Does Ganoderma lucidum reduce obesity? (2025)

Anti-Obesity Effect Of Mushroom (Ganoderma Lucidum) On Experimentally Induced Obese Rats

Anwer Khan Modern Medical College Journal, 2012

Ganoderma lucidum culture supplement ameliorates dyslipidemia and reduces visceral fat accumulation in type 2 diabetic rats

Mycology

Ganoderma lucidum reduces obesity in mice by modulating the composition of the gut microbiota

Nature communications, 2015

Obesity is associated with low-grade chronic inflammation and intestinal dysbiosis. Ganoderma lucidum is a medicinal mushroom used in traditional Chinese medicine with putative anti-diabetic effects. Here, we show that a water extract of Ganoderma lucidum mycelium (WEGL) reduces body weight, inflammation and insulin resistance in mice fed a high-fat diet (HFD). Our data indicate that WEGL not only reverses HFD-induced gut dysbiosis-as indicated by the decreased Firmicutes-to-Bacteroidetes ratios and endotoxin-bearing Proteobacteria levels-but also maintains intestinal barrier integrity and reduces metabolic endotoxemia. The anti-obesity and microbiota-modulating effects are transmissible via horizontal faeces transfer from WEGL-treated mice to HFD-fed mice. We further show that high molecular weight polysaccharides (>300 kDa) isolated from the WEGL extract produce similar anti-obesity and microbiota-modulating effects. Our results indicate that G. lucidum and its high molecular w...

Health Benefits of Ganoderma lucidum as a Medicinal Mushroom

Turkish Journal of Agriculture - Food Science and Technology

Ganoderma lucidum (Curtis) P. Karst., known as “Lingzhi” in China or “Reishi” in Japan, is a well-known medicinal mushroom and traditional Chinese medicine, which has been used for the prevention and treatment of bronchitis, allergies, hepatitis, immunological disorders and cancer. G. lucidum is rarely collected from nature and mostly cultivated on wood logs and sawdust in plastic bags or bottles to meet the demands of international markets. Diverse groups of chemical compounds with pharmacological activities, isolated from the mycelia and fruiting bodies of G. lucidum are triterpenoids, polysaccharides (β-D-glucans), proteins, amino acids, nucleosides, alkaloids, steroids, lactones, lectins, fatty acids, and enzymes. The biologically active compounds as primarily triterpenoids and polysaccharides of G. lucidum have been reported to possess hepatoprotective, antihypertensive, hypocholesterolemic, antihistaminic effects and antioxidant, antitumor, immunomodulatory, and antiangiogenic...

Suneel.Ishwar.Majagi, P.A.Patil. Influence of Ganoderma lucidum preparations on blood glucose and lipids in albino rats. Pharmacologyonline.2009; 2: 1038-1047

Pharmacologyonline

Ganoderma lucidum, a mushroom, is traditionally used in Japan and China for various diseases. Commercially available Ganoderma lucidum preparations like fruit body product and mycelium product are widely used by diabetic patients. Consumption of these products by the patients concurrently with hypoglycemics may lead to serious hypoglycemia. Since there is paucity of information regarding their interaction with clinically used oral hypoglycemics, the present study was planned to investigate the same with glibenclamide, a commonly used oral hypoglycemic agent. Male adult Wistar rats were rendered hyperglycemic by administering 60mg/kg of alloxan (in 0.3 ml) through tail vein. Alloxan induced hyperglycemic animals were subdivided in to various groups (n=6 in each) to receive single dose of vehicle, glibenclamide (0.9mg/kg), fruitbody product (146 mg/kg) , mycelium product (243 mg/kg) and predetermined Sub Hypoglycemic Doses of fruitbody product (100 mg/kg), mycelium product (175 mg/kg)...

Effect of Ganoderma lucidum extract on adipocyte differentiation and adiponectin gene expression in the murine pre-adipocyte cell line, 3T3-L1

Phytotherapy Research, 2010

Ganoderma lucidum: Unutilized natural medicine and promising future solution to emerging diseases in Africa

Frontiers in Pharmacology

Ganoderma lucidum is a well-known medicinal mushroom that has been used for the prevention and treatment of different ailments to enhance longevity and health specifically in China, Japan, and Korea. It was known as “God’s herb” in ancient China as it was believed to prolong life, enhance the youthful spirit and sustain/preserve vitality. G. lucidum is seldom collected from nature and is substantially cultivated on wood logs and sawdust in plastic bags or bottles to meet the international market demand. Both in vitro and in vivo studies on the copious metabolic activities of G. lucidum have been carried out. Varied groups of chemical compounds including triterpenoids, polysaccharides, proteins, amino acids, nucleosides, alkaloids, steroids, lactones, lectins, fatty acids, and enzymes with potent pharmacological activities have been isolated from the mycelia and fruiting bodies of G. lucidum. Several researchers have reported the abundance and diversification of its biological action...

Ganoderma lucidum Extract Reduces Insulin Resistance by Enhancing AMPK Activation in High-Fat Diet-Induced Obese Mice

Nutrients

Ganoderma lucidum is used widely in oriental medicine to treat obesity and metabolic diseases. Bioactive substances extracted from G. lucidum have been shown to ameliorate dyslipidemia, insulin resistance, and type 2 diabetes in mice via multiple 5′ AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK)-mediated mechanisms; however, further studies are required to elucidate the anti-obesity effects of G. lucidum in vivo. In this study, we demonstrated that 3% G. lucidum extract powder (GEP) can be used to prevent obesity and insulin resistance in a mouse model. C57BL/6 mice were provided with a normal diet (ND) or a high-fat diet (HFD) supplemented with 1, 3, or 5% GEP for 12 weeks and the effect of GEP on body weight, liver, adipose tissue, adipokines, insulin and glucose tolerance (ITT and GTT), glucose uptake, glucose-metabolism related proteins, and lipogenesis related genes was examined. GEP administration was found to reduce weight gain in the liver and fat tissues of the mice. In addition, seru...

A double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial of Ganoderma lucidum for the treatment of cardiovascular risk factors of metabolic syndrome

This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Ganoderma lucidum for the treatment of hyperglycaemia and other cardiovascular risk components of metabolic syndrome using a prospective, double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial. Eighty-four participants with type 2 diabetes mellitus and metabolic syndrome were randomised to one of three intervention groups: Ganoderma lucidum, Ganoderma lucidum with Cordyceps sinensis, or placebo. The dosage was 3 g/day of Ganoderma lucidum, with or without Cordyceps sinensis, for 16 weeks. The primary outcome measure was blood glucose (glycosylated haemoglobin [HbA1c] and fasting plasma glucose [FPG]); a number of secondary outcome measures were also tested. Data from the two intervention groups were combined. The combined intervention had no effect on any of the primary (baseline-adjusted difference in means: HbA1c = 0.13%, 95% CI [−0.35, 0.60], p = 0.60; FPG = 0.03 mmol/L, 95% CI [−0.90, 0.96], p = 0.95) or secondary outcome measures over the course of the 16-week trial, and no overall increased risk of adverse events with either active treatment. Evidence from this randomised clinical trial does not support the use of Ganoderma lucidum for treatment of cardiovascular risk factors in people with diabetes mellitus or metabolic syndrome. This Clinical Trial was registered with the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry on November 23, 2006. Trial ID: ACTRN12606000485538 and can be accessed here: https://www.anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?id=81705. One of the leading causes of death worldwide is cardiovascular disease 1. This term most commonly refers to the chronic diseases caused by atherosclerosis, and most notably includes coronary heart disease and cerebrovascular disease. These conditions result in a significant burden on morbidity, quality of life, economic status and mortality for individuals and populations. Although the risk factors for cardiovascular disease are numerous and varied, the most important pharmacologically modifiable risk factors are high blood glucose, high blood pressure, an abnormal lipid profile, and obesity 1–5. The above risk factors are not independent of one another 6. It has been established that hyperglycaemia, hypertension, high triglycerides, low levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, and obesity have a complex metabolic relationship with insulin resistance, cardiovascular disease, and with each other 7 ; this combination of risk factors has been described as metabolic syndrome. Recognising this multifactorial nature of risk has had significant implications for the effective management of cardiovascular disease in individuals and populations. Modifiable risk factors, including those of metabolic syndrome, can be effectively treated with lifestyle modifications 2–4,8,9. Unfortunately, it is rare for these effects to be successfully sustained in the long term and consequently , pharmaceutical interventions are required for the majority of individuals. There is no single medication

The efficacy of Ganoderma lucidum for treatment of cardiovascular risk factors

2015