There are several things that contribute to having good health and boosting your immunity in a natural way. Two of the most important things for boosting your immune system are, obviously, exercising and eating proper food.
When it comes to protecting yourself against a wide variety of diseases, the right diet is one of the most effective weapons you can add to your “collection of defenses.” Even conditions as serious as diabetes and high cholesterol are susceptible to the powerful impacts that may be brought on by consuming meals rich in vitamins.
A recent study showed that eating honey contributes to reducing high cholesterol and blood sugar levels. Honey, which is characterized by its sweet flavor and velvety texture, brings more to the meal than just a nice touch to the dishes and beverages you consume.
A review published in the journal Nutrition Reviews makes a compelling case for adding the sweetener to your diet.
The researchers at the University of Toronto found that the golden liquid could help cut your blood sugar and cholesterol levels.
While high cholesterol can increase your risk of serious cardiovascular problems like stroke and heart disease, diabetics who leave their high blood sugar levels untreated can risk permanent nerve damage and eyesight problems.
There’s no doubt that these two culprits need to be kept in check, but researchers were amazed that honey filled with sugar would be up to the job.
Tauseef Khan, a senior researcher on the study, said, “These results are surprising because honey is about 80 percent sugar.”
“But honey is also a complex composition of common and rare sugars, proteins, organic acids, and other bioactive compounds that very likely have health benefits.”
The team arrived at this unexpected finding after reviewing more than 18 controlled trials that involved 1,100 participants.
Honey consistently produced either neutral or beneficial effects across these studies, depending on processing, floral source, and quantity.
In the research, the golden liquid was able to cut both fasting glucose and total cholesterol.
On the other hand, honey gave a boost to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, also known as the “good” fatty substance.
Unlike its “bad” counterpart, this type is able to absorb cholesterol from your blood and carry it back to the liver, where it gets flushed from your body.
Furthermore, the research team found that honey was also able to reduce markers of fatty liver disease and inflammation.
John Sievenpiper, principal investigator, said: “The word among public health and nutrition experts has long been that sugar is sugar.”
“These results show that’s not the case, and they should give pause to the designation of honey as a free or added sugar in dietary guidelines.”
The median daily dose of the sweetener used in the trials was around 40 grams, which is the equivalent of two tablespoons.
Raw honey was the main driving force behind many of the beneficial effects in the studies, as was honey from monofloral sources such as Robinia (also marketed as acacia honey) and clover, which is common in North America.
However, processed honey doesn’t seem to offer the same benefits as this product “clearly loses” many of its potent powers after pasteurization.
Khan added: “We’re not saying you should start having honey if you currently avoid sugar.”
“The takeaway is more about replacement: if you’re using table sugar, syrup, or another sweetener, switching those sugars for honey might lower cardiometabolic risks.”
