Honey is one of the most beneficial foods shown as a superfood. Consuming two tablespoons of honey can help stabilize blood sugar and improve cholesterol levels, according to a new study.
According to the report of the Independent; Experts said that using honey instead of additional sweeteners such as tea sugar in the diet can reduce the risk of diseases associated with consuming too much sugar, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
THE MOST EFFECTIVE RAW HONEY
Researchers at the University of Toronto subjected more than 1,100 participants to 18 tests. He found that the most effective was raw honey from a single plant source.
LOWERS BAD CHOLESTEROL
Researchers found that honey lowered fasting blood sugar levels and the number of low-density lipoproteins in the blood, also known as “bad cholesterol.”
Consumption of honey increased high-density lipoproteins, also known as “good cholesterol,” while also showing signs of improving inflammation.
All participants in the study followed a generally healthy diet, with sugar accounting for 10 percent or less of their daily calorie intake.
The study found that honey from a single plant source produced “consistently either neutral or beneficial effects” on the body. The participants were given an average of 40 grams, or about two tablespoons of honey, per day for 8 weeks.
The greatest benefit was observed in people who consumed raw honey from white-flowered acacia trees.
HEATED HONEY LOSE ITS NUTRITIONAL VALUE
Honey, on the other hand, lost most of its health benefits when heated above 65 degrees Celsius.
Tauseef Khan, a senior researcher in the university’s medical school, said the results were surprising because honey was “about 80 percent sugar.”
“But honey is also a complex combination of common and rare sugars, proteins, organic acids, and possibly other bioactive compounds that are beneficial to health,” Khan said.
Experts said these results show that health and nutrition officials shouldn’t treat all sugars the same way.