If you saw the headline about tamogitake and liver fat, the study behind it was run in rats and diabetic-model mice, not people. Male Sprague-Dawley rats and male KK-Ay mice were fed diets containing 5% tamogitake mushroom powder, and the powder lowered liver weight, liver cholesterol and liver triacylglycerol, a type of fat, in both species. No human was tested, and no dose for people exists. The paper was published on November 13, 2026, in Food, Nutrition and Health, a Springer Nature journal.
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Quick facts on the tamogitake liver study
Facts as of 2026-11-13.
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Study type | Animal study, no human participants |
| Published | 13 November 2026, Food, Nutrition and Health, vol. 3, article 43 |
| Dates | Received 12 May 2026; revised 9 August 2026; accepted 14 August 2026 |
| Mushroom named in the paper | Tamogitake, Pleurotus cornucopiae var. citrinopileatus |
| Form tested | Freeze-dried tamogitake mushroom powder |
| Animals | Male Sprague-Dawley rats, 4 weeks old; male KK-Ay mice, 3 weeks old (diabetes model) |
| Group size | 6 animals per group in both experiments |
| Duration | 4 weeks in rats; 52 days in mice, until hyperglycemia developed |
| Powder dose | 5% of the diet |
| Ergothioneine comparison | 0.05% pure ergothioneine in mice, said to match the ergothioneine in the 5% powder |
| Funding | “There was no funding for this study.” |
| Powder supplier | Athree Corporation, per the paper; one author is affiliated with it |
What did the tamogitake study find in the liver?
The Food, Nutrition and Health paper reports the liver results for both animal groups. A Bioengineer.org report, a repost credited to Scienmag, summarizes the same results and gives the powder breakdown.
| Measure | Rats | Mice |
|---|---|---|
| Liver weight | Reduced | Reduced |
| Liver total cholesterol | Reduced | Reduced |
| Liver triacylglycerol | Reduced | Reduced |
| Serum cholesterol, bile acids and triacylglycerols | Not changed by the mushroom; the cholesterol diet raised them | Did not differ among groups |
| Serum insulin | Lower with tamogitake | Did not differ among groups |
| Body weight | Weight gain did not change | Body-weight gain per day was lower |
In rats, the mushroom lowered liver total cholesterol and liver triacylglycerol with or without dietary cholesterol. Free cholesterol in the liver fell, while cholesteryl ester did not.
Mice also showed gut changes. Fecal weight and relative cecal weight rose, and serum leptin fell. Fecal cholesterol and free fatty acid excretion “tended” to rise, and bile acid excretion did not change. Blood glucose did not differ among the mouse groups.
How was the study run?
The rat experiment had four groups in a 2×2 design: cholesterol added or not, crossed with tamogitake added or not. The diets were AIN-76-based, with 5% tamogitake powder and/or 0.5% cholesterol, and the cholesterol diet also contained 0.125% cholic acid. Each group had six rats, and the experiment ran four weeks. For how trial length shapes what a study can show, see mushroom trial duration.
The mouse experiment used male KK-Ay mice, a diabetes model, and every diet contained 0.5% cholesterol. The three groups were a control, 5% tamogitake powder, and 0.05% pure ergothioneine. There were six mice per group, and the run lasted 52 days, until hyperglycemia developed.
Did ergothioneine explain the liver result?
The mouse group given 0.05% pure ergothioneine, a dose said to match the ergothioneine in the 5% powder, did not show the liver effect. Pure ergothioneine did not affect liver lipids at the dose tested. The authors’ reading, as the Bioengineer.org report gives it, is that the whole powder reduced liver cholesterol and triacylglycerol in both species, and that the effect could not be put down to ergothioneine alone. For how researchers match doses across powders and extracts, see dose matching in mushroom research.
What is in tamogitake powder?
The Bioengineer.org report gives this breakdown of the freeze-dried powder used in the study.
| Component | Share of powder |
|---|---|
| Carbohydrate | 49% |
| Crude protein | 31.8% |
| Lipid | 3.0% |
| Moisture | 10.3% |
| Ash | 5.9% |
| Total dietary fiber | 38.9% (37.1% insoluble, 1.8% soluble) |
| Beta-glucan | 14.1% |
| Ergothioneine | 0.61% |
The authors propose that the insoluble fiber, 37.1% of the powder, promotes fecal lipid loss and cecal expansion. The paper calls for future work on intestinal cholesterol transporters and gut microbiota.
Who supplied the powder and who funded the study?
The paper says Athree Corporation supplied the tamogitake powder, and one author is affiliated with that company. Another author is affiliated with Tomuso Corporation. The competing-interests line reads none declared, while naming those affiliations, and the paper states: “There was no funding for this study.”
What does this study mean if you have fatty liver?
In these animals, on these diets, the powder changed liver weight and liver fat markers. The general picture of fatty liver in people comes from clinical sources. MedlinePlus steatotic liver disease page explains that steatotic liver disease, formerly called fatty liver disease, “happens when too much fat builds up in your liver.” It is more common in people with type 2 diabetes and prediabetes, obesity, and high cholesterol or triglycerides. The same page says, “Currently, no medicines are approved for treatment.”
The NIDDK diet guidance for fatty liver, last reviewed April 2021, covers a healthy diet, limited portion sizes and a healthy weight. It also advises avoiding foods and drinks high in simple sugars, especially fructose, and minimizing alcohol. That advice is general and separate from this study.
Mushrooms do not all show the same pattern. In a 2011 study in Food and Chemical Toxicology, Chandra and colleagues fed mice a diet with 5% shiitake, and all of those mice developed fatty liver, with a mean histopathology score of 4.5 against under 1 in the other groups. See the 2011 shiitake mouse study record. Check which mushroom a study tested before you compare results.
Common mix-ups to avoid
- To read about Antrodia, another mushroom with its own liver research profile, see this site’s antrodia mushroom guide.
- The paper names this mushroom as Pleurotus cornucopiae var. citrinopileatus. Check the species name on any other study before you compare results; scientific mushroom names explains how names and synonyms are tracked.
- Mouse liver headlines can describe drugs, not mushrooms. A 2024 mouse liver metabolism report covers an inhibitor of mitochondrial transcription, not a mushroom.
What should you ask before you act on this study?
Start with the Food, Nutrition and Health paper itself, which lists the DOI 10.1007/s44403-026-00089-6 and the full design. Then take your questions to a prescriber, a pharmacist or a doctor. MedlinePlus advises, “Check with your provider before using dietary supplements,” and notes that some supplements or herbal remedies can damage the liver. For more on that topic, see mushroom supplement liver safety.
Three things to check in the paper:
- Which mushroom was tested: tamogitake, Pleurotus cornucopiae var. citrinopileatus.
- Which animals and diets were used, and for how long.
- Who supplied the powder and who funded the work.
By MushroomHealthBenefits.com Research & Editorial Team
This article is for general information purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Consult your doctor or qualified healthcare provider before making changes to your health routine.