Health Benefits of Honey

There is a host of health benefits of honey. And it sure goes well with a cup of tea. While having a relaxing time, you could of course bring along some honey to mix with your cup of tea. Let's see if we can learn more about the health benefits of honey.

A bottle of Manuka Honey and a cup of honey to drink

There are some 300 varieties of honey in the world, with the colour and fragrance of honey dependent upon the type of flower the honey bee extracts its nectar. Honey is composed mainly of sugars - glucose and fructose, and water. It also contains numerous other types of sugars, acids, proteins and minerals. The sweetness of honey will depend on the amount of fructose, the more of it the sweeter the honey. It is also reason why it is sweeter than table sugar which is composed mainly of glucose which is less sweet than fructose. On the average, honey is 1.5 times sweeter than sugar on a dry weight basis.

Here's an interesting health benefits of honey, according to a lecture by Dr. James Carpenter, University of Hawaii At Hilo, the absorption of honey is slower than that of sugar. This means:

Less of a strain on the pancreas to suddenly produce large amounts of insulin

Less likelihood of large peaks and valleys in the insulin / sugar curve

Less likelihood of hypoglycaemia

So a diabetic can still enjoy some honey as they can avoid a sugar rush into the bloodstream.

Honey also includes numerous compounds of antioxidants which is good for the body to help fight off free radicals in the human body. The amount and type of these antioxidant compounds depends upon the floral source of honey. In general, darker honeys have higher antioxidant content than lighter honeys.

Another potential health benefits of honey which is still being studied shows that consumption of honey helps to enhance calcium absorption by the body. Though the study is still in its early stages, the data looks very compelling. More research will need to be carried though before any conclusive result can be published.

Our gastrointestinal tract contains many bacteria, especially the Bifidobacteria which is essential for good food digestion and good health. Honey is a prebiotic, which is different from probiotic. What's the difference? A probiotic is a live microbial feed supplement which means ingesting yogurt and similar food to increase the bacteria flora in the gut. Where else a prebiotic is something like food for the microflora to stimulate growth and activity of the beneficial bacteria.

Source: National Honey Board

Wow, with so many health benefits of honey, one should take it more often! Perhaps mixing tea with honey will make for a satisfying drink while relaxing up there in Cameron Highlands.