Irish scientists discover a cure to SAD disorder

There really is magic in mushrooms. News broke this week that Irish scientists are investigating whether eating mushrooms - which are naturally enriched with vitamin D - could help boost our winter levels of the crucial 'sunshine' vitamin.

"Our skin naturally produces vitamin D through exposure to the sun, so with lower levels of sunlight in the Northern Hemisphere between October and April it is no surprise that many Irish people have sub-optimal levels of the vitamin in their blood stream,” Doctor Anne Nugent, University College Dublin (UCD) Institute of Food and Health, told the press this week.

Nugent said that every year about 8.5 million kilograms of mushrooms are consumed in Ireland. "So we are working with volunteers to examine if consuming vitamin D enriched mushrooms could improve the levels of the vitamin in adults," she said.

"If our findings are positive, consumers will have another dietary choice for increasing their vitamin D levels."

Instant sunshine on a plate. Delicious and good for your head and your heart, it seems.