Long-Term Use of Honey May Lower Cholesterol levels

Long-Term Effects of Honey Versus Sucrose on Glucose, Insulin and Lipid Responses in Mice
FASEB J, 2010 24:lb277

We recently investigated the potential health benefits of honey as a substitute for refined sugars and demonstrated that compared to sucrose, honey may produce lower serum triglyceride, glucose and insulin concentrations over a short-term period.

Our goal was to determine the influence of honey versus sucrose on adiposity and plasma concentrations of insulin, glucose and lipids in two groups of weanling mice after a long-term period. Eighteen male weanling ICR mice (29.7 ± 0.6 g) were equally divided into two groups and fed ad libitum one of two isoenergetic diets differing only in the carbohydrate source provided. Diets contained 20% carbohydrate (by weight of total diet) from clover honey or sucrose.

After 116 days, fat pads were removed and blood was collected. No differences were found for weight gain, fat pad weights, glucose, insulin and triglycerides concentrations between honey and sucrose fed mice. Total cholesterol tended to be lower in the honey fed mice (p=.078). The results suggest that consuming honey instead of sucrose may potentially promote lower cholesterol over a long term period, but that benefits observed after shorter term feeding did not persist in growing ICR mice.