Have you heard of the term “nutritionism”?
It’s the idea that foods are nothing more than the sum of their individual nutrients.
Nutritionism is a trap that many nutrition enthusiast and professionals tend to fall into and I am guilty of it myself.
The fact is that real foods are way more than just the sum of their nutrients.
They contain various substances, some known, others still a mystery, that can affect health in ways that science has yet to uncover.
Honey is More Than Just Liquid Fructose
Fruits aren’t just watery bags full of fructose and nuts aren’t just shells loaded with Omega-6 fatty acids.
Even though fructose and Omega-6 fatty acids have been linked to health issues when isolated, the “real foods” containing them can have a completely different effect.
Honey is considered unhealthy in many circles because it contains sugar, specifically fructose. But there is more to honey than can be dismissed with a wave of the hand and a mention of fructose.
Honey is a real food that has been accessible to humans throughout evolutionary history and can still be obtained in its natural form.
Before reading further, if there’s any doubt in your mind whether honey is “paleo” or not, watch this video of an African hunter-gatherer risking his life to acquire honey for himself, his family and his tribe (hat tip to Mark Sisson):
Is Honey Bad For You, or Good?
Honey bees swarm around their environment to collect Nectar, which are sugar-rich liquids from plants.
Producing honey from the Nectar takes place in the bee hive. It is a group activity consisting of repeated consumption, digestion and regurgitation (expulsion from the digestive tract).
A few cycles of this ends with what we know as honey, but the composition and nutritional properties depend on the sources of the Nectar, i.e. which flowers are in the vicinity of the beehive.
According to nutrition data, a typical batch of honey supplies:
- 82% sugar, by weight.
- Half of that sugar (40% of total weight) is fructose.
- Contains only trace amounts of vitamins and minerals.
- Honey contains various antioxidants (1).
- Its relative glucose and fructose content can vary greatly and its Glycemic Index ranges from low to high (2 – pdf).
Studies on Honey and Risk Factors for Disease
There are certain factors that can be measured in the blood which are strong indicators of health and risk of disease in the future. Cholesterol, triglycerides and blood glucose are particularly important.
Diabetics have big problems with all of these.
In a randomized controlled trial of 48 diabetics, those fed honey for 8 weeks lowered their body weight, triglycerides and total cholesterol while their HDL cholesterol increased.
However, HbA1c (a marker of blood glucose levels) also increased, which is bad (3).
Another study in healthy, diabetic and hyperlipidemic subjects revealed that (4):
- Honey raised blood sugar less than dextrose (glucose) and sucrose (glucose and fructose). It still did raise blood sugar, just not as much.
- Honey reduced C-Reactive Protein (CRP) – a marker of inflammation.
- Honey lowered LDL cholesterol, blood triglycerides and raised HDL cholesterol.
- Honey also lowered Homocysteine, another blood marker associated with disease.
The Antioxidants in Honey
Unrefined honey contains an abundance of various antioxidants that can have major implications for health. Generally speaking, antioxidants in the diet are associated with improved health and lower risk of disease.
Two human studies revealed that consumption of buckwheat honey increases the antioxidant value of the blood (5, 6).
Some Studies in Rats
In rats, honey leads to less oxidative stress, lower triglycerides and less fat gain than either sugar or purified fructose (7, 8).
Topical Administration of Honey
Honey may have some medicinal properties when applied to the skin, killing bacteria and speeding the healing of wounds (9, 10).
Choose Darker Honey
As I mentioned above, the composition of honey depends on the environment that the bees harvested in.
The antioxidant content of different types of honey can vary up to 20-fold. Generally speaking though, darker honeys like Buckwheat honey are better than the lighter varieties.
Should you eat honey? Well, that’s for you to decide and as with most other questions in nutrition, it depends.
If you’re healthy, active and don’t need to lose weight, then having some honey is unlikely to do you any harm and seems to be a lot less bad for you than sugar.
However, people who are overweight, diabetic and struggle with their dietary load of fructose and carbs, should probably avoid honey as much as possible.
When it comes to baking some occasional, healthy-ish treats, honey seems like an excellent alternative to replace sugar in recipes.
Bottom Line: Honey is rich in fructose, which is bad, but it is also rich in various antioxidants, which is good. It is at least healthier than sugar and whether it is safe to eat will depend on the individual.
When carb backloading after a heavy aneorobic “crossfit” type workout I think honey is an ideal choice simply due to the fructose content. Its not HFCS, but a natural form. Fructose is uniquely good to restore liver glycogen which depletes moreso then muscle glycogen when doing high aneorobic sports (Boxing/MMA/wrestling/Crossfit).
So when employing backloads I often seek out a source of Fructrose to include (as long as its from a fruit or honey). Even being more carb senstive than most I find honey during these times excellent.
I always have a hard time with the idea that any natural food is “bad or good”, as the context, your goals, your personal health issues, always come into play. We are not all diabetics or with metabolic syndrome, but we are all not pristine hunter gatherers without damage from the standard western diet.
I agree, Danny. Everything in nutrition has context.
Fantastic and thorough. I always love reading your articles! You do a great job cutting through all the BS with facts.
Thank you, Lisa. I appreciate it.
Great article. What do you think about bee pollen?
I haven’t done any research on it so I don’t know.
I use honey every night as a facial/neck wash (squeeze a small amount in your hand and then add a few drops of water. Scrub and then wipe off with a wash cloth) and then apply coconut oil straight from the jar. I’m 53 yo and I get comments all the time about how amazing my skin looks. Most people think that I’m in my early 40′s:)
Bravo Kris. As the wife of a beekeeper, it is good to see some common sense expressed about this wonderful product. We have regular customers who come every year to get local honey to aid hay fever.
Hi Kris,
How about coconut sugar? Would like to hear your views on that. Many thanks for all the great info by the way.
Coconut sugar is the next sweetener I’ll cover, no idea when that will be though.
Hey Kris, thanks for another great article. Any chance you could do a similar one for molasses?
I’ll see what I can do.
I love reading these so much – thank you.
I’m interested in your view of the drink “pepsi next” which is sweetened with stevia?
Hmm.. it still contains sugar though, right?
Check the label… if it’s only sweetened with Stevia then it’s probably better for you than other diet drinks.
Still there are lots of observational studies showing that artificially sweetened beverages are associated with disease so personally I choose to avoid them as much as possible.
Thanks so much for your reply Kris.
Oh, and what do you drink to have a change from water? I do really love water, but it feels there is NOTHING else ‘safe’ to drink. I’ve actually never been a fizzy drink person, but these started being a replacement for alcohol i think.
Coffee and tea, carbonated soda without artificial sweeteners. Some people like to put a little bit of lemon in their water.
Personally I just drink plain water and black coffee.
I have type 2 Diabetes, I dont have a sweet tooth, drink alcohol or smoke. I lift weights, I have started drinking boiled water with honey and two tea spoons of cinnamon stirred in once at night and once in the morning.
Is this ok as I read that honey with cinnamon was good for type 2 Diabetics?
No, this is a very bad idea.
If you want to help improve your diabetes, then you should avoid all sugars and starches and do a low-carb diet.
I suggest you read this: http://authoritynutrition.com/low-carb-diet-meal-plan-and-menu/
But talk to your doctor before making any changes, reducing carbs can lower your need for insulin and other glucose lowering meds.
Kris,
I actually enjoyed the article, the various comments and the other articles referenced by various people.
Would you please tell me what you think about both of them (Honey and Coconut sugar) for triglycerides. I have just been told that my triglycerides level is high (about 300). I am very, very slim, fit and have no sickness. I do not drink or smoke (they say those are the first suspects). In-fact, I do not take any processed drinks. I drink only water and decaf coffee, even in parties.
My sources of fat and sugar were; fried food (at home), freshly squeezed fruit juice/smoothie, heavy African food with high carbohydrate content, bread/biscuits and brown table sugar/honey that I used in my decaf coffee. Now I have eliminated fried food, red meat, fresh juice, biscuits, brown sugar/honey altogether, and drastically reduced the carbohydrate foods that I eat, trying to replace them with high protein ones like beans. I have changed to only whole grain bread and whole grain cereal and eat them small and sparingly.
And then I was introduced to Coconut sugar (for my decaf coffee) which has in its nutrition list “0 trans/saturated fat, 0 cholesterol and 4g carbs”. I thought it was gold before reading your article this evening. I have resumed regular exercise and I am praying that I keep it up. So tell me what you think, if it will not be too much bother.
All carbs… including coconut sugar and honey can be turned into triglycerides in the liver.
I think if your main goal is to reduce triglycerides, then you should cut back on all carbohydrates and especially fructose. Coconut sugar and honey are both rich in fructose.
No need to reduce red meat, as long as it is good meat. Then you should supplement with some cod fish liver oil, one tablespoon per day.
Great article, really interesting and easy to understand. I think I’m going to give honey a try, I’m a fit 26 year old guy but torture myself by not giving into my sweet tooth. Lol at least I’ll know a bit of honey is better than a chocolate bar!