There has been quite a buzz over the purported benefits of mushroom coffee, with one product, in particular, gaining significant popularity.
This product goes by the name of RYZE mushroom coffee, and it claims to provide better focus, energy, gut health, and bolster the immune system.
But does the addition of dried mushrooms to coffee truly have such benefits?
This article delves into RYZE mushroom coffee and assesses whether it lives up to the touted benefits in its marketing claims.
What Is RYZE Mushroom Coffee?
Before we investigate the claims of health benefits, let’s first explore exactly what RYZE mushroom coffee comprises.
Ingredients
According to the product’s ingredients label, it contains eight ingredients.
These are as follows (1):
- Cordyceps
- Lion’s Mane
- Reishi
- Shiitake
- Turkey tail
- King Trumpet
- MCT oil
- Coffee
The first six of these ingredients are all various types of mushrooms.
Some of these mushrooms are commonly available on store shelves, such as shiitake, while others can be more difficult to find.
Regarding MCT oil, the MCT abbreviation stands for ‘medium-chain triglycerides’. Triglycerides are a type of fat, so in other words, it is an oil made up of medium-chain fatty acids (2).
Medium-chain fatty acids are a kind of saturated fat that only have between six and twelve carbon atoms in their chain (structure). They are easier for the body to metabolize compared to fatty acids with longer chains (2).
As they lack a strong flavor, MCT oils can be used in products without overly influencing the overall taste.
The MCT oil in RYZE mushroom coffee has been produced from coconuts (1).
Dose Per Serving
RYZE mushroom coffee provides no information on the amount of each mushroom that the product contains per serving.
However, the company do state that a serving of the product (1 scoop) weighs six grams. Furthermore, each serving contains a total of two grams of ‘organic mushroom blend’ (1).
Although there are no precise, exact conversions, mushrooms are generally 80-90% water. Thus, two grams of dried mushrooms would be equivalent to a maximum of around 20 grams of fresh, hydrated mushrooms (3, 4).
From the ‘two grams’ blend of dried mushrooms, we can assume that there may be around 0.33 grams of each of the six dried mushrooms per serving.
The final four grams (per serving) of the product is a mixture of MCT oil and coffee.
Nutritional Properties
According to the RYZE mushroom coffee website, each serving of the product has the following nutritional profile (1):
- Calories: 15 kcal
- Carbohydrates: 0.58 g
- Fiber: 0.48 g
- Fat: 1.42 g
- Protein: 0.05 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
- Sodium: 0 mg
Does It Contain Caffeine?
All products containing coffee will naturally provide a source of caffeine, and RYZE mushroom coffee is no different.
However, since more than 60% of the ‘serving’ is dried mushrooms, it contains less coffee than most pure coffee products.
According to the company, a cup of RYZE mushroom coffee has a caffeine content of 48 mg (1). This is approximately half the amount of caffeine you’d typically find in a cup of coffee.
How Does It Taste?
Mushroom coffee tastes slightly like instant coffee, but with a subtle difference.
This distinction can be attributed to the extra flavor notes the mushrooms offer, with an “earthy” taste being a common descriptor that I’d agree with.
It doesn’t quite have the same bold coffee flavor as a cup of pure coffee would, but it does taste similar. It is likely that anyone who enjoys coffee would also like this product.
Is RYZE Mushroom Good For You?
Now that we’ve established what RYZE mushroom coffee is, let’s explore some of its potential benefits and downsides.
Benefits
Here are some of the benefits (and potential benefits) of the product.
Lower Caffeine Content Than Regular Coffee
With only 48 mg of caffeine per cup serving, RYZE mushroom coffee boasts a lower caffeine content compared to typical coffee drinks.
While the caffeine content of coffee can vary tremendously, assessments of the caffeine content of various drinks indicate that (5, 6, 7):
- Brewed coffee typically contains 58-259 mg of caffeine per serving
- Instant coffee typically contains around 60 mg of caffeine per drink
From these data, we can infer that RYZE mushroom coffee provides less caffeine than other coffee beverages. Some brewed coffee drinks may contain as much as four times its caffeine content, depending on the specific coffee.
It is important to note that caffeine can have a range of benefits and downsides.
However, some individuals experience negative effects such as disrupted sleeping patterns, heartburn, and jitters (8, 9).
For those aiming to reduce their caffeine intake, the lower caffeine content of RYZE mushroom coffee can be considered a benefit.
Coffee Contains a Range of Polyphenols
Another potential benefit of this mushroom coffee drink regards the coffee content itself.
Coffee contains a high quantity of polyphenols, which are a class of phytonutrient (plant chemical).
Several of these polyphenols, such as chlorogenic acids, are associated with health benefits owing to their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties (10, 11, 12).
Coffee intake has also been linked to benefits such as improved focus, concentration, and physical performance, as well as a lower risk of depression (13, 14, 15, 16).
Contains Numerous Mushrooms That Are Likely Beneficial
Another potential benefit of RYZE mushroom coffee is the blend of six mushrooms that it contains.
These mushrooms have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that may potentially benefit health (17, 18, 19, 20).
However, we should be cautious when making strong claims about what kind of benefits they might provide without adequate supportive evidence.
A little later in this guide, we’ll examine whether the evidence for these mushrooms supports the claims of the health benefits offered by RYZE mushroom coffee.
Downsides
Now, let’s examine some of the downsides of RYZE mushroom coffee.
It Is Expensive
At a cost of $27 for 30 servings, RYZE mushroom coffee is significantly more expensive than regular coffee (21).
This will understandably be a barrier for some people who may otherwise have wanted to try the drink.
It Isn’t Caffeine-Free
As discussed earlier in this guide, RYZE mushroom coffee has a caffeine content of 48 mg per cup serving.
This amount of caffeine is roughly similar to what a typical cup of black tea would provide (22).
While this is less than what a typical coffee will provide, it may still be too much for individuals with sensitivities to caffeine.
In other words, it is not a caffeine-free option in the same way as some herbal tea products are.
Does RYZE Mushroom Coffee Have the Health Benefits It Claims?
To summarize, RYZE mushroom coffee claims to offer a wide range of benefits:
“Mushroom coffee offers a plethora of benefits like calmer, sharper focus, no jitters, sustained energy without the crash, immune support, gut health, and a calm digestive tract.”
Source: RYZE mushroom coffee website
Does the product truly have these health benefits, and how can we confirm them?
Firstly, it’s true that cell studies (i.e. test tube studies) and animal studies support some of these mushrooms having beneficial properties.
However, this doesn’t tell us what the effects would be when humans consume the dose found in a typical serving.
Therefore, let’s examine randomized controlled trials that involved some of the ingredients found in RYZE coffee.
Randomized Controlled Trials
Here’s a summary of findings from randomized controlled trials involving human participants using ingredients featured in RYZE coffee:
- In 50 women over the age of 30 years old, a daily 3-gram serving of shiitake mushroom extract for six months was more effective than placebo at clearing “persistent HPV infection.” This was accompanied by an improvement in levels of an immune marker called interferon-gamma (23).
- Daily supplementation for eight weeks with 1.68 grams of cordyceps enhanced the activity of natural killer cells by 17.6% compared to control. Natural killer cells play a role in the immune system by helping to defend against abnormal cells, bacteria, and viruses (24).
- In 52 healthy adults, four weeks of daily consumption of 5-10 grams of dried shiitake mushrooms lowered levels of C-reactive protein, a marker of inflammation. However, it should be noted that this dosage is a significantly higher amount than the two-gram blend of six different dried mushrooms used in RYZE coffee (25).
- A 28-day daily dose of 1.8 grams of dried Lion’s Mane mushroom did not have a statistically significant impact on subjective stress among 41 healthy adults (26).
From these findings, we can see that some randomized controlled trials have shown that long-term supplementation with dried extracts of mushrooms contained within RYZE may slightly improve immune function.
However, how this might translate into potential health benefits is uncertain.
It’s also important to note that the doses of each individual dried mushroom extract in these randomized trials are likely higher than the amount in RYZE, since each serving has a ‘blend’ of six mushrooms at a total dose of 2 grams.
Would a blend of different mushrooms have an equivalent effect? This remains unknown.
Are There Any Studies On RYZE Mushroom Coffee?
No scientific studies have been undertaken on RYZE mushroom coffee.
This means there is no strong evidence to support specific claims of benefits like “improved gut health” and “a calm digestive tract.”
Does It Help With Weight Loss?
There is no evidence to support RYZE mushroom coffee having either a positive or negative impact on weight management.
Moreover, the biggest influence on weight loss is the overall diet, as well as supporting factors such as exercise, medication, and so on.
How To Make RYZE Coffee
Making RYZE coffee is straightforward.
Simply add a 6-gram serving of the powder to a cup of hot water, then stir.
Where To Buy
RYZE coffee can be purchased online from the company’s website.
For the purpose of transparency, the link provided is not an affiliate link; this website does not earn any commission from purchases of the product.
We are not sponsored by or affiliated with RYZE coffee in any way and have no financial incentive to promote the product, which allows for this objective review.
Common Questions About RYZE Coffee
The company asserts that all of the product’s ingredients are organic; this applies to the mushroom blend, coffee, and MCT oil.
The company claim that the product is “thoroughly tested for mycotoxins (bacteria) and heavy metals” (27). However, the results of these tests do not appear to be published online or on the company’s website.
No, there are no studies that have investigated the efficacy of RYZE mushroom coffee.
Final Thoughts
RYZE mushroom coffee is a popular drink product that makes several health claims.
It is challenging to determine whether the product meets these claims since no scientific research has been conducted on the product itself.
While there are studies showing dried mushroom extracts can positively impact immune function, the doses used differ, making it difficult to confirm the product’s claimed benefits.
For those who can justify the price and wish to consume beneficial mushrooms in a convenient way through their coffee, trying RYZE mushroom coffee may be worthwhile.
However, at $27 for a 30-day dose, it is quite expensive.
Furthermore, the benefits of mushrooms are not exclusive to dried extracts. For example, regularly consuming fresh mushrooms has also shown positive effects on immune function (28).