Not only sweet but also useful, studies have proved that honey can reduce cardiometabolic risk

Researchers at the University of Toronto found that honey can improve key markers of cardiometabolic health, including blood sugar and cholesterol levels — especially if honey is raw and comes from a single plant source
.

Researchers conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical trials of honey and found that it reduced fasting blood sugar, total blood sugar, and LDL ("bad" cholesterol), triglycerides, and a marker of fatty liver; It also increases HDL ("good" cholesterol), as well as some de-inflammatory markers
.

"These results are surprising because honey is about 80 percent sugar," said Tauseef Khan, a senior investigator on the study and a nutritional science research associate
at T University's Temerty School of Medicine.
"But honey is also a complex composition
of common and rare sugars, proteins, organic acids and other bioactive compounds that are likely to have health benefits.
"

Previous studies have shown that honey can improve cardiometabolic health, especially in vitro and animal studies
.
The current study is the most comprehensive clinical trial review to date, including the most detailed processed and plant-derived data
.

Lead researcher John Sievenpiper, associate professor of nutritional sciences and medicine at the University of Toronto, said: "Public health and nutrition experts have long believed that 'sugar is sugar'
.
" Cypper is also a clinical scientist
at the Unity health Toronto Centre.
"These results suggest that this is not the case and that they should suspend the designation of honey as a free or added sugar
in the dietary guidelines.
"

Sievenpiper and Khan emphasize that the context of the findings is critical: In clinical trials, participants followed a healthy eating pattern with added sugars accounting for 10 percent or less
of their daily caloric intake.

"We're not saying that if you don't eat sugar at the moment, you should start eating honey
.
" "The key is substitution – if you're using sucrose, syrup, or other sweeteners, swapping those sugars for honey may reduce cardiometabolic risk
.
"

The researchers included 18 controlled trials and more than 1100 participants
in their analysis.
They assessed the quality of these trials with the GRADE system and found that the evidence from most studies was less certain, but honey consistently produced neutral or beneficial effects, depending on processing, source of flowers, and quantity
.

In the trial, the average daily dose of honey was 40 grams, or about two tablespoons
.
The median duration of the trials was eight weeks
.
In studies, raw honey produced a number of beneficial effects, as did honey from monofloral sources, such as acacia honey — a honey from fake acacia or black locust trees — and clover
, which is common in North America.

Khan says that while processed honey noticeably loses many of its health effects after pasteurization (typically at least 10 minutes at 65 degrees Celsius), the effects of hot drinks on raw honey depend on several factors and will most likely not destroy all of its beneficial properties
.

He also points out other ways to consume unheated honey, such as with yogurt, sauce or salad dressing
.

Khan said future research should focus on unprocessed honey and come from a single plant source
.
Their goal is to obtain higher-quality evidence to better understand the many compounds
in honey that have miraculous health effects.
"We need a consistent product that delivers consistent health benefits
," Khan said.
"Then the market will follow
.
"