Effect of the Medicinal Mushroom, Grifola gargal (Agaricomycetes), on Bone Turnover Markers and Serum Lipids in Middle-Aged and Elderly Japanese Women

A clinical study was performed to examine the effect of the edible mushroom, Grifola gargal, on bone turnover markers and serum lipids in middle-aged and elderly Japanese women. Postmenopausal women aged 51-73 years (mean age, 61 years) received daily oral administration of 5 g G. gargal fruiting bodies (hot air-dried and powdered; G. gargal powder [GGP]). Serum levels of bone alkaline phosphatase (BAP) and lipids and urinary deoxypyridinoline (DPD) levels were measured before and 2 weeks after the start of GGP treatment. As a result, urinary DPD bone resorption marker levels in women treated with GGP decreased significantly. Serum levels of the BAP bone formation marker also tended to increase, but the difference was not significant. By contrast, the atherogenic index decreased and the high-density lipoprotein (HDL) ratio increased significantly. However, there were no statistically significant differences in serum lipids of total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. In addition, this study demonstrated for the first time that G. gargal is safe for human consumption.