A meta analysis on honey and its health benefits by the research team of the University Toronto showed that honey can reduce cardiometabolic risk. Additionally, sugar control is better and bad cholesterol drops with its use. Read on for the complete details.
The university of Toronto and its study on honey
A group of researchers from the University of Toronto did a meta analysis of studies on honey and its health benefits. In this, they analyzed in depth 18 controlled trials that comprised a total of 1100 participants. And they rated each trial based on the strength of evidence in them. This study is published in the journal Nutrition Reviews.
University Toronto (Source: Education World)The research team focused not only on the pros and cons of honey consumption, but also studied in detail the processing of honey and provenance of flowers and its impact on health. An average of 2 tablespoons or 40 grams of honey was consumed in these trials.
The findings of the study
Many of the studies in this meta analysis revealed that honey was beneficial for humans. Moreover, honey can reduce high blood sugar spikes and assist in smoother diabetic control. Some of the studies revealed that honey can reduce the bad LDL cholesterol of the body. It can also elevate the good or HDL cholesterol and thus assist in improving arterial and heart health.
Honey (Source: Pinterest)Tauseef Khan, research associate in nutritional sciences at Temerti University’s Faculty of Medicine states:
“These results are surprising because honey contains about 80% sugar,”
Elaborating on this topic, he added:
“But honey is also a complex composition of common and rare sugars, proteins, organic acids, and other bioactive compounds that are very likely to have health benefits,”
Impact of processing method and floral source
The systematic review showed that, at times, the good effects are balanced and it depends on the floral source and also on processing method used. Honey from a single floral source had the maximum impact on blood sugar and bad cholesterol. For instance, manuka honey is the honey that these honey bees manufacture from flowers of manuka tree. It is wholesome and rich honey. Moreover, raw honey is better, the study said.
Honey (Source: Wikipedia)John Sevenpiper is an associate professor of nutritional sciences and medicine at University of Toronto and a physician and scientist at Unity Health Toronto. He said:
“Most nutrition and public health experts believe that sugar is sugar.”
“These findings show that this is not the case, and you should temporarily stop labeling honey as free or added sugar in the Dietary Guidelines,”
Tauseef feels that those who had benefits with honey also were consuming a healthy diet simultaneously.
Also, read What is manuka honey? Uses, nutrition, and health benefits!
But he confirms that honey has a lot of benefits. But he and his team do not think that addition of honey to one’s diet would suddenly make it healthy. Tauseef concluded:
“The takeaway is more about alternatives. If you’re using table sugar, syrup or any other sweetener, swapping those sugars for honey may reduce your cardiometabolic risk,”