Honey has potential health benefits and plays a role in many home remedies and alternative medicine treatments. It contains small amounts of some nutrients, but most people typically don’t consume enough honey for it to be a significant dietary source of vitamins and minerals.

Honey is a syrupy liquid that honeybees make from plant nectar. Loved worldwide for its sweetness and depth of flavor, it’s used in many foods and recipes.

The smell, color, and taste of honey vary based on the type of flowers it’s made from, so there are countless varieties available.

Honey has a number of potential health benefits and plays a role in many home remedies and alternative medicine treatments.

Here are 7 unique health benefits of honey.

1. Contains a variety of nutrients

Honey is essentially pure sugar, with no fat and only trace amounts of protein and fiber. It contains small amounts of some nutrients, but most people typically don’t consume enough honey for it to be a significant dietary source of vitamins and minerals.

SUMMARY

Honey is primarily composed of sugar, provides small amounts of several vitamins and minerals, and is rich in health-promoting plant compounds.

2. Rich in anxitodiant 

High-quality honey — which is minimally processed, unheated, and fresh — contains many crucial bioactive plant compounds and antioxidants, such as flavonoids and phenolic acids. Darker varieties tend to offer more antioxidants than lighter varieties.

Antioxidants help neutralize reactive oxygen species (ROS) in your body, which can build up in cells and cause damage. This damage can contribute to conditions like premature aging, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease.

As such, many of honey’s health benefits are attributed to its antioxidant content.

SUMMARY

Honey contains a number of antioxidants, including phenolic acids and flavonoids.

4. May Improve heart health 

Honey may also help prevent heart disease.

According to one review, honey may help lower blood pressure, improve blood fat levels, regulate your heartbeat, and prevent the death of healthy cells — all factors that can improve your heart function and health.

One observational study including over 4,500 people over age 40 associated a moderate honey intake with a lower risk of high blood pressure among women.

Plus, a study in rats promisingly showed that honey helped protect the heart from oxidative stress.

Additionally, raw honey typically contains propolis, a type of resin that bees produce from sap-producing trees and similar plants. Propolis may improve cholesterol and triglyceride levels.

All told, there’s no long-term human study available on honey and heart health. More research is needed to better understand honey’s effects on heart health.

SUMMARY

Honey has been linked to beneficial effects on heart health, including reduced blood pressure and blood fat levels. Still, more human research is needed on the topic.