Mushroom power: can fungi give athletes an edge?

Athletes are always on the lookout for a new sports supplement that could give them an edge. And there certainly are some sports supplements that deliver on their promises: creatine and caffeine are two clear examples. But a new supplement is starting to gain traction for its performance benefits: and that’s the humble mushroom. There's now emerging science suggesting that certain functional mushrooms, particularly the varieties of Cordyceps and reishi (also known as Ganoderma lucidum), may offer genuine benefits for endurance, recovery and immune function in athletes. In this podcast, I unpack the research behind these fungal supplements to see what's real, what's hype and whether these mushrooms deserve a spot in your supplement arsenal.

Links referred to in the podcast

• Review of the effect of mushroom supplementation on performance in athletes https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/nutrition/articles/10.3389/fnut.2025.1670416/full

Episode transcript
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Transcript

Athletes are always on the lookout for a new sports supplement that could give them an edge. And there certainly are some sports supplements that deliver on their promises: creatine and caffeine are two clear examples. But a new supplement is starting to gain traction for its performance benefits: and that’s the humble mushroom. There's now emerging science suggesting that certain functional mushrooms, particularly the varieties of Cordyceps and reishi (also known as Ganoderma lucidum), may offer genuine benefits for endurance, recovery and immune function in athletes. In this podcast, I'll unpack the research behind these fungal supplements to see what's real, what's hype and whether these mushrooms deserve a spot in your supplement arsenal.

Edible fungi as a group encompasses more than 2,000 different species. Over 20 of those species have been successfully developed for large-scale commercial cultivation. Button, portobello, shiitake, oyster, Swiss brown and porcini are all culinary household names. But there are many more.

Outside of the taste and texture mushrooms can add to a dish, there has been a lot of interest in their health benefits too. Edible fungi contain a remarkably diverse array of bioactive compounds, including polysaccharides, alkaloids, sterols, polyphenols, terpenoids, peptides and micronutrients like vitamins and trace elements. Many of these compounds have been shown in laboratory and animal studies to have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and even anti-cancer properties.

But I’m not going to dive into all those health topics today. Instead, I want to just focus on health and performance benefits mushrooms could offer for athletes.

Now I’ll fully admit that until I first came across research on this topic only in the last few weeks, the area of mushrooms and sports performance had never entered my research orbit despite me keeping abreast of so many different research areas across my decades long career. Maybe though it was some innate bias inside of me that steered me away from any research paper with the title ‘mushrooms’ in it because truth be told, mushrooms rank at the number one spot on the list of foods that I strongly dislike. That word ‘fungus’ doesn’t do much for me I’m afraid. But my inherent food preferences aside, let’s get back into the research.

Because of the repeated high-intensity stress that athletes put their body under, this can induce oxidative damage, inflammation, and muscle micro-injuries that could affect training quality and competitive performance. Prolonged intense training can also compromise immune function, making athletes more susceptible to illnesses like upper respiratory tract infections. So, the rationale goes that natural dietary supplements based on edible fungi might help enhance antioxidant capacity, reduce fatigue, accelerate post-exercise recovery, and support immune health.​

That’s a great theory. But is there research to support it? And that’s what got my interest to put out this podcast episode because it seems there have been quite a few human clinical trials with fungus extracts that focus on relevant performance and physiologic outcomes in athletes.

One of the best studied mushrooms is Cordyceps sinensis which sits at the heart of traditional Chinese medicine. Cordyceps contains a range of bioactive compounds, including polysaccharides, cordycepin, and adenosine, which have been shown to activate the immune system and exert protective effects. But how might it help with athletic performance?​ A key compound found in Cordyceps is cordycepin which may enhance aerobic metabolism by stimulating mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation and promoting oxygen-carrying efficiency in red blood cells. Think of it as potentially fine-tuning your body's engine to use fuel more efficiently. Cordycepin has also been shown to activate steroid hormone production, which could improve recovery, muscle maintenance, and red blood cell production. 

Another well-studied mushroom is Ganoderma lucidum, more commonly known as reishi. This mushroom has long been revered in traditional East Asian medicine as a valuable health tonic. It contains approximately 400 identified bioactive compounds, predominantly triterpenoids and polysaccharides, which are recognised for their broad spectrum of biological functions including anti-inflammatory and immune-enhancing effects.​

Enough of the background. Let’s answer the question if taking the types of mushrooms I’ve profiled as supplements will improve your athletic performance.

Compiling the research together, a recent systematic review could include 14 randomised controlled trials involving 528 athletes that looked at a range of fungal supplements including cordyceps and reishi mushrooms along with a few other species taken as a capsule or liquid preparation. The key outcomes were the effects of the fungal mushrooms on endurance, immune function and blood haematological profiles. And I’ll link to the review in the show notes. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/nutrition/articles/10.3389/fnut.2025.1670416/full

Here’s what they found. Taking cordyceps at around 3 grams per day significantly improved running endurance performance as well as ventilatory threshold. Ventilatory threshold is the point during exercise where the body's breathing rate begins to increase disproportionately to the rate of oxygen consumption, signalling a shift from primarily aerobic to anaerobic metabolism. It's a key indicator of cardiorespiratory fitness. On top of that, VO2peak also increased which is the highest rate of oxygen consumed during an exercise session. Taken together, the significant change in these outcomes indicated enhanced aerobic capacity.

For reishi, taking it at approximately 75 mg per day significantly reduced blood urea nitrogen and blood lactate levels, indicating improved nitrogen metabolism and post-exercise recovery. Haematocrit, which is a measure of the percentage of red blood cells in a sample, was also significantly elevated, suggesting enhanced oxygen-carrying capacity. And activity of the enzyme superoxide dismutase, which is part of our antioxidant defence system, increased as well, implying improved antioxidant defence.​

And of even more interest from the clinical trials, using triterpenoid and polysaccharide extracts of reishi mushrooms significantly elevated haemoglobin levels, with stronger effects observed in endurance athletes like cyclists and long-distance runners.

The beneficial effects of fungal supplements in athletes appear to arise from three interrelated mechanisms: antioxidant defence, immune regulation and metabolic adaptation.

There were other types of mushrooms included in the review such as oyster mushrooms and a cousin of Cordyceps sinensis called Cordyceps militaris, but each had only one or two studies done with them, so it was hard to draw any firm conclusions although the studies were looking favourable for having immune benefits. Whereas for reishi there were 6 trials and for Cordyceps sinensis there were four studies.

 I do need to mention several limitations in the current evidence base for fungal supplements and athletic performance. Most of studies have been relatively small and short-term with considerable variation in the types of fungal extracts used, their concentrations of active compounds and the methods used to prepare them. 

There's also the issue of potential publication bias, with 13 out of 14 included trials in the review I profiled reporting some form of favourable outcomes. Negative studies are less likely to be published, which could mean the true effect sizes are smaller than what the current literature suggests.​

Are the types of mushroom supplements used in the clinical trials safe? The good news is that the available evidence say mushroom supplements are generally well tolerated with no serious adverse effects reported in the clinical trials. Common mild side effects can include gastrointestinal issues like bloating or nausea, but these are typically transient and occur mainly at higher doses. Reishi mushroom does have some blood-thinning properties, so anyone on anticoagulant medications should consult their healthcare provider before use.​​

However, as with any supplement, there are some caveats for athletes. First, the supplement industry isn't tightly regulated, which means product quality can vary considerably. The amount of active compounds like cordycepin, polysaccharides or β-glucans can differ substantially between products and may not match what's on the label. Second, while mushroom supplements themselves aren't prohibited substances under WADA rules, there's always some contamination risk with any dietary supplement. Athletes subject to drug testing should look for products that have been third-party tested for banned substances.

So, what about dosing if you're interested in trying these supplements? Based on the research reviewed, for Cordyceps, doses of 2 to 3 grams per day for at least 6 to 12 weeks seem to be the sweet spot for seeing benefits in endurance performance. For reishi which you’ll also find labelled as Ganoderma lucidum, doses ranged from 75 milligrams up to 5 grams per day, with a period of 8 to 12 weeks of consistent intake to see benefits on blood urea nitrogen, lactate and haemoglobin.

So, let's wrap all this up. What to make of this emerging research on mushroom supplements and athletic performance? If I had to provide a balanced conclusion, I would say that certain fungal supplements, particularly Cordyceps and reishi, show genuine promise as natural, safe ergogenic aids that may enhance endurance, improve recovery and support physiological resilience in athletes.​ And unlike many sports supplements that have only been tested in petri dishes or rats, there's actually a reasonable body of human clinical trial evidence here, even if the studies are mostly small and of moderate quality.

But, and there's always a but with these things, the effects are not dramatic. We're not talking about something that will transform an average recreational runner into an elite marathoner. As with all sports supplements that have a credible research base behind them, the effects are relatively small with a large degree of individual variation. Some athletes may respond well to these supplements while others see no benefit at all. If you're curious, consider it an experiment with your own physiology during training, not competition, to see if you notice any difference.

And let's not lose sight of the fundamentals here. No mushroom supplement, no matter how magical its reputation (see what I did there?), will compensate for inadequate training, poor nutrition, insufficient sleep or lack of recovery. These supplements sit in the ‘icing on the cake’ category, potentially useful additions to an already solid foundation of training and nutrition.

My final word on this is to say that the use of any supplement for sports performance involves a balance between the potential benefits set against potential risks such as side effects, anti-doping rule violations from contamination, cost and redirection of resources from real performance-enhancing factors like training smart and eating well. So, take this into account when considering adding mushrooms to your sports nutrition supplement toolkit. And if you want personalised advice, seek out a sports dietitian who can help you evaluate whether these supplements make sense for your specific situation and goals.

So that’s it for today’s show. You can find the show notes either in the app you’re listening to this podcast on, or else head over to my webpage at www.thinkingnutrition.com.au and click on the podcast section to find this episode to read the show notes.

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I’m Tim Crowe and you’ve been listening to Thinking Nutrition.