Skip to main content

Honey may have sweet health benefits

Honey may have sweet health benefits, according to researchers who conducted what is believed to be the first study of chronic honey consumption in humans. Biochemist Heidrun Gross and colleagues fed 25 study participants about four tablespoons each of buckwheat honey daily for 29 days in addition to their regular diets.

The volunteers were divided into two groups receiving honey that provided different amounts of polyphenols -- compounds found in fruits, vegetables and seeds that have been linked with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer.

The researchers drew blood samples from the participants at given intervals following honey consumption. They found that there was a direct link between the honey consumption and the level of polyphenolic antioxidants in the plasma. These findings further strengthen existing evidence that suggests that honey in the diet can provide people with protective antioxidant compounds.



Contact:

Heidrun Gross, Nutrition Department, (530) 752-8813, hbgross@ucdavis.edu, (She will be available March 27-31 at (714) 776-9073 at the Hawthorn Suites in Anaheim, Calif.) or Carl Keen, Nutrition Department, (530) 752-6331, clkeen@ucdavis.edu.

Paper: Effect of honey consumption on plasma antioxidant status in human subjects

Authors: Heidrun B. Gross, John A. Polagruto, Qin Yan Zhu, Derek D. Schramm, Carl Keen, UC Davis; Sun H. Kim, Konju National University, South Korea

Session: General Papers

Session date and time: 9:30 a.m. to 11:15 a.m., Sunday, March 28
Contact: Patricia Bailey
pjbailey@ucdavis.edu
530-752-9843
University of California - Davis

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Is too much soy bad for men?

While soy may be beneficial to women in a variety of ways, research in monkeys suggests that it could have an adverse effect on the behavior of men, according to researchers from Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center. Reporting in the current issue of the scientific journal Hormones and Behavior, the researchers found that in male monkeys, "long-term consumption of a diet rich in soy isoflavones can have marked influences on patterns of aggression and social behavior." Isoflavones are a naturally occurring plant estrogen in soy protein. "Although considerable attention has been directed at the potentially beneficial effects of isoflavones in reducing the risk of various cancers, osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease and postmenopausal symptoms, less effort has been invested in characterizing neurobehavioral effects," according to the study.

Dietary modification could be a simple way to reduce the risk of stroke

Dietary modification could be a simple way to reduce the risk of stroke say researchers. The research shows a diet that consists of meats, refined grains and desserts is associated with a greater risk for stroke than a diet of fruits, vegetables, fish, legumes and whole grains. The study included dietary information on 71,768 female nurses between 38 and 63 years old. The women had no history of heart disease or diabetes. They completed questionnaires about their diet every few years for 14 years. Researchers tracked how many of the women had a stroke and then compared their diets. They rated the women's diets based on if they ate more of a Western diet or a prudent diet. During the follow-up, 791 women in the study had had a stroke. It was found that women who ate a Western diet vs. a prudent diet had a higher risk of developing a stroke . They say those who had the highest scores for a Western diet, meaning they mainly ate meat, refined grains and sweets, had a more than 50

Patient wins right to stop doctors withdrawing food and drink when he can no longer speak

Leslie Burke, who has a degenerative brain condition (cerebellar ataxia), was concerned that doctors may one day withdraw food and drink when he could no longer speak. He has won a high court ruling which says the doctors cannot do that. Leslie wants to go on living for as long as he can, even when he loses his ability to communicate his wishes to people around him. According to UK General Medical Council guidance on providing artificial nutrition, Leslie thought there might be situations in which life saving food and drink could be withdrawn, even if this went against his wishes. If his situation got so that he could not speak, the present guidance could allow doctors to remove food and drink. Now the General Medical Council will have to re-write the guidance as a result of the new High Court ruling. This new ruling applies to all terminally ill patients and also patients who lose the ability to speak and communicate their wishes to doctors. The General Medical Council can appea