By: Scott Hotaling
This article originally appeared in the Spring 2021 issue of BEEKeeping Your First Three Years
Our ancestors have a long history of eating honey. It has been a common staple of our diet for thousands of years not only because it tastes great but because of the many health benefits that it provides. But with recent health concerns regarding sugars, some are starting to believe honey isn’t healthy for you anymore. So what exactly are the benefits of honey and why are they so important?
Here are several of them:
-
- Rich in antioxidants
- Natural prebiotic
- Natural antibacterial/ antiseptic
- May lower cholesterol levels
- Effective at healing burns and wounds
- Rich in vitamins and minerals
- May help lower triglycerides
- Cough Suppressant
Raw honey contains healthy antioxidants that help protect us against free radicals. Some varieties can contain as much as certain fruits and vegetables, depending on the source.Buckwheat honey for example, has been shown to significantly increase the antioxidant capacity in men compared with black tea and sugar.
Honey contains hydrogen peroxide, a natural antiseptic. This helps contribute to honey’s strong anti bacterial/ antifungal properties. It’s been found to help treat and heal wounds and burns because it’s such an effective bacteria and germ killer.
However, its effectiveness as an antibacterial solution varies depending once again on the source of the honey. This is a reoccurring theme and something to think about when deciding where and how to buy your honey.
Phytonutrients found in honey contribute to its antioxidant properties as well as its antibacterial and antifungal effects. They’re also thought to be the reason raw honey has been shown to boost your immune system and help prevent cancer.
It’s also a potent prebiotic, nourishing the beneficial bacteria of your intestines which are crucial for properly digesting food. Studies also show that honey may improve your cholesterol levels. One study showed that when compared to table sugar, honey reduced LDL levels by 5.8% and increased HDL levels by 3.3%. HDL is considered the good cholesterol. LDL is bad. By reducing LDL and increasing your HDL levels you can effectively improve your cholesterol level.
Studies have also shown that honey can lower triglyceride levels by up to 19% compared with sucrose.
Honey contains vitamins and minerals which obviously contribute to better overall health.
The vitamins and minerals present in honey are:
- Thiamin
- Niacin
- Phosphorous
- Calcium
- Riboflavin
- Pantothenic Acid
- Folic Acid
- Copper
- Iron
- Magnesium
- Zinc
Honey also has a healthy glycemic index, meaning that it’s gradually absorbed into the bloodstream so as not to trigger the pancreas to unload insulin into the system to combat the “sugar rush” you may experience when eating processed sugar.
It’s also low in calories compared to healthy fats such as avocado, olive and fish oils. These fats provide many health benefits but for weight loss we have to remember it’s calories in vs. calories out. Fat provides 9 calories per lg of fat vs. 4 calories per lg of sugar. Both should be eaten to provide a well-balanced diet, but when taken in similar amounts, fats contribute much more heavily to weight gain than sugars.
A 2005 study on the effect of honey on cough and sleep quality for children and their parents concluded that honey may be a preferable treatment for the cough and sleep difficulty associated with childhood upper respiratory tract infection.
With all of these health benefits, there is one important question to ask. Where does the honey come from? Most of the honey available in grocery and other stores undergo extensive processing. Chinese honey is a prime example of this. This “honey” isn’t real honey. Chinese producers often process their honey through ultra-filtration, a process which removes all of the beneficial pollen from the honey. This also removes any way to tell where it came from originally. Due to the fact it contains no pollen, it’s actually illegal to sell as real honey but oftentimes it’s marketed as such in stores.
Other commercial honey is pasteurized with excessive heat and also mixed with filtered honey, stripping away honey’s potential health benefits. Not only does filtration remove the pollen from honey, but it can also remove beneficial enzymes and antioxidants, again reducing the overall health benefits. Sugar and other sweeteners may also be added to reduce costs so the honey can be sold more inexpensively.
Chinese honey has also been found to contain rice syrup, high-fructose corn syrup and chloramphenicol, an antibiotic banned in the United States because it may cause gene damage and ultimately lead to cancer. It’s also the leading cause of drug-induced aplastic anemia, an extremely serious and fatal disease.
Buy local, raw honey whenever possible. That way you11 get all of the potential health benefits and you’ll never have to worry about what’s really in your honey. If you choose to buy from a store, buy honey that’s True Source Certified. True Source Honey is an American honey industry organization that protects consumers from illegal practices and supports transparent, legal and ethical sourcing of honey.
References:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih. gov/12590505/
https://pubmed.p.cbi.nlm.nih. gov/15 117561/
https:/ /pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih. gov/198 17641/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih. gov/18454257/
https:/ /pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih. gov/18056558/
