Honey: The News Gets Sweeter
Can eating honey decrease anxiety and improve memory?
Well, a recent study suggests it just might.
At least if you're a rat.
According to New Zealand researchers, the antioxidants in honey may be responsible for improving the spatial memory of rats, as well as for decreasing their anxiety during a maze task. Which is leading to optimistic headlines like: "Honey could counter the effects of ageing!"
Which would be really nice, wouldn't it? Spread some honey on your toast and stay young forever?
Here's more on the actual study, which wasn't quite as exciting as the headline. (And it's also interesting to note that the research was funded by a dairy company that just happens to be looking to add honey to its yogurt).
Honey-Fed Rats Braver In Mazes
As reported in the New Scientist Magazine, University of Waikato researchers raised rats on diets containing 10 per cent honey, 8 per cent sucrose, or no sugar at all for 12 months. They tested the rats every three months, measuring anxiety and spatial memory.
The rats fed honey spent almost twice as much time in open sections of the maze than sucrose-fed rats, suggesting to the researchers they were less anxious. They were also were more likely to try new maze sections. Researchers took this to mean the rats knew where they'd been before. (Presumably the scientists were well-trained in Rat Think).
This led the researchers to conclude that "diets sweetened with honey may be beneficial in decreasing anxiety and improving memory during ageing."
Stock up on Honey?
So what does this all mean for those of us who are not rats?
If these findings are borne out by further studies, it seems like excellent news--it's always great to hear that something that's natural and tasty also has significant health benefits. When choosing a sweetener, this is one more reason to go with honey.
On the other hand, honey may be healthy and natural, but it does pack a lot of calories. It probably doesn't make sense to start slathering it all over everything in the hopes of improving your memory or taming your anxiety. Many of us have a tendency to see a study saying something is good for us, and then run out and buy a bunch of it--especially when it's something agreeable like honey or chocolate or red wine. But, alas, balance, moderation and variety are probably the better dietary strategies for the long-haul.
Do any of you use much honey, or have any thoughts about its place in a healthy diet?
UPDATE: It seems a teaspoon of honey before bed does a better job of treating a cough than cough medicine.
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I have never been a huge fan of honey - too sweet for my taste buds. When I need sweet, I tend to do one of three things: 1) eat fruit, 2) eat a little bit of dark chocolate, or 3) have a few dark chocolate espresso beans.
But as for the actual article, hasn't honey been proven before to reduce memory loss?
ReplyBack when I still baked (breads, cookies, pizza crust, etc.) I would always use honey as the sweetener.
If you buy it locally, then it contains local pollens and might help desensitize the body to allergies.
ReplyPizza sweetened with honey rises better than with sugar, too, and makes a crispier crust.
ReplyI always liked honey in oatmeal, but, since being diagnosed with Metabolic Syndrome, I pretty much cut it out of my diet.
However, I was doing Christmas shopping at Williams Sonoma Monday, and I saw a bottle of Tupelo honey and got a yen. Bought it. Had some on organic whole wheat bread with some Smart Balance spread. It was SOOOOOOOOOOO GOOOOOOOOOOOOOD. I only had about a teaspoon and a half, but the joy of it was well worth the sugar calories.
The color is so gorgeous, too. Visually and orally--a treat!
The Princess
Reply1/2 tsp. in my tea (with milk, sorry) every morning. It IS much sweeter than sugar. I feel like it helps give me a tiny extra bit of rev before my morning run.
Also, when I'm going on LONG bike rides, I usually bring a bottle of water with a spoon of honey in it (never developed a taste for Gatorade).
ReplyHey, Crabby! Fancy seeing you here!
Wonderful post. Great information!
I've been thinking of incorporating more honey and less sugar in my baking.
ReplyI like honey in my tea, shakes, and sometimes in baked goods and any good news about honey is good news for me.
ReplyExtremely good to know, thanks for the information! Apparently Austin is in the top 10 cities for allergies. I haven't developed them yet, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
ReplyDid you know honey is the one natural food that never goes bad? Kinda cool fun fact.
ReplyI never liked the taste of honey as a child but i tried a blackcurrant tea with 2 teaspoons of honey in it and it was lovely. At the time i was suffering from anemia and anxiety and had a panic attack, which was an awful experience. Since drinking the honey teas regulary, i feel so much better, i am no longer anemic and immediately after drinking the teai feel my heart calms down. I am much more calm now and feel better on the whole. I would recommend honey for everyone
ReplyI think it's important to get unprocessed honey. "Raw" honey often isn't. I get comb honey, "unheated" honey, honey spread, or something like that. We must consider that there are many different varieties of honey, some are more or less processed than others. I am convinced that honey is vastly healthier than refined sugar, and high fructose corn syrup. Here is a study showing that honey protects against hypertryceridemia and oxidative stress, while refined sugars do the opposite.
Substituting Honey for Refined Carbohydrates Protects Rats from Hypertriglyceridemic and Prooxidative Effects of Fructose
Replyhttp://jn.nutrition.org/cgi/content/full/132/11/3379
I use honey rather than sugar whenever possible; it's just as sweet and actually contains a bit of nutrition. Honey and even sugar are infinitely better for you
Replythan artificial sweetners though. ARtificial sweetners have been known to cause cancer, memory loss, numbness, headaches, nausea, and much more. Even though you may think they're good for you, its basically akin to putting poison in your body... SO SWEETEN WITH HONEY WHENEVER POSSIBLE!
I definitely think there is much health benefit to honey. It has antioxidants and is a great natural sweetener. I would use that over most artificial sweeteners any day!
ReplyI would like to start using honey instead of Splenda which I think I may have a negative reaction to, but don't know what to look for. Is all honey basically the same, or should I be looking for something in particular? It says in the article that it has a lot of calories, but also is sweeter than sugar, so in the long run, since you would need less, would you actually be taking in more calories?
Reply