#ALS

Recent international research collaboration has raised serious concerns regarding unexpected health risks associated with consuming gourmet false morel mushrooms, a delicacy that appears linked to an alarming cluster of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis cases in a small French village, findings that could have significant implications for food safety and neurological health throughout Thailand where wild mushroom consumption and foraging activities are increasingly popular among food enthusiasts and rural communities.

False morels, known scientifically as Gyromitra species, have attracted chefs and culinary enthusiasts across Europe and North America with their distinctive earthy flavor and prestigious culinary status, often featured in high-end restaurant dishes including risottos and cream-based sauces. However, despite their gourmet reputation, these mushrooms contain neurotoxins now believed connected to neurological illnesses including ALS, a degenerative disorder causing irreversible paralysis and death within several years of diagnosis.

A recent international research collaboration has raised alarm bells over an unexpected risk associated with a gourmet food long prized by the wealthy: eating false morel mushrooms, a delicacy that appears to be linked to an alarming cluster of Lou Gehrig’s disease (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, or ALS) cases in a small French village. This finding could have far-reaching implications for food safety and neurological health, including for Thai food lovers and foragers increasingly drawn to wild mushrooms.

Thai readers may remember the spectacular social media phenomenon a decade ago, when people across the world — from celebrities to schoolchildren — doused themselves in ice water for the original Ice Bucket Challenge. Launched in 2014, the trend raised over US$220 million globally for ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), known in Thai as โรคกล้ามเนื้ออ่อนแรง (Lou Gehrig’s disease) and brought international attention to a previously little-known disease. Now, in 2025, the challenge is back — but with an urgent new purpose: breaking the silence around mental health, especially among young people (NBC News, New York Times).