Honey May Benefit Diabetics’ Health

TEHRAN, Iran—Cautious consumption of honey may provide beneficial effects on body weight and blood lipids in diabetic patients (Inter J Food Sci Nutr. 2008) (DOI: 10.1080/09637480801990389). In an eight-week study out of the University of Tehran, 48 type II diabetic patients were randomly assigned into two groups: the honey group received oral natural honey, and the control group did not take honey. After adjustment for baseline values, there were no significant differences in the fasting blood sugars between the two groups. However, in the honey group, body weight, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and triglyceride levels decreased (P=0.000), and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol increased significantly (P<0.01). The levels of hemoglobin A1C increased significantly in the honey group (P<0.01).