How Not to Age: The Scientific Approach to Getting Healthier as You Get Older

by Michael Greger

To describe nutrients that may not necessarily be essential for life but may be required for long-term health,2602 famed biochemist Professor Emeritus Bruce Ames coined the term “longevity vitamin” and identified ergothioneine as a likely candidate.2603 Of more than a hundred compounds measured in the bloodstreams of thousands of individuals, the one most associated with the lowest rates of disease and death was ergothioneine,2604 thought to function as a potent intramitochondrial antioxidant.2605 I review what it can do and the best way to get it in see.nf/ergo. In short, mushrooms and tempeh—a fungi-fermented soybean cake—are the only concentrated dietary sources.2606 Porcinis lead the pack, with about three times more ergothioneine than oyster and shiitake mushrooms, which in turn have about three times more than the typical white, cremini, or portobello varieties.2607 Ergothioneine may explain why mushroom consumption is associated with a lower risk of dying prematurely from all causes put together.2608