Lower triglyceride and fatty liver levels and increase HDL cholesterol
Honey, which seems to have similar ingredients to sugar, has been shown to be good for heart health by lowering blood sugar and cholesterol levels.
The research team at the University of Toronto Medical School in Canada revealed that this was the result of a comprehensive analysis, including a systematic review of clinical trials on honey. Studies have shown that honey lowers fasting blood sugar, total cholesterol, bad cholesterol (LDL cholesterol), triglycerides and markers of fatty liver disease. On the other hand, it raised the level of good cholesterol (HDL cholesterol).
“This is a surprising result because most of honey is sugar, but honey contains common and rare sugars and proteins that are very likely to be beneficial to health,” said study lead author John Sevenpiper, associate professor of nutrition at the University of Toronto School of Medicine. , organic acids, and bioactive compounds are complex.” The composition of honey varies depending on the variety (type of flower) and the time of collection, but in general, it consists of regarding 80% of sugar (sugars) such as glucose and fructose and regarding 20% of water.
“Experts have long used the saying ‘a sugar is a sugar,’ but this study shows otherwise. Honey should be excluded from free or added sugars in the dietary guidelines.” Free sugar is a sugar that is in a molecular state that is not combined with any component of food or other sugars. Added sugar is added sugar when preparing various processed foods or cooking foods.
The research team included 18 clinical trials and 1,100 participants in this analysis. Researchers had participants consume an average of 40 grams (regarding 2 tablespoons) of raw honey per day over eight weeks (median). The raw honey ingested was honey obtained from a single flower such as acacia honey and clover.
According to the research team, the context of the analysis results is important. Participants followed a healthy diet pattern and consumed limited amounts of raw honey, which amounted to no more than 10% of their daily calorie intake. If processed honey is pasteurized (usually at 65 degrees Celsius for more than 10 minutes), its beneficial effects on health are greatly reduced. Drinking honey as a hot drink may also have an impact on its health effects. “Using honey instead of sugar, syrup or other sweeteners may lower the risk of cardiovascular disease,” the research team said.
The research team said that further research should be done to further increase the credibility of the analysis results, focusing on raw honey and honey from single flowers. The results of this study (Effect of honey on cardiometabolic risk factors: a systematic review and meta-analysis) were published in ≪Journal Nutrition Reviews≫ and introduced by ‘Eureka Alert’, a portal for the American Association for the Advancement of Science.