The nutritional benefit of UV-exposed mushrooms for the Dutch population: modeling the addition of UV-exposed mushrooms to the diet

Background
Mushrooms are rich in fiber, several B-vitamins, and vitamin D when exposed to UV-light, and sometimes used as meat substitute. A modeling study showed that the addition of a mushroom portion (84 g/day) to the diet of an American population caused a significant improvement to the intake of several nutrients.
Objective
To study the association between habitual intake of mushrooms and nutrient intake, and to study the change in micronutrient intake with the modeled addition of 60 or 84 gram of UV-exposed mushrooms to the diet of the Dutch population, with a sub-analysis on subjects with a low animal:plant protein ratio.
Methods
A modeling study was conducted in 3121 Dutch persons aged 9-80 years, using cross-sectional data from the Dutch National Food Consumption Survey 2012-2016. Linear regression was used to explore the association between habitual intake of mushrooms and nutrients. Habitual intakes and nutritional adequacy were calculated before and after the modelled addition of mushrooms.
Results
A small association was observed between the habitual intake of mushrooms and the intake of copper, niacin, and vitamin B2 (beta ranging from 0.002 to 0.039). The modeled addition of UV-exposed mushrooms increased the intakes of plant protein (by 5-7%), fiber (4-6%), niacin (10-20%), vitamin D (176-388%), folate (11-17%), potassium (6-10%), and copper (29-48%). Nutritional adequacy also improved significantly. For subjects with a low animal:plant protein ratio, the added mushrooms increased the intakes of niacin (11-22%), potassium (6-11%), and vitamin D (190-445%).
Conclusions
Consumption of mushrooms contributes to higher intakes of copper, niacin, and vitamin B2. Addition of UV-exposed mushrooms to the diet of the Dutch further improves nutrient intakes and most notably vitamin D, especially for people with low animal food consumption.