The Wellness Team chats with Chris Tolson , General manager of Premier Mushrooms a family own business in the Hawkesbury Consuming just three sun-exposed, store-bought mushrooms, four times a week, exceeds the vitamin D requirements of ALL Aussie adults, new Australian research reveals.

The world-first research urges consideration of the 'Vitamin D mushroom' as an important food source for addressing our adult population's poor vitamin D intake – among the world's lowest.

Mushrooms can produce vitamin D if popped in the sun for 15 minutes, making them perfectly placed to help address the one in three Aussie adults (31%) who are vitamin D deficient, and the more than 95 per cent who have an inadequate vitamin D intake.

"Concerningly, vitamin D deficiency remains a serious public health issue in Australia. Yet vitamin D is the only nutrient not adequately met by the current Australian Dietary Guidelines (ADG)," said new research author, Nutrition Scientist, Space Nutritionist, and CEO of food and nutrition science translation group, FOODiQ Global, Dr Flávia Fayet-Moore.

"The dietary modelling used to inform the Guidelines, which is more than 10 years old, failed to include vitamin D mushrooms as a potential solution.

"In a world-first, we modelled a diet able to exceed the vitamin D needs of ALL Australian adults (according to Australian vitamin D targets), without fortification, with just four serves of 75 grams of vitamin D mushrooms per week," said Dr Fayet-Moore.

"Just 3-5 (100 grams) of vitamin D mushrooms per day can provide the same dose as a 1,000IU vitamin D supplement."

Vitamin D helps absorb and use calcium from food. It is essential for bone development and strength, cell growth, and maintaining a healthy immune system. Vitamin D is also important for healthy teeth and muscles. A lack of vitamin D can increase a person's risk of developing infectious diseases, muscle weakness, multiple sclerosis, diabetes, hypertension, metabolic syndrome, cancers, autoimmune and cardiovascular diseases.

Facing Shortages