Elizabeth smells bull-shiitake: Are there benefits to shiitake mushrooms as an anti-aging substance? Is it effective?

The Left Brain has fun with fungus:
Mushroom extracts have been shown to have legitimate medicinal properties (for example, see this reference from the Journal Toxicology in Vitro.) But the only shiitake-based cosmetic product I could was Aveeno’s Active Naturals line, by Johnson and Johnson. They use a mushroom extract that contains a combination of shiitake and mannentake (reishi) mushrooms. Here are some examples of what they claim for the Natural Shiitake Complex:

Uses an exclusive process that captures the natural benefits of shitake mushrooms.

Has been shown to help accelerate your skin’s natural renewal process to replenish surface cells.

Reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles: Natural Shiitake Complex helps accelerate skin’s natural renewal process to replenish surface cells so that your skin looks and feels younger.

You’ll notice healthy and younger-looking skin in just 4 weeks.

Claims substantiation

As proof of these claims J&J offer a series of pre-clinical, in vitro studies. That means these are lab tests, not studies on actual human skin. These test appear to show that the mushroom complex can have a legitimate effect on factors that can make skin look older and wrinkled. The results showed the Complex could…

…inhibit the production of MMPs, metalloproteinases, from photoexposure that can degrade collagen and lead to the wrinkled, skin associated with photoaging.

…decrease the activity of elastase, an enzyme that can degrade elastin fibers and decrease in skin elasticity.

…reduce the release of pro-inflammatory mediators, when tested in vitro this may reduce extrinsic factors that can led to premature skin aging.

… reduce free oxygen radicals into a less reactive form giving it the potential to protect skin and reduce the damage to oxidatively challenged skin.

… stimulate epidermal proliferation after 4 weeks of application.

What does all this mean?

There’s more scientific testing behind Aveeno Active Naturals than most anti-aging products I’ve seen, and I applaud J&J for their thoroughness. However, these lab tests do not necessarily mean that you’ll experience these benefits when you use the product. In fact, the only testing done in vivo, or on people, was a consumer study in which 73% of the women noticed a reduction in lines and wrinkles in 4 weeks. This is a pretty standard claim made by many cosmetic treatments.

The Beauty Brains bottom line:

If you’re looking for a new anti-aging product to try, this one is reasonably priced at $19.00 (compared to most treatments.) But don’t expect a mushroom miracle.