Wednesday, July 29, 2020

10 benefits of honey for the body

Honey is a food that is often associated with various health benefits. A finding published in the 2013 Iranian Journal of Basic Medical Sciences also shows that honey has been used by humans since 8,000 years ago. Even today, honey is still believed to have many benefits for the body.
1. Energy booster
Honey is a sweet viscous liquid made by bees. Bees collect sugar from the flower nectar in their environment. The end product is honey, which is a liquid that functions as a food reserve for bees. Summarizing from Healthline, nutritionally, one tablespoon of honey contains 64 calories and 17 grams of sugar including fructose, glucose, maltose, and sucrose. This content makes honey a good source of energy. Glucose in honey can be absorbed by the body quickly and provides an immediate energy boost. Meanwhile, fructose provides sustainable energy because it is absorbed more slowly. Honey is also found to maintain blood sugar levels quite constant compared to other types of sugar.
2. Treating cough
A 2012 study published in the Journal of Pediatrics found that consumption of two teaspoons of honey can help cure a stubborn cough. Also read: Can You Take Medication After Drinking Honey? This is known because of the anti-microbial properties in honey that can kill certain bacteria. Another study involving 139 children found that honey can relieve cough at night and improve sleep quality compared to children's cough medicine. Summarizing from CNN, other studies in Italy and Israel have also shown similar results despite using different types of honey. Even so, honey should not be given to children under one year old. This is because the baby's digestive system cannot overcome the contamination in honey.
3. Make sleep more soundly
If you have trouble sleeping, there's no harm in consuming honey. Launch from NDTV Food, honey can release serotonin. By the body, serotonin will be made into melatonin, a chemical composition that is approved for sleep quality. You can add a teaspoon of honey to a glass of warm milk or a cup of tea.
4. Helps healing wounds and burns Topical
honey treatment to heal wounds and burns has been done since the time of Ancient Egypt. This is also supported by 26 studies showing similar results. In a review of 26 studies found, honey is most effective for healing burns and partially infected wounds after surgery. One study reported a 43.3 percent success rate with honey as a wound care. In another study, topical honey healed 97 percent of patients with diabetic wounds.
5. Lowering blood pressure.
Launching from Healthline, honey contains antioxidant compounds that have been linked to a decrease in blood pressure. Research conducted on mice and humans shows a slight decrease in blood pressure by consuming honey.
6. Maintain cholesterol levels
Several studies have shown a link between honey consumption and cholesterol levels. Honey is known to reduce bad cholesterol (LDL) while significantly increasing good cholesterol (HDL). A study conducted on 55 patients compared honey with sugar. The result, honey causes a decrease in LDL 5.8 percent and an increase in HDL cholesterol 3.3 percent. Not only that, honey consumption also causes a simple weight loss of 1.3 percent.
7. Reducing triglyceride levels
Triglycerides are a type of fat found in the blood. This increase in fat type is a risk factor for heart disease. Interestingly, there are many studies that have been regularly mixing honey consumption with lower triglyceride levels.
8. Good for the heart
Three previous benefits are often made honey is associated with better heart health. However, besides that, the content of phenols and other antioxidant compounds is also associated with a reduction in the risk of heart disease. Honey is known to help enlargement of the arteries in the heart thereby increasing blood flow to the heart. In addition, honey can also prevent the formation of blood clots that can cause heart attacks and strokes.
 9. Control your weight
A study published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition in 2010 found that honey can help control appetite. Consumption of honey before going to sleep makes the body burn more fat during the early hours of sleep.
10. Eliminating dandruff
A study published in the European Journal of Medical Research in 2001 found honey can help eliminate dandruff. This study uses honey that is diluted with warm water to the affected area and leaves it for three hours before rinsing. The result, respondents reported reduced itching and dandruff crust within one week. Not only that, scallops on the scalp heal in two weeks and patients even show a reduction in hair loss.