Insights & Discussion
Clinical studies related to breast cancer have revealed that honey is effective in increasing blood cell counts, interleukin-3 levels, and quality of life.
In relation to breast cancer, in vitro experiments revealed the anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic impact of honey on breast cancer cells, as well as their increased apoptosis. Animal studies have shown that honey reduces the number, growth rate, volume, and tumor weight. Findings from clinical trials reported its immunomodulatory properties showing that honey is effective in increasing leukocyte and platelet counts, IL-3 levels, and quality of life. In this context, the potential role of honey and its oligosaccharides as prebiotics for specific beneficial bacteria might be examined in future clinical studies.
Preclinical studies related to osteoporosis have reported favorable effects of honey on cortical and trabecular bone microstructure, bone strength, and oxidative stress.
Honey is able to protect the bone mainly due to antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, primarily through its content of polyphenols, which act on several signaling pathways, resulting in anabolic and antiresorptive effects. From the group of polyphenols, the anti-osteoporotic impact of quercetin, kaempferol, and luteolin was recorded. In addition, vitamin D3 and its hydroxyderivatives with antioxidant properties were also detected in honey. Vitamin D3 supplementation was found to have protective effects on the inhibition of bone loss and BMD in both experimental animals and postmenopausal women.
Discover Related Insights
Consuming soymilk-honey fermented with a specific type of probiotic significantly reduces osteocalcin levels, which may impact bone health in postmenopausal women.
2021 Nutrients Effect of Fermented Soymilk-Honey from Different Probiotics on Osteocalcin Level in Menopausal Women Desfita S, Sari W, Yusmarini Y, Pato U, Zakłos-Szyda M, Budryn G
Clinical Study Honey Menopause Osteoporosis
The researchers conducted a 90-day pre-post quasi-experimental study with control design on 54 postmenopausal women who were divided into three groups. The first group consumed regular soymilk, the second group consumed soymilk-honey fermented with a specific sub species of probiotics, and the third group consumed soymilk-honey fermented with a different type of probiotics. Each participant consumed 100 mL of their respective drink per day for 90 days. Measurements of blood serum osteocalcin were taken at the start and end of the study, alongside assessments of each participant's overall health status, including total cholesterol, blood glucose, and uric acid levels.
In terms of results, it was observed that the group consuming the soymilk-honey fermented with the particular probiotic showed a significant decrease in their osteocalcin levels after the 90-day period. This indicates that this specific fermented soymilk-honey beverage might have a positive impact on bone health in postmenopausal women.
Honey can protect the bone via its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, primarily through its polyphenol content that acts upon several signalling pathways, leading to bone anabolic and antiresorptive effects.
2019 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine A Review of Potential Beneficial Effects of Honey on Bone Health Kamaruzzaman MA, Chin KY, Mohd Ramli ES
Review Article Honey Osteoporosis
This review aims to summarize the current evidence on the effects of honey on bone health. The evidence reported so far indicates a skeletal-beneficial effect of honey in animal models of osteoporosis. However, the number of studies on humans is limited.
The literature shows that honey has promising skeletal-beneficial effects in preventing osteoporosis. Many types of honey have been shown to prevent bone loss in various animal models via its high antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Nevertheless, the efficacy of honey seems to be dose-dependent, whereby very high or low dosage will not produce desirable results on the skeleton.