Is a Powerhouse Nutrient Hiding in Plain Sight?

Dialogue

Food Technology Magazine | Article

Robert Beelman

We all have a substance circulating in our blood that appears to have great importance for our long-term health outcomes and life expectancy. Unfortunately, most people have never heard about it and little attention is paid to it.

This substance, called ergothioneine (ERGO), is an amino acid with a unique structure that makes it both an antioxidant and an anti-inflammatory agent. Both properties are important to our long-term health because most chronic diseases of aging are caused by oxidative …

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In This Article

  1. Diet and Health
  2. Antioxidants

About the Author

Robert Beelman, PhD, an IFT emeritus member, is professor emeritus of food science and director, Center for Plant and Mushroom Foods for Health at Pennsylvania State University (rbb6@psu.edu).
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