Honey

Health benefits

Beyond its role as a sweetener, honey contains compounds with documented antimicrobial and antioxidant activity.

Raw honey contains antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal compounds

The phytonutrient content of honey depends on the quality and diversity of the plants from which bees collect pollen. Processing strips many of these compounds from the final product. Raw honey, for example, contains small amounts of the same resins found in propolis, a complex mixture of resins and other substances that honeybees use to seal the hive against bacteria and other micro-organisms. Honeybees make propolis by combining plant resins with their own secretions (though substances like road tar have also been found in propolis). Beekeepers sometimes use special screens inside hive boxes to trap propolis, since bees spread this substance around the honeycomb and seal cracks with its antimicrobial resins. These resins represent only a fraction of the phytonutrients in propolis and honey. Other phytonutrients found in both have demonstrated anti-tumor properties in laboratory studies. These include caffeic acid methyl caffeate, phenylethyl caffeate, and phenylethyl dimethylcaffeate. In animal models, these compounds inhibited colon cancer development by suppressing activity of two enzymes: phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C and lipoxygenase. Extensive processing and heating of raw honey largely destroys these phytonutrients.

Is the cough from an upper respiratory infection keeping your child awake? try a dose of buckwheat honey

In a study involving 105 children aged 2-18 years with upper respiratory tract infections of 7 days or less and night-time coughing, a single night-time dose of buckwheat honey was an effective alternative treatment for symptomatic relief of nocturnal cough and sleep difficulty, compared to a single dose of dextromethorphan (DM).

Researchers from the Penn State College of Medicine asked parents to give either honey, honey-flavored dextromethorphan (DM), or no treatment to the children. The first night, the children did not receive any treatment. The following night they received a single dose of buckwheat honey, honey-flavored DM, or no treatment 30 minutes before bedtime. The trial was partially blind as parents could not distinguish between the honey and the medication, although those administering no medication were obviously aware of the fact. Parents were asked to report on cough frequency and severity, how bothersome the cough was, and how well both adult and child slept, both 24 hours before and during the night of the dosage.

Significant symptom improvements were seen in the honey-supplemented children, compared with the no treatment group and DM-treated group, with honey consistently scoring the best and no-treatment scoring the worst. Based on parental “symptom points,” children treated with honey improved an average of 10.71 points compared with 8.39 points for DM-treated children and 6.41 points for those who were not treated.

These results might be good news for parents of children two years and older, since the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently recommended that children under six should not be given over-the-counter cough and cold medicines, due to potentially harmful side effects. However, it’s important to note that this study did not attempt to test the potential benefits of buckwheat honey for children under two, and recommendations by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and other children’s health organizations for a total avoidance of honey by children one year and younger still make good sense. (The AAP’s major concern here is unnecessary risk of infantile botulism that might result from the presence of Clostridium botulinum bacteria in the honey).

An international symposium discusses likely benefits of honey

Speakers at the First International Symposium on Honey and Human Health, held in Sacramento, CA, January 8, 2008, presented a number of research papers. (Fessenden R. Report to the Committee for the Promotion of Honey and Health) Findings include:

• Different varietals of honey possess a large amount of friendly bacteria (6 species of lactobacilli and 4 species of bifidobacteria), which may explain many of the “mysterious therapeutic properties of honey.”
• Lactobacilli, which deliver protective and beneficial benefits to bees as well as humans, were not found in the bees’ honey stomach during the winter months when the bees under investigation were fed sucrose, indicating that certain bee-feeding practices may have dangerous and unwanted effects on bees.
• Honey may promote better blood sugar control. Proper fueling of the liver is central to glucose metabolism during sleep and exercise. Honey contains a nearly 1:1 ratio of fructose to glucose. Fructose activates the hepatic enzyme glucokinase, which is necessary for incorporating glucose into glycogen (the storage form of sugar in liver and muscle cells). Adequate liver glycogen is essential for fueling the brain during sleep and prolonged exercise. When glycogen stores are insufficient, the brain triggers the release of stress hormones (adrenaline and cortisol) to convert muscle protein into glucose. Repeated metabolic stress from cortisol produced when liver glycogen stores are insufficient during sleep may, over time, contribute to impaired glucose metabolism, insulin resistance, and increased risk for cardiovascular disease.
• Experimental evidence indicates that consumption of honey may improve blood sugar control and insulin sensitivity compared to other sweeteners. The body’s tolerance to honey is significantly better than to sucrose or glucose alone. Individuals with greater glucose intolerance (e.g., those with mild diabetes and Type 1 diabetes) showed significantly better tolerance to honey than sucrose. The polyphenol antioxidants in honey, which have been shown to reduce oxidative stress (sometimes by a larger factor than their concentration alone would predict), may also improve endothelial function, the function of cells lining blood vessels.
• In a year-long animal study comparing the effects of sucrose, honey and a low glycemic index (GI) sugar-free diet, rats on the honey-based diet showed: reduced weight gain and percentage of body fat, decreased anxiety, better spatial recognition memory, improved HDL cholesterol (15-20% higher than rats fed sugar or sucrose diets), improved blood sugar levels (HA1c), and reduced oxidative damage.
• Honey has been shown to be a more effective cough suppressant for children ages 2-18 than dextromethorphan (see the buckwheat honey section above)
• Research conducted in several hospitals in Israel found honey effective in decreasing the incidence of acute febrile neutropenia (when high fever reduces white blood cell count) in 64% of patients. Honey also reduced the need for Colony Stimulating Factor (a compound produced in the cells lining the blood vessels that stimulates bone marrow to produce more white blood cells) in 60% of patients with acute febrile neutropenia, increased neutrophil count, decreased thrombocytopenia (low platelet count), and stabilized hemoglobin levels above 11 gm/dl.
• 32% of the cancer patients involved in the above immunity research reported improved quality of life.

Practical Tip: Honey produced in summer by flower-fed bees is most likely to contain beneficial lactobacilli and bifidobacteria.

Athletic performance and wound healing

Honey has long served as an energy source. Research has also examined its potential as an ergogenic aid (a food or ingredient that helps athletic performance) and its wound healing properties.

In the time of the ancient Olympics, athletes were reported to eat special foods, such as honey and dried figs, to enhance their sports performance. Recently, however, one group of researchers has investigated the use of honey as an ergogenic aid in athletes. The study involved a group of 39 weight-trained athletes, both male and female. Subjects underwent an intensive weight-lifting workout and then immediately consumed a protein supplement blended with either sugar, maltodextrin or honey as the carbohydrate source. The honey group maintained optimal blood sugar levels throughout the two hours following the workout. In addition, muscle recuperation and glycogen restoration (carbohydrates stored in muscle) was favorable in those individuals consuming the honey-protein combination.

Sustaining favorable blood sugar concentrations after endurance training by ingesting carbohydrates before, during and after training is important for maintaining muscle glycogen stores (glycogen is the form in which sugar is stored in muscle as ready-to-use fuel), so that muscle recuperation is more efficient and the athlete is ready to perform again at their highest level the next day. The best-studied ergogenic aid is carbohydrates because they are necessary for maintaining muscle glycogen stores. For now, honey appears to be just another source of carbohydrates that can help athletes perform at their best, rather than a superior choice over any other carbohydrate.

The wound healing properties of honey may, however, be its most promising medicinal quality. Honey has been used topically as an antiseptic therapeutic agent for the treatment of ulcers, burns and wounds for centuries. One study in India compared the wound healing effects of honey to a conventional treatment (silver sulfadiazene) in 104 first-degree burn patients. After one week of treatment, 91 percent of honey treated burns were infection free compared with only 7 percent receiving the conventional treatment. Finally, a greater percentage of patients’ burns were healed more readily in the honey treated group. Another study examined the wound healing benefits of honey applied topically to patients following Caesarean section and hysterectomy. Compared to the group receiving the standard solution of iodine and alcohol, the honey treated group was infection free in fewer days, healed more cleanly and had a reduced hospital stay.

Several mechanisms have been proposed for the wound healing benefits that are observed when honey is applied topically. Because honey is composed mainly of glucose and fructose, two sugars that strongly attract water, honey absorbs water in the wound, drying it out so that the growth of bacteria and fungi is inhibited (these microorganisms thrive in a moist environment). Secondly, raw honey contains an enzyme called glucose oxidase that, when combined with water, produces hydrogen peroxide, a mild antiseptic.

Honey also contains flavonoids that function as antibacterial agents. One flavonoid, pinocembrin, is found almost exclusively in honey and propolis. A laboratory study of unpasteurized honey samples showed that the majority inhibited Staphylococcus aureus, a common bacterium that causes wound infections. Other reports indicate honey inhibits Escherichia coli and Candida albicans. Darker honeys, specifically those from buckwheat flowers, sage, and tupelo, contain higher concentrations of polyphenol antioxidants, and raw, unprocessed honey retains the broadest spectrum of bioactive compounds.

Daily honey consumption raises blood antioxidant levels

Daily consumption of honey raises blood levels of protective antioxidant compounds in humans, according to research presented at the 227th meeting of the American Chemical Society in Anaheim, CA, March 28, 2004. Biochemist Heidrun Gross and colleagues from the University of California, Davis, gave 25 study participants each about four tablespoons buckwheat honey daily for 29 days in addition to their regular diets, and drew blood samples at given intervals following honey consumption. A direct link was found between the subjects’ honey consumption and the level of polyphenolic antioxidants in their blood.

Honey helpful for healthy individuals and those with high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes

In a series of experiments involving healthy subjects and those with either high cholesterol or type 2 diabetes, natural honey produced more favorable metabolic responses than other sweeteners.

For 15 days, 8 healthy subjects, 6 patients with high cholesterol, 5 patients with high cholesterol and high C-reactive protein (a risk factor for cardiovascular disease), and 7 patients with type 2 diabetes were given solutions containing comparable amounts of sugar, artificial honey or natural honey.

In healthy subjects, while sugar and artificial honey had either negative or very small beneficial effects, natural honey reduced total cholesterol 7%, triglycerides 2%, C-reactive protein 7%, homocysteine 6% and blood sugar 6%, and increased HDL (good) cholesterol 2%. (Like C-reactive protein, homocysteine is a significant risk factor for cardiovascular disease.)

In patients with high cholesterol, artificial honey increased LDL (bad) cholesterol, while natural honey decreased total cholesterol 8%, LDL cholesterol 11%, and C-reactive protein 75%.

In patients with type 2 diabetes, natural honey caused a significantly lower rise in blood sugar than either dextrose or sucrose (refined sugars).

Description

Honey is a viscous sweetener produced by bees from flower nectar. Bees collect nectar and mix it with enzymes in their saliva, primarily invertase and glucose oxidase, which begin converting the nectar’s sucrose into glucose and fructose. Back at the hive, they deposit this mixture into honeycomb cells. Wing-fanning then reduces the moisture content from roughly 70% down to about 17-18%, concentrating the sugars and creating the shelf-stable product.

Honey comes in a range of colors including white, amber, red, brown and almost black. Its flavor and texture vary with the type of flower nectar from which it was made. While the most commonly available honeys are made from clover, alfalfa, heather and acacia flowers, honey can be made from a variety of different flowers, including thyme and lavender.

History

Honey has been used since ancient times both as a food and as a medicine. Apiculture, the practice of beekeeping to produce honey, dates back to at least 700 BC. For many centuries, honey was regarded as sacred due to its wonderfully sweet properties as well as its rarity. It was used mainly in religious ceremonies to pay tribute to the gods, as well as to embalm the deceased. Honey was also used for a variety of medicinal and cosmetic purposes. For a long time in history, its use in cooking was reserved only for the wealthy since it was so expensive that only they could afford it.

The prestige of honey continued for millennia until the widespread availability of refined sugar from sugar cane and sugar beets. These provided inexpensive sweetening, and honey was gradually displaced for everyday culinary use. Since then, much of honey’s use has shifted toward medicinal applications and confectionary.

How to select and store

Honey is sold in individual containers or in bulk. Most commercial honey is pasteurized, though raw honey (unpasteurized, unclarified, unfiltered) retains a broader spectrum of phytonutrients and enzymes. Look for honey labeled “100% pure.” While regular honey is translucent, creamy honey is usually opaque, made by seeding liquid honey with finely crystallized honey. Specialty honeys from specific flower nectars (thyme, lavender, buckwheat) are also available. Darker honeys generally contain higher concentrations of polyphenols.

You might also look for darker-colored “honeydew” varieties produced by bees that collect the sugary secretions insects leave on plants, which is called honeydew.

A study of Spanish honey varieties shows that honeydew honey has higher levels of antioxidant polyphenols than nectar-based honeys. (Perez RA, Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture)

Spanish researchers looked at 36 varieties of Spanish honey in two groups: clover honey, which bees make from the nectar of flower blossoms, and honeydew honey, made by bees from a sweet, sticky substance secreted by insects such as aphids that live off plants. Honeydew honey tends to be darker and more acidic than clover varieties. Although harder to find than clover honey in the U.S., honeydew honey produced in America should also provide higher levels of antioxidants, noted study co-author Rosa Anna Perez, a researcher with the Instituto Madrileno de Investigacion y Desarrollo Rural, Agrario y Alimentario in Madrid.

Tips for preparing and cooking

Tips for cooking with honey

If your honey has crystallized, placing the container in hot water for 15 minutes will help return it to its liquid state. Do not heat honey in the microwave as this alters its taste by increasing its hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) content. To prevent honey from sticking to measuring cups and spoons, use honey that is in its liquid form.

Honey makes a good replacement for sugar in most recipes. Since honey is sweeter than sugar, you need to use less, one-half to three-quarters of a cup for each cup of sugar. For each cup of sugar replaced, you should also reduce the amount of liquid in the recipe by one-quarter of a cup. In addition, reduce the cooking temperature by 25°F since honey causes foods to brown more easily.

How to enjoy

Serving ideas

• Use honey in place of table sugar as a sweetener in your tea.
• Drizzle apple slices with honey and sprinkle with cinnamon.
• To enjoy sweetened yogurt without excess sugar, mix a little honey into plain yogurt.
• A delicious sandwich that is enjoyed by kids of all ages is a combination of peanut (or almond) butter, with bananas and honey.
• In a saucepan over low heat, combine soymilk, honey and unsweetened dark chocolate to make a deliciously nutritious chocolate “milk” drink.

For some of our favorite recipes, click Recipes.

Individual concerns

Remember that the quality of honey is a function of the plants and environment from which pollen, saps, nectars and resins were gathered. Other substances found in the environment (including traces of heavy metals, pesticides, and antibiotics) have been shown to appear in honey. The amount varies greatly.

Do not feed honey-containing products or use honey as a flavoring for infants under one year of age; honey may contain Clostridium botulinum spores and toxins that can cause infant botulism, a life-threatening paralytic disease. Honey is safe for children older than 12 months and adults.

Nutritional profile

Honey did not qualify as a dense source of traditional nutrients in the food ranking system, though it does contain measurable amounts of vitamin B2, vitamin B6, iron, and manganese.

For an in-depth nutritional profile click here: Honey.