Can Raw Honey Lower Blood Sugar And Cholesterol?

Throughout history, raw honey has been used as a remedy and has a variety of health benefits and medical applications. In addition to being used in hospitals, raw honey is also known as an effective wound treatment. However, many of these health benefits are exclusive to raw, or unpasteurised, honey. Honey found in grocery stores is usually pasteurised [1].

The pasteurisation process kills unwanted yeast, improves the colour and texture, removes any crystallization, and extends the shelf life, but destroys many beneficial nutrients as well.

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According to a recent study, honey, unlike other sweeteners, may actually be beneficial to the heart and metabolism [2].

Here are the important points from the study:

Point 1: Researchers suggest that honey - particularly raw, monofloral honey - may be a healthier alternative to sugar, rather than adding extra sweeteners to one's diet.

Point 2: The bees that produce most honey are polyfloral, meaning they collect nectar from all nectar-producing plants within a 2- to 4-mile radius of their hive. Monofloral honey is derived exclusively from the nectar collected by bees from a single plant type or even a single flower [3].

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Point 3: The researchers found that Clover and Robinia monofloral honey decreased levels of LDL cholesterol and total cholesterol, as well as fasting triglycerides and blood glucose.

Point 4: Moreover, raw honey was found to have a particularly positive effect on fasting glucose levels in the current study.

Point 5: Because honey's sweetening power is not exclusively derived from glucose and fructose, unlike most sweeteners, honey actually provides cardiometabolic benefits for people who follow a healthy diet [4].

Point 6: As sugars of all kinds are associated with cardiometabolic issues [5] - and honey is 80 per cent sugar - the study's authors argue that honey constitutes a separate category of healthy foods, and deserves special attention.

Point 7: Honey contains more than a dozen rare sugars - e.g., isomaltulose, kojibiose, trehalose, melezitose, etc. - which have been shown to have numerous physiological and metabolic benefits, including an improvement in glucose response, a reduction in insulin resistance, and the promotion of gut bacteria [6].

Point 8: Several bioactive molecules, including polyphenols, flavonoids, and organic acids, possess a wide variety of pharmacological properties such as antibiotic, anti-cancer, anti-obesity, protection against free radical damage and reduction of inflammation [7][8].

On A Final Note...

The researchers recommended that the focus should be on having a diet that contains less sugar overall.