Underappreciated Health Benefits of Edible Mushrooms in the Dietary Management of Chronic Kidney Disease.

Current dietary guidelines for management of chronic kidney disease focus on plant-based protein consumption without enough attention given to consumption of mushrooms. This is a missed opportunity since these members of the Fungi kingdom provide high amounts of rare distinctive nutrients and bioactives. We have perused most of the data on nutritional aspects of mushrooms published over the past decade with the goal to introduce nephrology health care professionals to the broad scope of health benefits that increased mushroom consumption might offer in the dietary management of chronic kidney disease patients. The literature review supports the concept that a healthy plant-based diet supplemented with common edible mushrooms or their novel mushroom or myco-protein products could provide more antioxidants and anti-inflammatory factors in addition to those normally found in plant-based foods. Moreover, mushrooms provide rare bioactives like ergothioneine, essential micronutrients like vitamin D and selenium, relatively lower bioavailable phosphorus as phytate, low potential renal acid load, and complete essential amino acid protein sources.