The trend of eating bee pollen to get bigger breasts has become huge on the social media platform Tiktok and there are constantly new videos of young girls jumping on and starting eating it.
– I can testify that my breasts have become bigger, says a girl in a video with 1.5 million likes.
The video has received thousands of comments from other girls who write, among other things, “I must have”, “you need this” and “how much can you eat per day?”.
Another girl, who claims to have been eating bee pollen for two weeks, says in a video that her boyfriend noticed that her breasts had gotten bigger:
– I’ve been eating bee pollen for two weeks and my bikini is tight now, and my boyfriend says my breasts have grown.
A third says in a clip that “it actually works”, after trying it for a week.
Many searches in Sweden
When TV4 Nyheterna contacted Lifebutikerna, which is one of the retailers of bee pollen in Sweden, searches on the website at the end of July (week 29) had increased by 1,000 percent, and sales by 100 percent, albeit from low levels.
The Tiktok videos also spread claims that bee pollen contains hormone-like substances, and that this is what causes breasts to grow if you eat it.
Rika Hammarström explains that there is indeed a hormone in the plant kingdom, including bee pollen, called phytoestrogen that can affect the milk ducts in the breasts. But she denies that it would affect breast size.
– Despite the fact that it is a nutritional supplement, very few studies have been conducted on humans, most natural preparations are tested on animals. There is no evidence whatsoever that it can increase breast size, she says.
– People, both women and men, have been eating bee pollen for thousands of years but no one has ever said that breasts start to grow.
There are risks with overconsumption
Both the American Food and Drug Administration, FDA, and European Mental Health Europe, MHE, have warned that there is a substance in bee pollen that can be harmful to humans. For that reason, the product is also not approved as medicine, says Rika Hammarström.
– One must be very careful because overdose can cause problems such as high blood pressure and increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases, which can be fatal.
Although there are no clear guidelines on how much bee pollen can be consumed before it becomes harmful, Rika Hammarström urges caution because it can also cause side effects such as allergic reactions and headaches. And for those who eat it with the hope of getting bigger breasts, she says:
– The bottom line is that there are absolutely no scientific studies that say that bee pollen increases breast size – that is clear, very clear.