New Product: Vitamin D Rich Mushrooms

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New Product: Vitamin D Rich Mushrooms

Postby JeffN » Mon Jul 28, 2008 5:03 pm

I am rarely one to promote a specific product, but those of you who live in higher lattitudes may really benefit from these mushrooms. In one of the discussions on Vitamin D, I mentioned that companies were looking into this and now one has come out with them. The Vitamin D is produced by exposing the mushrooms to light during the growing process.

In Health
Jeff

http://dolemushrooms.com/Vitamin%20D.htm

DOLE LAUNCHES NEW MEGA-VITAMIN D MUSHROOMS

New Portobellos Combat Deficiencies, Naturally Provide 100% of RDA

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, California, May 27, 2008 –Dole Food Company, Inc., has announced a nutritional breakthrough with the release of new DOLE Portobello Mushrooms with naturally enhanced levels of vitamin D, reaching over 100% of recommended daily requirements.

These DOLE 6oz. Portobello Mushrooms, whole and sliced, will hit store shelves June 1.

Research on vitamin D has exploded in recent years, yielding a seemingly endless list of newly discovered health benefits. While traditional vitamin D research focused on the nutrient’s well-documented role in supporting bone health, the newly reported benefits range from dramatically reduced risk of colon, breast and ovarian cancer to improved cardiovascular health to reduced incidence of Type I diabetes.

“Until now, getting 100% of your vitamin D needs from food alone has been hard,” stated Nicholas Gillitt, PhD, Nutrition Research & Labeling Manager of the Dole Nutrition Institute. “But we’ve pioneered a patent-pending process in which light triggers vitamin D generation in mushrooms -- just as in the human body.”

An ordinary flash bulb -- similar to the sort used in cameras -- boosts the mushrooms' vitamin D content without compromising freshness or food safety.

Despite the body's natural, sun-triggered ability to produce vitamin D, deficiency remains widespread. Vitamin D deficiency may be on the rise among kids -- and is particularly acute among seniors and darker skinned ethnicities.

Such a nutrient-dense, natural source of vitamin D could be a health boon for millions suffering from vitamin D deficiency, which not only undermines bones and teeth, but low levels of vitamin D have been linked to high blood pressure, compromised immunity, and higher risk of colon, breast, kidney, prostate and colorectal cancer risk.

Dole's vitamin D innovation will shine a light -- literally and figuratively -- on the health benefits of mushrooms. Portobellos are already a significant source of seven vitamins and minerals -- including well over a third of daily recommended riboflavin, a B vitamin which helps support the body's antioxidant systems.

“When we bring these to market, mushrooms will be the only natural, non-animal source of vitamin D available,” said Gary Schroeder, Director of Dole Mushrooms. “Since plants do not make vitamin D we will be the only source of vitamin D in the produce section.”

Dole leads the industry with this unique process of exposing mushrooms to light that increases the vitamin D content to 100% of the RDA.

Dole Food Company, Inc., with 2007 revenues of $6.9 billion, is the world's largest producer and marketer of high-quality fresh fruit, fresh vegetables and fresh-cut flowers. Dole markets a growing line of packaged and frozen foods and is a produce industry leader in nutrition education and research.

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Postby Clairembart » Mon Jul 28, 2008 6:11 pm

Interesting!

I can not really read the label though.

What is meant by 100% of the RDA - we can reach that level by eating how many ounces of the mushrooms?

In in this case isn't recommended to surpass the RDA? I believe here in Canada, the Cancer Society now recommends 1,000 Vitamin D daily units (mcg?)

If I eat the 2 delicious Portobello mushrooms on that picture how much Vitamin D would I get?

Do you know? I understand this is new and you may not have the answers. Anyway this is an interesting development especially for us Northerners - or for anyone who must avoid too much sun.
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Postby landog » Mon Jul 28, 2008 8:24 pm

"Starting with Dole Portobellos, they pioneered a process of using an ordinary flash bulb (similar to the sort used in cameras) to boost the mushrooms' vitamin D content without compromising freshness or food safety. "

I wonder if we can do the same - get Vitamin D from a strobe light!

As it is, I've been trying to walk outside for 15 minutes a day during lunch hour. But with only my head and arms exposed - I was wondering if it does enough good. Latitude 41' 28.

I have tried many new things since starting this way of life - including brussel sprouts, asparagus, kale and sweet potatoes! I'm not ready for mushrooms yet, though!
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West Coast

Postby landog » Mon Jul 28, 2008 8:28 pm

The text below is an excerpt from:

http://www.shroomery.org/forums/showflat.php/Number/8456011

"Monterey Mushrooms Inc., Watsonville, Calif., also has produced a sliced baby brown portabella boasting 100% of the recommended daily allowance of vitamin D, which it began test marketing in May on the West Coast, said Michael Stephan, Monterey’s director of central region sales.

"The vitamin D levels within Monterey’s sliced baby browns are activated by ultraviolet rays, and the company plans to introduce vitamin D-enhanced brown and white mushrooms in August in parts of the country, Stephan said."

Monterey Mushrooms web site:
http://montereymushrooms.com/VitaD.htm
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Postby JeffN » Tue Jul 29, 2008 7:35 am

There are some misconceptions about Vitamin D2

(And repeating these misconceptions often does not make them accurate)

Just to clarify:

There are two types of vitamin D:

Vitamin D3 - cholecalciferol; is derived from animals (usually from sheep's wool or fish oil). It is the preferred form that is usually recommended as studies have shown it to be more effective, and it is the form animals (including humans) synthesize from sunlight.

Vitamin D2 - ergocalciferol; a plant chemical that is the form synthesized by plants. It has vitamin D activity in humans, but not as much activity as D3;

While D3 has been shown to be more effective (some studies have estimated it to be about 3- 10x more effective) it doesn't mean that D2 is ineffective.

If you are avoiding animal products, and are unable to get enough Vit D from exposure to sunlight, a Vit D2 supplement may be a solution, but you may have to take more of it, or take it more often.

The reason is that in a study done in 2004, subjects were given one dose of 50,000 IU of vitamin D2 or vitamin D3. Vitamin D2 was absorbed just as well as vitamin D3. However, after three days, blood levels of 25(OH)D decreased rapidly in the subjects who were given vitamin D2 and by 14 days they had fallen to the original level. Those who received vitamin D3 sustained high levels for two weeks before dropping gradually. This seems to indicates that vitamin D2 needs to be taken at least every three days to maintain adequate blood levels.

Quoting from the study..

The relative potencies of vitamins D(2) and D(3) were evaluated by administering single doses of 50,000 IU of the respective calciferols to 20 healthy male volunteers, following the time course of serum vitamin D and 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) over a period of 28 d and measuring the area under the curve of the rise in 25OHD above baseline.The two calciferols produced similar rises in serum concentration of the administered vitamin,indicating equivalent absorption. Both produced similar initial rises in serum 25OHD over the first 3 d, but 25OHD continued to rise in the D(3)-treated subjects, peaking at 14 d, whereas serum 25OHD fell rapidly in the D(2)-treated subjects and was not different from baseline at 14 d.

(Armas LA, Hollis BW, Heaney RP. Vitamin D2 is much less effective than vitamin D3 in humans. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2004 Nov;89(11):5387-91.)

Here are a few more studies with relevant info

Eur J Clin Nutr. 2006 May;60(5):681-7. Vitamin D2 dose required to rapidly increase 25OHD levels in osteoporotic women. Mastaglia SR, Mautalen CA, Parisi MS, Oliveri B.

OBJECTIVE: Assessment of the effectiveness and safety of high daily 125 microg (5,000 IU) or 250 microg (10,000IU) doses of vitamin D(2) during 3 months, in rapidly obtaining adequate 25 hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) levels.

DESIGN: Longitudinal study.

SUBJECTS: Postmenopausal osteopenic/osteoporotic women (n = 38 ) were studied during winter and spring. Median age (25-75th percentile) was 61.5 (57.00-66.25) years, and mean bone mineral density (BMD) was 0.902 (0.800-1.042)g/cm(2). Subjects were randomly divided into three groups: control group (n=13): no vitamin D(2), 125 mug/day (n=13) and 250 microg/day (n=12) of vitamin D(2) groups, all receiving 500 mg calcium/day. Serum calcium, phosphate, bone alkaline phosphatase (BAP), C-telopeptide (CTX), 25OHD, mid-molecule parathyroid hormone (mmPTH), daily urinary calcium and creatinine excretion were determined at baseline and monthly.

RESULTS: For all subjects (n=38 ), the median baseline 25 hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) level was 36.25 (27.5-48.12) nmol/l. After 3 months, 8% of the patients in the control group, 50% in the 125 microg/day group and 75% in the 250 microg/day group had 25OHD values above 85 nmol/l (34 ng/ml). Considering both vitamin D(2) groups together, mmPTH and BAP levels diminished significantly after 3 months (P<0.02), unlike those of CTX. Serum calcium remained within normal range during the follow-up.

CONCLUSIONS: The oral dose of vitamin D(2) required to rapidly achieve adequate levels of 25OHD is seemingly much higher than the usual recommended vitamin D(3) dose (20 mug/day). During 3 months, 250 microg/day of vitamin D(2) most effectively raised 25OHD levels to 85 nmol/l in 75% of the postmenopausal osteopenic/osteoporotic women treated.

Also..

J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol. 2004 May;89-90(1-5):601-4.Effect of Vitamin D supplement use on serum concentrations of total 25OHD levels in elderly women.

Concluded: Vitamin D deficiency was less prevalent in elderly women taking Vitamin D(2) supplements (1.8%) compared to women not taking any supplements (12%).

And..

Calcif Tissue Int. 2004 Feb;74(2):150-6. Epub 2003 Dec 5. Effect of vitamins D2 and D3 supplement use on serum 25OHD concentration in elderly women in summer and winter.

Concluded: In elderly subjects, both vitamin D2 and Vitamin D3 supplements may contribute equally to circulating 25OHD levels, with the role of vitamin D supplement use being more predominant during winter.


Vit D2 is effective and further verified here.

More info and a great article on the topic from one of the worlds leading researchers on this topic

"Michael F. Holick, PhD, MD, is professor of medicine, physiology, and biophysics; director of the General Clinical Research Center; and director of the Bone Health Care Clinic and the Heliotherapy, Light, and Skin Research Center at Boston University Medical Center." The below interview is in a free full-text paper.


ALTERNATIVE THERAPIES, May/jun 2008, VOL. 14, NO. 3, 64-75.
Conversations: Michael Holick, PhD, MD.
MICHAEL HOLICK, PHD, MD: VITAMIN D PIONEER.
Interview by Frank Lampe and Suzanne Snyder. Photography by David Keough.

http://www.alternative-therapies.com/at ... erview.pdf

MICHAEL HOLICK, PHD, MD: VITAMIN D PIONEER
ALTERNATIVE THERAPIES, May/jun 2008, VOL. 14, NO. 3

ATHM: Has recent research shown that both vitamin D 2 and D3 are equally effective at increasing the levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D? This is in opposition with earlier studies, is it not?

Dr Holick: That’s correct. There was a study done in Canada in which researchers gave a group of adults 4000 IU of vitamin D 2 or 4000 IU of vitamin D 3 in ethanol for a period of 2 weeks and showed wide variability, and there appeared to be a 50% reduction in the 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels in the adults who were taking vitamin D 2. This implied that vitamin D2 was less effective than vitamin D 3. The second study that set this kindling on fi re was the observation by Dr Heaney’s group. They gave a single 50 000-IU dose of vitamin D 2 or a single 50 000-IU dose of vitamin D3 to healthy adults in the summertime. When they followed their 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels, they found that the levels more rapidly declined in the group that got that single dose of vitamin D 2. But more importantly and alarmingly was that the 25-hydroxyvitamin D 3 in those same subjects more rapidly declined than the subjects who received a placebo, implying that the vitamin D 2 induced the destruction of vitamin D 3. Therefore, not only was vitamin D 2 less active, but it caused the destruction of vitamin D3.

I decided to conduct a study in which we gave 1000 IU of Vitamin D 2 or 1000 IU of vitamin D3 to healthy adults at the end of the winter—Dr Heaney’s study was done in the summer, and sun exposure may have infl uenced the outcome of the study. We found that vitamin D 2 raised the blood levels of 25-hydroxyvita-min D identically to the group that took vitamin D 3. More importantly, to leave no stone unturned, we also made a capsule that contained 500 IU of vitamin D 2 and 500 IU of vitamin D 3 and showed that the 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels increased exactly the same degree for the 25-hydroxyvitamin D 2 and 25-hydroxyvitamin D 3 and that there was no alteration in the 25-hydroxyvitamin D 3 levels in the group that got vitamin D 2. That, to me, proves that vitamin D 2 is as effective as vitamin D 3 in raising and maintaining 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels.

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Postby JeffN » Tue Jul 29, 2008 7:52 am

On the Vit D in the above mentioned mushrooms


1) Br J Nutr. 2005 Jun;93(6):951-5.Bioavailability of vitamin D2 from irradiated mushrooms: an in vivo study.

It may be concluded from the results that vitamin D2 from UV-irradiated mushrooms is well absorbed and metabolized in this model animal system. Significant increase in femur bone mineralization (P<0.01) was shown in the presence of vitamin D2 from irradiated mushrooms compared with the controls.


2) Am J Clin Nutr. 1999 Jan;69(1):95-8.Bioavailability of vitamin D from wild edible mushrooms (Cantharellus tubaeformis) as measured with a human bioassay.

CONCLUSIONS: We showed for the first time that ergocalciferol was well absorbed from lyophilized and homogenized mushrooms in humans and that vitamin D bioavailability can be studied in humans with such an experimental protocol.


3) J Toxicol Environ Health A. 2006 Nov;69(21):1979-85.Vitamin D2 from irradiated mushrooms significantly increases femur bone mineral density in rats.

Femur BMD of the experimental group was significantly elevated compared to initial femur BMD of the study group. Data indicate that vitamin D2 from ultraviolet (UV)-irradiated mushrooms was well absorbed and metabolized in animals.

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Postby Joe927 » Tue Jul 29, 2008 8:21 am

Thanks for the Vit D info Jeff. It's good to hear the full story. Sounds like sunlight is best, but that Vit D can obtained without compromising health.
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Postby Joe927 » Tue Jul 29, 2008 9:12 am

quote
Vitamin D2, if given in high enough doses, prevents infantile rickets and is capable of healing adult osteomalacia. However, the inefficiency of vitamin D2 compared with vitamin D3, on a per mole basis, at increasing 25(OH)D is now well documented, and no successful clinical trials to date have shown that vitamin D2 prevents fractures (19-21, 47). Given the assumption that the intake of any nutrient will deliver defined effects [ie, supplementation with vitamin D will lead to an increase in 25(OH)D or fracture prevention], it is clear that vitamin D2 does not fit this current nutritional notion. This is not to suggest that vitamin D2 is not efficacious, but, because the units of the 2 forms is clearly not equivalent, likely due to its distinct metabolic features and diminished binding of vitamin D2 metabolites to DBP in plasma, continual application of vitamin D2 in clinical use, including in research trials, only serves to confound our understanding of optimal vitamin D dosing recommendations. Furthermore, the public expects to derive the equivalent effect per unit dose of vitamin D, whether it is vitamin D2 or vitamin D3. The scientific community is aware that these molecules are not equivalent. Therefore, vitamin D2 should no longer be regarded as a nutrient appropriate for supplementation or fortification of foods.

Bold added by me.
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Postby Joe927 » Wed Jul 30, 2008 7:43 am

http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/reprint/67/6/1108.pdf
A third factor, of course, is the actual concentration of
7-dehydrocholesterol in these two strata. Under normal physiologic
circumstances in humans there are ample quantities of
7-dehydrocholesterol available in the stratum spinosum and
stratum basale (<25–50 mg/cm2 of skin) but in some species,
such as domestic cats, this is an important consideration. Morris
(12) reported that kittens exposed to UV-B are unable to photochemically
produce vitamin D3. The concentration of
7-dehydrocholesterol in cat skin, in contrast with skin in hamsters,
rats, pigs, and sheep, was virtually undetectable. Thus, it
may be that for domestic cats vitamin D3 is an essential dietary
trace nutrient, ie, a vitamin.


And, from the same paper

It is largely through a historical accident
that vitamin D was classified in the early 1920s as a vitamin
rather than as a steroid hormone (15). The molecular structure of
vitamin D is closely allied to that of classic steroid hormones
(eg, estradiol, cortisol, and aldosterone) because they all have the
same root cyclopentanoperhydrophenanthrene ring structure.
Technically, vitamin D is a secosteroid


Also, there is little evidence that D3 prevents fractures either.
http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/330/7498/1003

Conclusion We found no evidence that calcium and vitamin D supplementation reduces the risk of clinical fractures in women with one or more risk factors for hip fracture.
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Re: New Product: Vitamin D Rich Mushrooms

Postby Acura » Tue Dec 06, 2011 8:14 am

If you are avoiding animal products, and are unable to get enough Vit D from exposure to sunlight, a Vit D2 supplement may be a solution, but you may have to take more of it, or take it more often.


What is the significance of if you are avoiding animal products in above? Animal products doesn't contain Vit D, correct? or does animal products interfere in the way D2 is absorbed?
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Re: New Product: Vitamin D Rich Mushrooms

Postby JeffN » Tue Dec 06, 2011 8:21 am

Just whether they would want D3 or not. And, several animal products (fatty fish) do have significant amounts of D and some others are fortified with it.

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Re: New Product: Vitamin D Rich Mushrooms

Postby Acura » Tue Dec 06, 2011 8:33 am

Another question why would one play with D2/D3 when D3 is clearly shown to be effective; D2 may or not be effective. There are some question marks on D2, it may raise the vit D levels equally but some say it doesn't last quite as long. Anyway I'm curious, if there is any advantage to Vit D2?
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Re: New Product: Vitamin D Rich Mushrooms

Postby JeffN » Tue Dec 06, 2011 8:51 am

Philosophical & personal reasons.

Also, the D2 vs D3 issue has been thoroughly discussed here in the forum & D2 is as effective.

http://www.drmcdougall.com/forums/viewt ... 22&t=17842

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