Study Looks at Effect of Honey on Nutritional Rehabilitation of Patients with PEM

Effect of Honey Supplementation on the Phagocytic Function during Nutritional Rehabilitation of Protein Energy Malnutrition Patients
Journal of Tropical Pediatrics, Advance Access

Protein-energy malnutrition (PEM) is associated with a significant impairment of cell-mediated immunity, phagocyte function, complement system, secretory immunoglobulin A antibody concentrations and cytokine production [ 1]. Honey is a natural substance with a lot of benefits for nutrition and health especially enhancement of the immune system.

This study was thus designed to evaluate the effect of honey intake during the nutritional rehabilitation of patients with PEM on their phagocytic function.

Thirty PEM patients and 20 matching controls were enrolled in the study and the patients were randomly assigned to either one of two groups. Both groups entered conventional nutritional rehabilitation program for 2 weeks with the first group…