Tuesday, October 03, 2006

Honey Recommended for Antioxidant Activity


Fitfood: Add Honey for Healthy Helping of Sweetness
By Lisa Ryckman, Rocky Mountain News (USA), 10/3/2006

Question: Please settle this argument. Since I've sworn off refined sugar, I've been using more honey. My husband says that's just as bad, but I say it's not. Who's right?

Answer: You are. Dr. Steven Pratt, author of SuperFoods Rx and SuperFoods HealthStyle, includes honey in his best-foods list.

"The power of honey comes from a wide range of compounds," he says. "Honey contains at least 181 known substances, and its antioxidant activity stems from phenolics, peptides, organic acids and enzymes."

Pratt says that as a general rule, the darker the honey, the higher the level of antioxidants.

In one study, people who added four tablespoons of buckwheat honey to their usual diet for a month had higher levels of protective antioxidants in their blood. Honey also increases good bacteria in the intestines and lowers blood pressure and cholesterol, Pratt says…

See: Buckwheat Honey Increases Serum Antioxidant Capacity in Humans

No comments: