HONEY.
Everything you need to know about honey
Honey is a sweet liquid made by bees
using the nectar from flowers. It is graded by color, with the clear, golden
amber honey often fetching a higher retail price than the darker varieties.
The flavor of a particular type of honey will vary based on the
types of flower from which the nectar was harvested.
Both raw and pasteurized forms of honey are available. Raw honey
is removed from the hive and bottled directly, and as such will contain trace
amounts of yeast, wax, and pollen. Consuming local raw honey is believed to
help with seasonal allergies, due to repeated exposure to the pollen in the
area. Pasteurized honey has been heated and processed to remove impurities.
Honey has high levels of monosaccharides, fructose, and glucose,
and it contains about 70 to 80 percent sugar, which provides its sweetness.
Honey also has antiseptic and antibacterial properties. Modern medical science
has managed to find uses for honey in chronic wound management and combating
infection.
This MNT
Knowledge Center article
includes a brief history of honey in traditional medicine and explains some of
its potential health benefits.
Fast facts on honey
- Honey
is linked to wound-healing properties and antibacterial action.
- It
has been used in medicine for over 5,000 years.
- Honey
can replace sugar in meals, providing a healthier option. However, they
can also add browning and excess moisture to a dish.
- Do not give honey to children under
12 months old.
Benefits
Modern science is finding evidence for many of the historical
uses of honey.
1) Healing
wounds and burns
People have consumed honey for thousands of years for its
supposed health benefits.
There have been some cases in which people have reported
positive effects of using honey in treating wounds.
A review published in The Cochrane Library indicated that honey might be able to
help heal burns. The lead author of the study said that “topical honey is
cheaper than other interventions, notably oral antibiotics, which are often used and
may have other deleterious side effects.”
However, there is a lack of evidence to fully support this
claim. In fact, a study published in The
Lancet Infectious Diseases concluded
that applying medical-grade honey to the wounds of patients has no advantage over normal antibiotics among patients undergoing dialysis.
Honey should
never be given to young infants as
it can cause botulism,
a rare but severe type of food
poisoning.
2) Reducing the duration of diarrhea
According to research-based
reviews on
honey, it has been shown to decrease the severity and duration of diarrhea. Honey also promotes increased potassium and water intake, which is particularly
helpful when experiencing diarrhea.
Research that took place in Lagos, Nigeria suggests that honey
has also shown the ability to block
the actions of pathogens that
commonly cause diarrhea.
3) Preventing acid reflux
Recent research has
shown that honey can reduce the upward flow of stomach acid and undigested food
by lining the esophagus and stomach.
This has helped to reduce the risk of gastroesophageal reflux
disease (GERD). GERD can cause inflammation, acid reflux, and heartburn.
4) Fighting infections
In 2010, scientists from the Academic Medical Center at the
University of Amsterdam reported in FASEB
Journal that
honey’s ability to kill bacteria lies in a protein called defensin-1.
A more recent study in the European Journal of
Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases showed that a certain type of honey,
called Manuka honey, can help prevent the bacteria Clostridium difficile from settling in the body. C. difficile is known for causing severe diarrhea
and sickness.
Some studies have revealed that Manuka honey may even be
effective for the treatment of MRSA infections.
Dr. Jenkins concluded:
“Manuka
and other honeys have been known to have wound healing and anti-bacterial
properties for some time. But the way in which they act is still not known. If
we can discover exactly how Manuka honey inhibits MRSA, it could be used more
frequently as a first-line treatment for infections with bacteria that are
resistant to many currently available antibiotics.”
Manuka honey may even help reverse bacterial resistance to
antibiotics, according to research presented in the journal Letters in Applied
Microbiology. This type of honey showed action against Ureaplasma urealyticum, a
bacteria that is resistant to many different antibiotics.
A study published in the journal Pediatrics,
which compared honey to placebo in helping children with a cough during the night, found that honey was
superior. The researchers concluded:
“Parents
rated the honey products higher than the silan date extract for symptomatic
relief of their children’s nocturnal cough and sleep difficulty due to URI
(upper respiratory infection). Honey may be a preferable treatment for cough
and sleep difficulty associated with childhood URI.”
In The
Scientific World Journal, researchers provided data confirming
that natural honey was as
effective as a eusol antiseptic solution in reducing wound infections.
There is a great deal of evidence supporting the use of honey as
a remedy for infection.
5) Relieving cold and cough symptomsst
Honey may prove beneficial in relieving symptoms of a cold or
cough.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends honey as a natural cough remedy.
The American Academy of Pediatrics also recognizes honey as a
treatment for a cough.
However, they advise that honey is not suitable for children
under the age of one year.
A 2007
study by
Penn State College of Medicine suggested that honey reduced night-time coughing
and improved sleep quality in children with upper respiratory infection to a
greater degree than the cough medicine dextromethorphan.
6) Replacing added sugar in the diet
Honey’s sweet flavor makes it an ideal substitute for sugar in
the diet.
Added sugar in the diet provides excess calories with no nutritional benefit. This can
lead to an increased body
weight, which comes with an increased risk of high blood pressure and diabetes.
Honey can be added to food and beverages to sweeten the taste
without the negative health impact of added sugars. However, since honey is
still a sweetener, it is important to remain mindful of how much honey being is
used.
Medicinal
use
Honey has been used to treat a wide array of illnesses,
ailments, and injuries.
It can be mixed with other remedies and consumed or rubbed onto
the skin. Practitioners of Ayurvedic medicine have attempted to use honey as a
remedy for the
following:
- stress
- weakness
- sleep
disturbance
- vision
problems
- bad breath
- teething
pain, in children over a year old
- cough and asthma
- hiccups
- stomach
ulcers
- diarrhea and dysentery
- vomiting
- bedwetting and frequent urination
- high blood
pressure
- obesity
- jaundice
- hangover relief
- eczema and dermatitis
- burns, cuts,
and wounds
- arthritis
While not all uses of honey are confirmed as effective, trying
it as treatment will not make conditions any worse or cause harm.
Honey is sometimes touted as a cosmetic solution for cracked,
dry, pimply, or clogged skin.
History
Cave paintings show that around 8,000 years ago, honey was first being
used by humans, although there was no evidence of humans keeping and
cultivating colonies of bees until 2,400 BC.
Honey was a mainstay in the medical practices of many cultures
for centuries. Over 4,000 years ago, honey was used in traditional Ayurvedic
medicine, where it was thought to be effective in treating indigestion and imbalances in the body.
Before its use by Ancient Egyptians, honey was rubbed onto the skin to treat wounds and has been found in
medicinal substances from over 5,000 years ago.
The beneficial properties of honey have been explored and
studied in modern times, and there is evidence to suggest that some parts of
its historical reputation may hold truth.
Properties
According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)
National Nutrient Database, one tablespoon of honey contains 64 calories, 17.3 grams (g) of sugar,
and 0 g of fiber, fat, and protein.
Choosing honey over refined and processed sugar may lead to
long-term health benefits. Honey is known to have antioxidant, antimicrobial, and soothing
effects.
It is made up of glucose, fructose, and minerals, such as iron, calcium, phosphate, sodium chloride,
potassium, and magnesium.
Below is a typical
honey profile, according to Bee Source :
- Fructose: 38.2
percent
- Glucose: 31.3
percent
- Maltose: 7.1
percent
- Sucrose: 1.3
percent
- Water: 17.2
percent
- Higher sugars: 1.5
percent
- Ash: 0.2
percent
- Other: 3.2
percent
The slightly acidic pH level of honey is what helps prevent the
growth of bacteria, while its antioxidant elements clean up free radicals that are
linked to diseases.
The physical properties of honey vary depending on the specific
flora used in its production, as well as its water content.
Diet
Stirring honey into tea or coffee is a
good way for a person to include it in their diet.
Experimentation is key when substituting honey for sugar. Baking
with honey can cause excess browning and moisture.
As a general rule, use ¾ cup of honey for every one cup of
sugar, reduce the liquid in the recipe by 2 tablespoons and lower the oven
temperature by 25º Fahrenheit.
Here are some quick tips for including honey in the diet:
- Use honey to
sweeten your dressings or marinades.
- Stir honey
into coffee or tea.
- Drizzle
honey on top of toast or pancakes.
- Mix honey
into yogurt, cereal, or oatmeal for a more natural sweetener.
- Spread raw
honey over whole grain toast and top with peanut butter.
Alternatively, try these healthy and delicious recipes developed
by registered dietitians:
When stored in an airtight
container, honey has no expiry date.
Risks
A person’s overall eating pattern is most important in
preventing disease and achieving good health. It is better to eat a diet with
variety than to concentrate on individual foods as the key to good health.
Honey is still a form of sugar, so intake should be moderate.
The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends that women get no more than 100 calories a day from added sugars and men no more than
150 calories a day. This is equal to a little over two tablespoons for women
and three tablespoons for men.
It is recommended that infants under a year old do not consume
honey.Honey may contain botulinum endospores that cause infant
botulism in very young children, a rare but serious type of food poisoning that
can result in paralysis. Even pasteurized honey has a chance of containing
these spores.
However, honey has a wide range of benefits.
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Pharex Global Ventures Foods.
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