Oh, Honey, Honey

Photo by Pixabay: https://www.pexels.com/photo/honey-on-white-bowl-33260/

One of the simplest, but most beneficial dietary changes you can make is to reduce your intake of sugar. But completely eliminating sweeteners of all kinds can be challenging and using artificial sweeteners like NutraSweet or Splenda is probably not a particularly healthy way to go, even if they don’t have any calories.

This brings me to honey. And let’s get this out of the way right upfront, yes, it has a lot of sugar in it. But there are other things in honey that make it very different in how the body reacts to it as compared to most other sugary substances. While you probably still shouldn’t drink it by the gallon, using it in moderation instead of sugar is remarkably… dare I say it?

Healthy!

Let’s run down the advantages of honey:

First, it has been shown to have a lower plasma glucose response than any other caloric sweetener, meaning it raises you blood sugar the least. This effect is even greater in diabetics and people who are insulin resistant.

Honey has been shown to have healthy effects on blood lipid levels. It increases HDL (“good cholesterol”), while lowering LDL, oxidized LDL (which is most associated with atherosclerosis), and triglycerides. Honey contains what are known as niacin-like substances and these compounds inhibit apolipoprotien B (ApoB). ApoB is a protein that carries plaque-forming lipids through the bloodstream, and the short story is, the less ApoB you have, the less plaque formation that occurs.

Multiple compounds in honey have anti-oxidant effects – both directly, and through stimulation of the body’s own anti-oxidant system. Preliminary studies indicate that this anti-oxidant effect may reduce oxidative stress in the brain, reducing premature neuron apoptosis (cell death). If true, this would help the brain resist the effects of ageing.

Honey also raises levels of adiponectin, a compound that increases insulin sensitivity and improves the utilization of fats for energy. Adiponectin has strong anti-inflammatory properties, and since inflammation impairs insulin sensitivity, it’s believed that reducing inflammation is the mechanism for this effect.

You might have heard the advice to apply honey to a burn. Honey has been shown to speed tissue healing in burns as well as surgical incisions. It also has anti-microbial effects and one study found it to be superior to an actual antiseptic spray in inhibiting bacterial growth. Honey increases the body’s ability to produce natural hydrogen peroxide, and this, among other things is a likely mechanism for honey’s antimicrobial properties.

It may be the antimicrobial properties, anti-inflammatory effects, and/or some other components of honey that make it beneficial in the treatment of respiratory infections. Studies show that it reduces symptoms, including the frequency and severity of cough in most cases and it may even reduce the duration of common respiratory illnesses such as colds and flu. Honey from your local area may also be beneficial in reducing seasonal allergy symptoms.

All of this and it tastes good!

I personally like the flavor of wildflower honey, but honey in general has many beneficial properties and is actually a pretty good choice in terms of health when it comes to sweeteners.

Until next time…

George F. Best, D.C.