Author Biography

Walker McWilliams is a sophomore at Utah State University. He grew up in Idaho and loves hunting, fishing, and everything outdoors. Walker loves learning about any topic and is currently working on a Mathematics Major. He hopes to find a career in which he can continue to learn every day.

This essay was composed in April 2023 and uses MLA documentation.

For my entire life, I have never had to buy honey from the store. My grandpa, who was a beekeeper for 50 years, supplied my family with honey when I was young. Then my dad became a beekeeper and has been ever since. Honey, or liquid gold as my dad calls it, has been a large part of my life. In addition to honey tasting amazing, I also chose to eat it because I heard it was healthier than sugar. Everyone seemed to think that, so I took it to be true. That changed when I attended a nutrition class from USU. I read from the textbook that the body does not distinguish whether glucose and fructose come from honey or sugar – the body digests it the same. Additionally, it claimed that honey is not nutritionally superior when it comes to carbohydrate content (Stephenson et al.). This seemed to be the opposite of what I had heard all my life, so I decided to find the truth. What I found was eye-opening. What the textbook says is correct – in terms of carbohydrate content honey is not nutritionally superior. Honey is still sugar. But honey comes from plants – nectar to be specific – and contains substances called phytochemicals. Phytochemicals are plant compounds that are nutritionally beneficial for our bodies. In honey, phytochemicals make up a very small percentage – so small that some claim they do not have a significant effect. In contrast, evidence shows the benefits of honey’s composition to be measurable and consequential. Many of these health benefits depend largely upon nectar sources for the bees, so in this paper there will also be a special emphasis on clover and alfalfa honey, which are prominent honey types in the mountain west region of the United States.  Because some of these important compounds are destroyed during pasteurization, for this essay, honey is used to mean raw honey. While honey is certainly composed of sugar, standard table sugar or sucrose, will be referred to as sugar in this essay. This clarification is made because honey is much more than just sugar. Because of its unique composition, honey has significant health benefits compared to table sugar.

One of these benefits is the lower glycemic index value that defines many types of honey. Glycemic index (GI) is a value that measures the effect a food has on blood sugar levels. A lower GI food increases the blood sugar levels less than a high GI food. Huong Nguyen and a group of researchers affiliated with RMIT University of Australia report that honey is composed primarily of fructose, followed by glucose and dozens of minerals, vitamins, nutrients, and plant-based compounds. Importantly, fructose makes up the highest proportion in nearly all honey types. Fructose is important because it has a lower GI value than glucose and sucrose (Nguyen et al.). Because of this, honey typically has a lower GI value than sucrose and glucose. Stefan Bogdanov, ex-chairman of the International Honey Commission did a comprehensive review of the composition of honey and reports the GI of several types of honey in the table below.

From the table we see that only two types of honey have a higher GI than sucrose. Most of the values shown are in the low (less than 55) or intermediate (56 to 69) range. It is also evident that the GI value depends largely upon the region, but Bogdanov reports that most honeys are in the low to intermediate range. This property of honey can produce great health benefits.

Because low GI foods are particularly valuable for people with diabetes, many studies revolve around diabetics. Dr. Sadia Nikhat is an assistant professor at the University of Dhaka. Dr. Nikhat specializes in Unani, or Islamic medicine, and did a comprehensive review on honey because Unani medicine uses honey as medicine. He reports in one study of diabetic rats that honey had a “hypoglycemic effect”, meaning a lower glycemic effect. Additionally, he adds that clover honey, common in the mountain west region, produced similar results. These lower blood sugar spikes are extremely helpful for diabetics, who need to be careful about blood sugar levels. In fall, after honey harvest, I often spend time at a local farmer’s market selling honey. During that time, I have met many diabetics who purchase honey because of their doctor’s advice that honey is better for them than sugar. This is likely due to honey’s lower GI value than sugar. I can’t help but imagine these people are grateful for honey’s unique properties, which are not insignificant. The glycemic effect of honey is measurable and significant. One study reports that “intake of a low dose of honey caused a significantly lower glycemic response [than sucrose or glucose]” (Nikhat and Fazil; emphasis added). In other words, these weren’t slightly better results – they were significant. On the other hand, in one study the statistics seemed to show the opposite. Patients showed just as high of a blood sugar spike. After examining this study, other scientists agree that the patients were given too high of a honey dosage (Nikhat and Fazil). This emphasizes what the textbook explained – honey is still sugar. Excessive intake of honey is not healthy, as with so many other foods. But the important part is, when taken in moderation, honey typically has a lower GI value than sugar. This property of honey is important not only for diabetics, but for everyone. Some suggest that consuming lower GI foods can decrease the risk of heart disease (Bogdanov et al.). Because honey is typically a lower GI food than sugar, consuming honey may decrease the risk for heart disease. This reason itself is incentive to replace sugar consumption with honey. The GI value of honey is not the only factor which causes honey to help prevent heart disease. Another factor is honey’s antioxidant properties.

One of the greatest benefits of honey is its antioxidant capacity. An antioxidant is a substance that protects cells from being damaged (Stephenson et al.). Cells that become damaged can lead to a variety of health problems. For this property of honey, we will look at the example of atherosclerosis. When “bad” cholesterol in the blood, or LDL, is damaged, it can lead to a buildup of plaque in arteries. This buildup classifies as atherosclerosis and may lead to blood clots, high blood pressure, and other related issues. Clearly this is a significant problem, and it is a problem that antioxidants help prevent. A review on the composition of honey shows containing a variety of flavonoids, substances well known for their antioxidant properties (Bogdanov et al.). Their presence alone indicates that honey should also have antioxidant properties. Flavonoids are not insignificant. Archana Panche, researcher at the Technical University of Denmark, reports that “flavonoids have been found to be very effective in preventing lipid peroxidation…” (Panche et al.). Lipid peroxidation is part of the process I mentioned earlier with bad cholesterol being damaged and leading to atherosclerosis. Note that he uses the phrase “very effective” to describe the antioxidant capacity of flavonoids, which are present in honey. In addition, flavonoids are not the only antioxidant found in honey. In fact, honey is full of other polyphenols, acids, and enzymes which have antioxidant properties (Bogdanov et al.). Some may argue that the presence of antioxidants in honey does not necessarily mean honey is an antioxidant itself, but studies confirm that honey itself demonstrates antioxidant properties.

One way to partly measure antioxidant capacity is using a measurement called the AOC (antioxidant capacity). Nguyen reports that “considerable AOC values are well documented for a broad range of honey types from different botanical and geographical origin.” Again, note that the word considerable is used to describe the antioxidant capacity of honey. To understand what that means compared to common food antioxidants, they also found that the ORAC value of honey, another measurement of antioxidant capacity, was “equivalent to that of many fresh fruits and vegetables” (Nguyen et al.). The fact that honey is comparable to fresh fruit in relation to antioxidants is significant. It implies that supplementing a diet with honey instead of sugar can increase the antioxidants one consumes and leads to a healthier lifestyle.

In addition to these measured values and antioxidant constituents, honey has proven itself in real life examples. Of course, the extent of antioxidant capacity depends on the region and nectar the bees collect, but Maria Miguel, researcher for the University of Algarve in Portugal, affirms that honey contains antioxidant capacity “independently from its floral or geographical region.” Therefore, while many of these studies are done with all sorts of honey, it can be assumed that honey in the Idaho/Utah area have similar effects. Back to our example of LDL (“bad” cholesterol) becoming oxidized and causing high blood pressure, Nguyen and her team found that honey “significantly inhibits the… LDL oxidation compared to its sugar analogue” (Nguyen et al.). This was measured in a study involving living people, a real-life example of honey in action. The word ‘significant’ appears once again to describe the health benefits of honey. This is not an isolated study either. While researching this topic, I was overwhelmed at the amount of evidence for honey’s antioxidant capacity. Stefan Bogdanov reports on another study of humans taking a supplement of honey daily. The results were significant. “Honey increased the body antioxidant agents: blood vitamin C concentration by 47%, β-carotene by 3%, uric acid by 12%, and glutathione reductase by 7%” (Bogdanov et al.). Increasing blood vitamin C concentration by 47% is quite astounding for a substance that many claim has only “minimal” health benefits. It is especially important considering vitamin C and the other compounds mentioned are antioxidant agents. So, what are the implications for this?

One of the more important applications for honey’s antioxidant properties is reducing the risk for heart disease. Specifically, we have already looked at atherosclerosis. I am not claiming that consuming honey daily will make one invulnerable to heart disease or that it is a cure. But it has been shown that there are associations between honey and decreased heart disease. Many have been discussed already as an example. Dr. Miguel further reports that in a number of studies, eating natural honey decreased bad cholesterol levels in both healthy people and also people considered at high-risk for heart disease. At the same time, good cholesterol levels were increased, and blood glucose levels decreased. All of this with the advantage of no weight gain. She concludes, “such observations support the positive role of honey in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases.” Decreasing the “bad” cholesterol levels and increasing “good” cholesterol levels is one of the main preventative actions against heart disease. As shown, honey does just that. Some may attribute these results to other factors, but honey itself is tied directly to increasing “good” cholesterol levels. In one study, a “honey diet revealed a significant increase in HDL-C (good cholesterol) in rats, compared to sucrose or a sugar-free diet group” (Bogdanov et al.; emphasis added). Not only did honey “outperform” sucrose, but it also helped prevent heart disease compared to a sugar free diet. This shows honey’s direct role in helping prevent heart disease.

Another leading cause of heart disease is adiposity, or amount of fat, in general. Honey has a role to play in this as well. Reporting on a study done with rats, Dr. Nikhat reports, “clover honey (20% of diet) reduced adiposity and improved lipid profile in comparison to sucrose.” In other words, honey reduced fat levels and reduced the risk for heart disease. Importantly, these studies used clover honey, a common honey in this region as mentioned earlier. It is clear from these examples that there are significant health benefits to consuming honey. These health benefits are not caused only by the antioxidant properties of honey; instead, they are a result of many unique properties and benefits combined.

Another curious effect of honey is its anti-inflammatory properties. This works hand in hand with antioxidant power to reduce the risk of heart disease. Dr. Miguel claims that it is honey’s anti-inflammatory activity, especially when consumed with fresh fruits and vegetables, which helps prevent heart disease. Amazingly, “some studies report that when children consume honey and jam at breakfast, particularly older girls, the risk of cardiovascular diseases decrease” (Miguel et al.). As you can see, the result of this anti-inflammatory property of honey, as well as other properties, is positively associated with a healthier lifestyle. This seems a little hard to believe until looking at why honey reduces inflammation.

Honey’s anti-inflammatory properties have been attributed to a lower pH and the presence of hydrogen peroxide, among other compounds (Miguel et al.). This only makes sense, seeing that hydrogen peroxide is a widely used antiseptic and anti-inflammatory. Because of this property, honey is used in a widespread variety of cases. Some people, including myself, use it for healing wounds. I remember having an open wound for months that would not heal because of its position on the inside of my elbow. Every time I bent my arm, the wound would reopen. It became swollen and very painful several times; however, after applying honey to the wound, the cut healed much faster. Of course, I will not claim that honey was the only factor in my experience, but it noticeably seemed to help. Although it is controversial whether honey significantly contributes to wound healing, there is a strong association. Honey was found to be an effective catalyst of wound healing in a number of studies involving second degree burns and ulcers. Additionally, “the application of honey on surgical wounds significantly improved the … outcome as compared to conventional dressing” (Nikhat and Fazil; emphasis added). This was even compared to conventional dressing of wounds! In other words, it is noticeably apparent that honey exhibits anti-inflammatory effects. While these studies effectively show that honey has anti-inflammatory properties, these were the results of applying honey topically. What about when honey is consumed?

One example studied was honey’s effect on colitis. Colitis is a disease characterized by inflammation of the colon. Stefan Bogdanov found that “honey administration is as effective as prednisolone treatment in an inflammatory model of colitis.” Prednisolone is a common steroid used to reduce inflammation. In fact, I personally have taken prednisone, which is a lesser form of prednisolone. To claim that honey is as effective as prednisolone is bold. It shows with clarity that honey’s health benefits are significant. Of course, this is just one disease in the body. Another example showed that honey was also shown to reduce inflammation in other inflammatory bowel diseases in rats (Bogdanov et al.). This gives hope that honey may reduce other inflammation in the body, resulting in greater health. This property is simply not present in sugar, another reason why honey is much more than just sugar. Honey’s antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties are closely related. Additionally, honey shows promising antibacterial effects.

Honey’s antibacterial properties, particularly against gram-positive bacteria, are well documented (Bogdanov et al.).  This is closely related to previous properties already discussed in this paper, but because it effectively shows that honey demonstrates significant health benefits, I include it here.  Haroon Tahir, professor at Jiangsu University, analyzed different compositions and effects of African honey. He found that different types of honey inhibit strains of Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, Salmonella, and E. coli bacterium. There are many more that he included, but these are some of the more familiar strains. In fact, many reading this have been exposed to one or more of the bacterium mentioned. This fact, that honey acts as an antibacterial, causes one to wonder how many infections honey has helped prevent in their own body. As with most properties of honey, these effects depend on the floral region. But Tahir’s findings primarily involved clover honey from different regions of Africa, clover honey being prominent in the Idaho and Utah area.

A valid question at this point is, how effective is honey’s antibacterial effect? Well, honey demonstrates significant efficacy. In wounds infected with organisms like Meningococcus and MRSA (a strain of Staph.), honey successfully cleared the wound “when antibiotics and antiseptics had been unsuccessful” (Nikhat and Fazil). Consider the significance of that! At points when our regular antibiotics are unsuccessful honey may still be effective. It should be remembered that not all types of honey inhibit the same bacteria. In fact, Professor Semiramis Karlidag studied the efficacy of antibacterial compounds in honey and reported that while “no honey sample was found to inhibit all target pathogens”, all honey samples inhibited specific pathogens. Some were inhibited very effectively, as shown with the previous study. This antibacterial property, as well as the other properties discussed, is a result of the unique composition of honey. Although the components of honey seem small and insignificant, they have a large effect. Concluding his study, Karlidag ends with this statement, “the minor components … [of honey] contribute greatly to the nutritional value of honey.” This is what has been shown already throughout this essay. Compared to sugar, honey’s minor components add much nutritional benefit. We have already discussed honey as an antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antibiotic. The next property of honey is a bold result of these three. It is that honey has shown anti-cancer activity.

Claiming that honey has anti-cancer properties is a surprising claim to most. Without knowing other properties which we have discussed, it seems incredulous. But the results have been consistent. Because of the presence of hydrogen peroxide, as well as anti-inflammatory properties, honey has “immunostimulatory activity” (Miguel et al.).  This means that honey stimulates the immune system and boosts its power. Stefan Bogdanov referred to this as “immunoprotective” activity, attributing it to a type of sugar found in honey. So, because the immune system is activated by honey, it may be advantageous in preventing cancer. Tahir puts it this way, “honey contains the components of a ‘natural cancer vaccine’ as it diminishes chronic inflammatory developments, enhances the immune status and decreases infections.”  In other words, because of other properties of honey like anti-inflammatory and antibacterial, it only follows that honey would also help prevent cancer. Who wouldn’t want to take a “natural cancer vaccine”? Cancer is a heart-wrenching problem, and I have been affected by it, as well as so many others. Knowing that honey is a sort of “vaccine” comforts the soul. To be clear, honey is not some magic potion that cures and prevents everything. Rather, consuming honey can help form a healthy body – which is the greatest preventative measure against any disease. Because the battle against cancer is long and brutal, there have not been many studies concerning honey and cancer in living humans. However, there are numerous lab and animal studies available concerning honey’s anti-cancer activity.

Several different types of honey have been found to inhibit different types of cancer. The magnitude of honey’s anti-cancer activity depends largely on the floral region of the honey and the type of cancer (Miguel et al.). One such cancer examined was bladder cancer. “Honey effectively inhibited the growth of different bladder cancer cell lines” (Nikhat and Fazil; emphasis added). Note that not only did it show promising results, but it was effective in inhibiting cancer growth. This study was done in a lab. But in mice and rats, results are similar. With mice induced with breast cancer and rats induced with colon cancer, “a statistically significant anti-metastatic effect was achieved by oral application of honey” (Bogdanov et al.; emphasis added). This anti-metastatic effect means that the spread of cancer was slowed or inhibited. Importantly, this wasn’t done with needles and scientific equipment. This was achieved by oral application – exactly how we consume honey on a regular basis. Consuming honey means that we are gaining these benefits. These types of cancer haven’t been the only ones studied. Chrysin, a component in most honeys, has been studied in a lab and found to inhibit “many cancers including leukemia, skin, liver, breast, prostate, and colon cancers” (Nikhat and Fazil). This list shows that the effect of honey on cancer is far reaching. These results are not isolated, rarified numbers; rather, they are consistent, repeatable studies with comparable results. In addition to facing cancer, many patients are also the victims of diseases caused by taking medicine for too long, particularly antibiotics. These antibiotics eventually reduce the presence of good bacteria in the large intestine, causing infection. In addition to preventing cancer itself, honey is also a prebiotic, which helps restore the presence of these good bacteria.

Prebiotics are non-digestible food ingredients that stimulate the growth of bacteria in the colon, which helps reduce fat absorption and overall enhances the host’s health (Miguel et al.). Whereas probiotics introduce bacteria into the intestine, prebiotics act as food for the bacteria already present. Not only do prebiotics help cancer patients, but they also improve everyone’s health. Before looking at cancer patients and honey’s benefits to them, we will first look at why honey has prebiotic properties. This property of honey primarily stems from the presence of oligosaccharides, or complex sugars, which exert prebiotic effects (Bogdanov et al.). Importantly, both alfalfa and clover honey contain oligosaccharides and act as prebiotics (Miguel et al.). Whereas these oligosaccharides increase the population of intestinal bacteria, table sugar, or sucrose, provides no such effect. This provides yet another stark difference between honey and table sugar. In a study observing the small and large intestines of rats, honey increased the building of Lactobacillus bacteria, while sucrose had no effect. In addition, honey has a “growth promoting effect” on five bifidobacteria strains (Bogdanov et al.). These were measurable results showing that honey exerts important, health-promoting effects. Comparing these results to that of sucrose, it is plain to see that honey is more than just sugar. Honey has a great effect on all people’s health, especially when it comes to its prebiotic effect on cancer patients.

Dr. Mohsen El Alfy, Professor of Pediatrics at Ain Shams University in Egypt, carried out a study of honey’s effect on Clostridium Difficile Infection (CDI) in childhood cancer. CDI is an infection resulting from long use of antibiotics or chemotherapy, which causes other problems as well like vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, and nausea. Dr. El Alfy found significant results. “Application of either fresh or old natural bee honey has been shown to be effective in managing vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, mucositis, or infectious states” (emphasis added). Note that he claims it is effective, not that there is a slight association. He used similar language in other results. “There was significant decrease…of diarrhea”, “a significant decrease… of vomiting… after honey supplementation”, and “a significant decrease and improvement in degree of oral mucositis (inflammation of the mouth) …after honey supplementation” (El Alfy et al.; emphasis added). Language like this implies that honey has significant nutritional benefits compared to regular sugar. This example is a real-life situation of honey providing those benefits to people in great need. In this case, honey’s anti-inflammatory and antibacterial effects also played a role in addition to its prebiotic property. Of course, this is almost an extreme example that hopefully most of us will not find ourselves in. But because honey has been shown to exert prebiotic effects, everyone can benefit from including honey in their diet.

Consuming honey is as easy as it sounds. Instead of it being a checklist item, it is quite a delight. Of course, as mentioned earlier, consuming excess honey is not healthy. Honey is still sugar and should not make up more than 10% of total daily calories (Stephenson et al.). But honey is much more than just sugar, and one can benefit from replacing some sugar sources with honey. For example, instead of buying flavored yogurt, I buy plain yogurt and add honey. This way, I can control how much sugar I ingest and can gain the nutritional benefits of honey. This example can be applied to oatmeal and other foods that can be purchased plain. Another way to utilize honey is to substitute some of the sugar in recipes. An article called “Sweet News About Honey and Your Health” suggests substituting about ½ cup honey for one cup sugar in recipes. The lower quantity of honey accounts for honey tasting sweeter than sugar. While some recipes depend on the solid form of sucrose, honey is a great addition to many recipes with its distinct flavor. Not all sugar needs to be replaced, but it is evident that a diet with honey can provide healthy effects.

Honey’s unique composition causes it to have beneficial GI values, antioxidant capacity, anti-inflammatory effects, antibacterial properties, anti-cancer behavior, and prebiotic effects. These benefits are not insignificant either. As has been shown, the minor components of honey contribute greatly to overall health. From pollen to flavonoids to dozens of other compounds, honey gains its properties from plant nectar and from honeybees. Honey shines especially when compared to sugar, which has no such effects. So, while claiming honey is sugar is correct, claiming that honey is justsugar is incorrect. Honey is so much more! There are many properties of honey not discussed in this essay because of the length restraint, but the properties discussed give a good taste of honey’s capabilities. And this taste is a delicious one, because honey is a much sweeter alternative to sugar.

Works Cited

Bogdanov, Stefan, et al. “Honey for Nutrition and Health: A Review.” Journal of the American College of Nutrition, vol. 27, no. 6, 2008, pp. 677–689., https://doi.org/10.1080/07315724.2008.10719745.

El Alfy, Mohsen Saleh, et al. “Effect of Honey Supplementation on Clostridium Difficile Infection in Childhood Cancer.” Egyptian Journal of Hospital Medicine, vol. 71, no. 2, Apr. 2018, pp. 2593–602. EBSCOhost, https://doi-org.dist.lib.usu.edu/10.12816/0045662.

Haroon Elrasheid, et al. “Chemical Composition, Nutritional Functions, and Antioxidant Activities of Honeys in Africa.” Journal of Apicultural Science, vol. 63, no. 2, 2019, pp. 179–200., https://doi.org/10.2478/jas-2019-0023.

KARLIDAG, SEMIRAMIS, et al. “Honey: Determination of Volatile Compounds, Antioxidant and Antibacterial Activities.” Czech Journal of Food Sciences, vol. 39, no. 3, May 2021, pp. 208–16. EBSCOhost, https://doi-org.dist.lib.usu.edu/10.17221/63/2021-CJFS.

Miguel, M. G., et al. “Honey as a Complementary Medicine.” Integrative Medicine Insights, no. 12, Jan. 2017, pp. 1–16. EBSCOhost, https://doi-org.dist.lib.usu.edu/10.1177/1178633717702869

Nguyen, Huong, et al. “Honey and Its Role in Relieving Multiple Facets of Atherosclerosis.” Nutrients, vol. 11, no. 1, Jan. 2019, p. 167. Crossref, https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11010167

Nikhat, Sadia, and Mohammad Fazil. “History, Phytochemistry, Experimental Pharmacology and Clinical Uses of Honey: A Comprehensive Review with Special Reference to Unani Medicine.” Journal of Ethnopharmacology, vol. 282, 2022, p. 114614., https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2021.114614.

Panche, A N et al. “Flavonoids: an overview.” Journal of nutritional science vol. 5 e47. 29 Dec. 2016, doi:10.1017/jns.2016.41

Stephenson, Tammy J. et al. Human Nutrition: Science for Healthy Living. 3 ed., McGraw Hill LLC, 2022.

“Sweet News About Honey and Your Health.” Environmental Nutrition, vol. 28, no. 4, Apr. 2005, p. 8. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=17060540&site=ehost-live.