Benefits of Honey

Did you know, studies have discovered an anticancer property through its interference with multiple cell signaling pathways and has been known to modify immune responses.¹ Honey is one of the most beneficial and valued foods for the humankind. The use of this lucious golden product dates back to ancient times where it was used for wound healing. Evidence has also found that honey dates back to the stone age where paintings have shown treatment of disease and wounds with bee product.¹ The golden substance has since then, been used for both traditional and alternative medicine. It contains numerous nutritional compounds such as proteins, vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and organic acids as well as flavanoids and polyphenols which help to support overall health.¹

Honey can be used as a natural sweetener and is 25% more sweeter than a tablet of sugar due to the high fructose it contains.¹ So how can it be good for someone who has diabetes or may need to watch their sugar intake? Well, clinical trials have shown that the application of honey among people who have type 1 diabetes mellitus was associated with a dramatically lower glycemic index the sucrose or glucose.¹ It has been known to induce a reduction in plasma glucose levels significantly as well compared to dextran.¹

Furthermore, honey has been used to help treat asthma, eczema, allergies and cancer.¹ One fun fact I love about honey is that it is great for helping those who suffer from seasonal allergies! If you have a spoonful of local honey per day, it has been known to help reduce and even deminish your seasonal allergies. This is because the bees that make the local honey use the local pollen to make the honey. Therefore, by ingesting this honey, you are introducing your body to the pollen that you are allergic to which inevitably will cause your body to build an immunity to the pollen and ultimately reduce your allergies. Honey is also used for wound healing as and used within many beauty products to help hydrate and replenish the skin.

Some ideas for using honey:

• Add it to your tea or coffee for a sweetener

• Incorporate it into your smoothies

• Use it as an alternative to sugar in your baking or cooking

• Have a spoonful of honey per day
  

Citations

1. Samarghandian S, Farkhondeh T, Samini F. Honey and Health: A Review of Recent Clinical Research. Pharmacognosy Res. 2017 Apr-Jun;9(2):121-127. doi: 10.4103/0974-8490.204647. PMID: 28539734; PMCID: PMC5424551.