Is this the miracle breakfast recipe? Advertisements for alternatives to coffee are multiplying on social networks: drinks enhanced with so-called “adaptogenic” mushrooms, that is, mushrooms that help the body adapt to stress and balance physiological functions.
The promise? Instant coffee preparations with extracts of shiitake, chaga, reishi, ashwagandha, hedgehog hydne (also called lion’s mane) or cordyceps that supposedly help “adapt to different stresses”, “balance blood sugar”, “improve digestion” , “balance physiological functions”, “tone” and “protect the body from inflammation” or even “strengthen immunity”. That’s all.
“The active ingredients and power of these mushrooms are amazing,” says David Lasry, co-founder of So Mush Organic, a French brand of instant coffee with adaptogenic mushroom extracts.
“The adaptogenic mushrooms present in our formulas are recognized for their beneficial effects on immunity, tone and concentration,” says Samuel Tessier, founder of Café des Warriors. “They have been used for thousands of years in Asian traditions for their virtues, particularly to support the body against stress and promote general balance.”
What is it really? “In fact, fungi produce molecules, metabolites, that have biological activity,” David Navarro, an engineer in fungal biotechnology and deputy director of the International Center for Microbial Resources – Filamentous Fungi (CIRM-CF) of Inrae, explains to BFMTV.com.
In fact, some mushrooms have proven effective. David Navarro cites penicillin, with antibiotic properties, synthesized by certain microscopic fungi. But also statins, of fungal origin, which treat excess cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart attacks. An Inserm team has also recently identified an active ingredient in a common edible mushroom that would be capable of correcting the genetic mutations responsible for certain rare diseases.
“Nothing about a scientific argument”
Would ingesting these mushrooms in your morning coffee help you take care of your health? The idea seems attractive. A study published last year in the journal Nature identified the role of a shiitake molecule in suppressing type 1 diabetes in mice. Another, conducted with 126 human participants, showed that immune cells developed after the administration of beta-glucans (complex carbohydrates) from reishi.
The manufacturers of these mushroom coffees assure that numerous scientific studies effectively demonstrate their numerous benefits. “But these are small studies carried out in mice, or in vitro, or even in very small cohorts,” Florence Leclerc, research professor in botany and mycology at the Paris-Cité University, tells BFMTV.com, who denounces the lack of knowledge. scientists. solidity. Some are also published in journals that are not unanimously accepted.
“We cannot so easily transfer the results obtained in a mouse or in a Petri dish to a human organism,” confirms researcher David Navarro. Not to mention that a mushroom is not a medicine. “A medicine contains one or more clearly identified and dosed active ingredients. “A fungus is a factory of metabolites, more than a hundred products in different degrees of quantity.”
“Nothing guarantees that this cocktail has the same effect as an isolated molecule,” he insists.
And if these mushrooms can have any effect on the human body, “it is not scientifically proven,” says Florence Leclerc, for whom the traditional use of these mushrooms, also described as medicinal, “has nothing to do with a scientific argument.”
“It’s a marketing claim”
For these experts, the other problem with these drinks is that the name “adaptogen” does not encompass any scientific reality. “This is not a recognized terminology,” says Florence Leclerc, a specialist in metabolites of filamentous fungi. “In the world of professional mycologists, we would never use this word.”
The European Medicines Agency has also ruled on this point: “the term (adaptogen, editor’s note) is not accepted in the pharmacological and clinical terminology commonly used in the EU.” “Adaptogenic fungi? It is a marketing statement,” says David Navarro.
And it is not because a metabolite of a fungus is known for its antioxidant or anti-inflammatory properties in a cell in the laboratory “that we will obtain the same effect when ingesting the fungus,” adds the representative of the International Center for Microbial Resources. Because the molecule must cross the digestive barrier, pass the intestinal wall…
“To say that the drink has the same effects is an extrapolation,” says the specialist.
The “Wild West”?
Beyond the uncertainties about the possible health benefits, academic Florence Leclerc denounces a certain vagueness regarding the composition of these products. He also regrets the lack of control over the production, quality and processing of these mushrooms: “In this area, some colleagues talk about the Wild West.”
Are these mushrooms produced according to the rules of art? asks fungal biotechnology engineer David Navarro. “Where do they come from? How were they grown? It is rarely said.” Because according to him, his cultivation method would have an impact on his metabolite production. “Reishi extracted from a tree trunk in a forest will not necessarily be of the same quality as reishi obtained in the laboratory from bales of sawdust. Their bioactive molecules may differ.”
The mycologist also questions the steps prior to production, in particular the choice of substrate (that is, the support on which the mushrooms grow). “What wood is used? If it is recycled wood to reduce costs, it may have been treated (with chemicals, editor’s note). However, we know that fungi bioaccumulate contaminants.”
“What are the controls? There is very little regulation. We don’t even check its heavy metal content.”
Certain mushrooms are also known for their toxicity. This is the case with shiitake if it is eaten raw or insufficiently cooked. ANSES and Fraud Repression have also warned about the risks of poisoning linked to the consumption of this mushroom.
“All batches are tested in an independent laboratory,” Juliette, co-founder of Bonjour coffees, defends to BFMTV.com. He adds that the mushrooms in his drinks come from a producer and importer based in the Netherlands, “everything is tracked.” And it specifies that chaga is harvested in the wild directly from birch trees, lion’s mane grown in hardwood and cordyceps in rice “under perfectly controlled conditions.”
“These tests guarantee the absence of hundreds of pesticide and heavy metal residues,” he says.
“There is no superfood”
Although this new generation coffee remains for the moment a niche market alongside the giants of the sector, more and more brands are being launched, especially in the organic or vegan segments. A growing market (this mushroom coffee sells for almost ten times more than standard instant coffee) and one that has a future: the mycotherapy industry here is expected to reach nearly 61 billion euros in revenue in 2030, according to the Grand View Research report. .
A market that gets carried away too quickly? This is what Anthony Fardet, an agri-food engineer by training and researcher in preventive and sustainable nutrition at the Inrae center (National Institute for Agricultural Research) in Clermont-Ferran, fears. Point out vague claims for BFMTV.com. “Reishi-based coffee that ‘balances blood sugar’? That doesn’t mean much, the word had to be chosen to stay within the legality of nutritional claims.”
Nutritional and health claims are “statements, images or symbols that promote food products at a nutritional or health level,” details Fraud Repression. Phrases like “fruit juice rich in vitamin C”, “low in sugar”, but also “good for the heart” or even “calcium is necessary for normal bones” are very well-defined marketing promises.
For this reason, some of these coffee producers are cautious, such as So Mush Organic, which mentions on its packaging mushrooms “known in traditional medicine for their positive effects”, particularly on stress and chronic fatigue, and even mentions that “They offer numerous health benefits.” immune system.
“We don’t want to sell false promises,” adds David Lasry, who nevertheless considers these mushrooms to be “impressive superfoods.”
But others advertise that it “relieves swelling”, “regulates hormonal balance” or even improves “concentration and memory” but also helps “nerve regeneration”. Accusations moderated by Anthony Fardet. “You have to be careful with the health potential of a food.” Because, according to him, there is no “superfood.” “On the other hand, you can have a good diet, but no single food will save your health.”
Source: BFM TV
