A new analysis of multiple trials found that a certain type of honey may improve glycemic control and cholesterol, although the researchers do not suggest starting honey if you currently avoid sugar.
Honey is a product made by bees that for thousands of years has been used not only as a sweet food, but also as a medicinal remedy, as an anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antibiotic agent.
Among the current uses of honey, it is used orally to treat coughs and topically to treat burns and heal wounds. Honey can affect blood sugar levels. Although some current research indicates that honey might also improve blood sugar and cholesterol levels, for these purposes, some types may be better than others.
Researchers at the University of Toronto conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of trials with the aim of determining what effect honey may have on cardiometabolic risk factors.
The research focused on 18 trials that involved more than 1,100 participants and had a median duration of two months. The participants generally consumed around two tablespoons of honey a day.
There are more than 300 different types of honey, which vary in color, aroma and flavor. According to the research report published in Nutrition Reviews, honey, especially robinia, clover, and unprocessed raw honey, can improve glycemic control and lipid levels when consumed within a healthy dietary pattern.
They found that honey lowered fasting blood glucose, total and LDL or “bad” cholesterol, triglycerides and a marker of fatty liver disease; it also increased HDL, or “good” cholesterol, and some markers of inflammation, according to Eurekalert!
“These results are surprising, because honey is about 80 percent sugar,” said Tauseef Khan, the study’s principal investigator and a research associate in nutrition sciences at the University of Toronto Temerty School of Medicine.
Nutrition experts do not recommend starting to eat honey, the conclusion of recent research points towards a replacement for those who use other added sugars.
“We’re not saying you should start eating honey if you’re currently avoiding sugar,” Khan said. “The bottom line is more about replacement: If you use table sugar, syrup, or another sweetener, swapping those sugars for honey could reduce cardiometabolic risks.”
