Taiwanese researchers have found that Ganoderma lucidum, also known as the lingzhi mushroom, has a gut bacterium that can aid in weight loss and help prevent obesity.
The team led by Lai Hsin-chih (賴信志), a professor at Chang Gung University’s Department of Medical Biotechnology and Laboratory Science, published their findings in the peer-reviewed scientific journal Nature Communications.
Lai said experiments were conducted on obese patients who have hypertension, hyperlipidemia and diabetes, with some given a water extract of Ganoderma lucidum mycelium for three months.
The patients were divided into six groups: A — regular diet without Ganoderma lucidum; B — regular diet with Ganoderma lucidum; C — high-fat diet without Ganoderma lucidum; and D, E and F — high-fat diet with different concentrations of Ganoderma lucidum.
It was found that the body weight and inflammation levels among people in group B remain unchanged, while the body weights of those in groups D, E and F were reduced by 11 to 18 percent, with higher concentrations of Ganoderma lucidum having more significant results.
Lai said the study shows that the Ganoderma lucidum mycelium extract can adjust the composition of gut microbiota and produce a weight-loss effect.
He said that Gram-negative bacteria in the gut account for half of the bacteria and after eating Ganoderma lucidum, the anaerobic organism of one type of Gram-negative bacterium increases. This completes and bolsters the gut microbiota, so that toxins will not enter the blood from the intestines and contribute to obesity, he said.
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