What is Honey?
Honey is a sweet-tasting thick liquid that honey bees produce. The sugary substances of plants make it easier for bees to produce honey by secreting onto them. Honey is so vital that it is a theory that if one-day honey bees get extinct, the world will come to an end.
We don’t want that happening, do we?
This is why Honey is one of the most appreciated and admired natural products offered to humankind since early times. Honey is utilized as a nutritional product and in health treatments in conventional medicine and as an alternative medication for clinical requirements ranging from wound healing to cancer therapy.
This article aims to emphasize the health benefits of honey for human beings.
1. Honey contains numerous nutrients
One tablespoon of honey, which is approximately 21 grams, contains many nutrients. A total of 64 calories, 17g of sugar such as maltose, fructose, sucrose, and glucose is found in 21 grams of honey. Essentially, honey contains no traces of Fiber, fat, or protein. It also includes a fraction of several other vitamins and minerals but will not fulfill your daily requirement. Nutritionally, there are immense health benefits of using honey.
2. Health benefits of honey include consuming Anti Oxidants
Organic acids and phenolic compounds such as flavonoids are found in Pure honey. These are essential antioxidants that give honey properties of an antioxidant.
Antioxidants are famous for reducing the risk of multiple diseases.
Interestingly, a couple of studies have revealed that buckwheat honey enhances the antioxidant power of your blood.
Antioxidants possess health benefits such as reduced heart attacks, strokes, and different cancer types. They may also improve eyesight health.
3. Honey is better than Sugar for diabetic patients
Even though the evidence of the benefits of honey for diabetic patients is mixed, honey is famous for reducing several health risk factors. It is common for Type 2 diabetic patients to have heart diseases, but honey has proven to minimize the impacts.
It may reduce “unhealthy” LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, and inflammation while boosting “healthy” HDL cholesterol. However, it is reported that honey may also increase blood sugar levels to some extent but not as much as refined sugar does.
While using honey may insignificantly be better than processed sugar for people with diabetes, the risks are reduced if consumed with caution.
4. Antioxidants help lower high blood pressure
Heart diseases are associated with high blood pressure. Blood pressure is a severe illness that is found in many people all around the world. Deposits of cholesterol and fatty’s in the veins and arteries cause the blood to move around with difficulty. This, in turn, increases the flow of the blood. In short, the more restricted the artery of your body, the faster the blood will flow, increasing your blood pressure.
The benefits of using honey are also that it is an excellent remedy to lower blood pressure.
The reason using honey lowers blood pressure is that it contains antioxidant compounds. Antioxidants have been proved to lower blood pressure.
Previous studies in rats and humans have revealed a significant reduction in blood pressure from consuming honey.
5. Honey also lowers high cholesterol levels
The benefits of honey also include lower levels of LDL.
LDL or Low-density Lipoprotein is sometimes referred to as the “BAD” cholesterol. Most of your body is covered by LDL cholesterol. High LDL levels are linked with the increased buildup of cholesterol in the arteries.
LDL levels that are high in the human body usually possess risk factors that contribute to heart disease.
The cholesterol build-up increases the chances of heart attacks and strokes. Additional Stress can lead to multiple organ failures while having Atherosclerosis.
Astonishingly, multiple studies have shown that using honey might improve your cholesterol levels. It decreases total & “bad” LDL cholesterol while also remarkably elevating “good” HDL cholesterol levels.
For instance, a study conducted with 55 patients made a comparison of honey to sugar and discovered that honey promoted 5.8% lower levels of LDL and 3.3% higher levels of HDL cholesterol. It also led to a fair amount of weight loss of 1.3%.
6. Honey lowers triglyceride levels
Triglycerides are stored by the body when you consume extra calories than what is required by your body. Calories are then converted into triglycerides for later use. These triglycerides are used for energy between meals.
Another risk factor for heart diseases is elevated triglyceride levels. Higher triglycerides also increase the chances of metabolic disorders.
They are additionally related to insulin resistance which is a significant driver of type 2 diabetes. On a diet that is high in sugar & refined carbs, Triglyceride levels usually tend to elevate.
Compellingly, various studies have associated the benefits of honey with lower triglyceride levels, mainly when used to replace sugar.
For instance, a study conducted previously concluded that people who consumed honey rather than sugar were found to have 11 to 19 percent lower triglyceride levels.
7. The Antioxidants in honey is associated with many other beneficial effects on the health of the heart
Once more, honey is a rich source of phenols and flavonoids. Intake of flavonoids on a regular basis promotes the reduction of cardiovascular diseases.
In heart diseases, the flavonoids inhibit antithrombotic properties and antioxidant properties. therefore, flavonoids decrease the risk of heart diseases by three main actions such as
(a) by improving coronary vasodilation, (b) by reducing the ability of platelets to make blood clots, and (c) preventing LDLs to oxidize
These properties avoid heart attacks, strokes, and various other heart diseases. Flavonoids also help the arteries in the heart dilate, which increases blood flow to the heart and body.
Interestingly, one study conducted in rats showed that using honey has been linked to protecting the heart from oxidative stress.
Even after all these pieces of evidence, there is still no extensive study that shows the link between honey and the heart’s health.
8. Additional benefits of honey are that it promotes the healing of burns and wounds
The benefits of honey as a topical medication have been famous since ancient Egypt. Benefits of honey applied on the skin include healing of wounds and burns.
There are 26 reviews conducted on honey and wound care. All of them found the most effective benefits of honey as healing small areas of burns and wounds that are infected after surgery.
Honey is also a very effective and outstanding treatment for patients who suffer from diabetic foot ulcers. Diabetic foot ulcers are so complicated that they can lead to amputation.
One study conducted previously reported that the benefits of honey give a success rate of 43.3% as a wound treatment. In another study, a whopping 97% of patients’ diabetic ulcers are associated with topical honey.
Researchers reveal that the healing powers of honey come from its antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. The benefits of honey applied to the skin increase the ability to nourish surrounding tissue.
Skin conditions such as herpes, lesions, and psoriasis are also improved through topical honey.
The most famous honey for treating burn wounds is Manuka honey.
9. The benefits of Honey include suppressing coughs in adults and children.
Coughing is as common as Flu. Mostly, Every Flu is associated with coughing and chest infections. Such infections affect the quality of life and sleep. The benefits of honey can also be found in cough and flu.
However, even though many cough syrups are prescribed daily all over the world. Nothing beats the benefits of honey for coughs. Pharmaceutical medications can have various side effects and still not give results.
Interestingly, World Health Organization has recommended hot tea with honey and lemon as a cure for cough and cold. This is why a study found that honey was a better remedy than two of the most common cough medications.
Additionally, honey with warm water can be drunk several times a day as per your requirement to cure a sore throat.
10. It’s tasty but still considerably high in calories and sugar
Honey is a delicious alternative to sugar and carbs. It provides multiple benefits, whether it is the benefits of raw honey or the benefits of honey in water.
Make sure that you choose high-quality honey that is authentic. Usually, honey is mixed with sugar syrup to increase the quantity.
Keep in mind that honey is rich in calories and sugar and should be consumed in moderation. Excessive consumption of honey can lead to obesity.
The benefits of honey are more prominent when you have replaced an unhealthy sweetener with honey.
The conclusion is that honey is a less bad sweetener than other sugary and high fructose syrups.
How do you know the authenticity of pure honey?
Pure honey is very rare to find. Usually, in the markets, honey is tampered with with sugary syrups. But do not worry, as we will tell you how to check the authenticity of pure honey.
The benefits of honey with sugary substances can reduce and promote various health issues.
The steps to check honey are :
- Thumb test: Pour a spoon of honey on your thumb. If the honey spills, then it is not pure and incases it stays; the honey is pure. This is because honey is a thick viscous liquid and sticks to the surface it is applied on.
- Water test: Pour a spoon of honey into a glass of water. If the honey dissolves, this means it is fabricated, and incase it settles down, then it is pure honey. This is because honey is dense, and therefore it settles down.
- Paper test: Pour a spoon of honey on a piece of paper. If the paper is wet, then the honey is not pure. If the paper is not wet, then the honey is pure.
- Flame test: Dip a stick of match stick in honey. Strike the match stick on the matchbox. If the match stick lightens up, then the honey is pure. If in case it does not, then the honey is impure. * PERFORM THIS TEST WITH CAUTION AND AT YOUR OWN RISK*
- Vinegar test: Pour a spoon of honey in 2 to 3 drops of vinegar and water together. If the mixture foams up, then the honey is impure.
- Heat test: Pour a spoon of honey into a pan. Heat the pan. Pure honey will caramelize, whereas impure honey will form bubbles.
Everything in this world has benefits and side effects. It depends on how you use it and how frequently you use it. Such as if you consume honey in warm water, it promotes weight loss, and if you consume raw honey it promotes weight gain. Another theory is that if you consume honey at bedtime, it promotes weight gain, and if you consume honey when you wake up, it promotes weight loss. Choose your choices wisely, and you will benefit from everything.
Let us know in the comments below if you know any health benefits of honey that we may have missed in our article.
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