-by-case basis.

Keywords: mushrooms, bioactive compounds, dietary supplements, food law regulations

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