Honey: Everything You Need to Know

Honey is a staple in breakfast tables and a beloved food for many. Therefore, almost everyone has some knowledge, whether accurate or not, about honey. Let's explore together the topics of what pure honey is, how honey should be stored, the potential benefits and risks of honey, and whether athletes can consume honey.
What is Honey?
Honey is a natural product collected by honey bees from the nectars of various flowering plants. It is the only natural product obtained from insects and holds nutritional, cosmetic, therapeutic, and industrial values. Honey comprises sugars such as glucose and fructose, water, vitamins, minerals, proteins, phenolic compounds, and antioxidants.
Honey is generally known for its healing properties, having positive attributes like being anticancer, antitumor, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory. Authentic honey derives these characteristics from compounds like antioxidants and phenolic compounds present in its composition. While some studies suggest that honey may assist in preventing various diseases, such as chronic conditions like diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, and even cancer and artery blockages, other studies approach these effects with skepticism, advocating for further research.
Distinguishing Between Authentic Honey and Fake Honey
Honey finds its place on nearly every family's table in Turkey. Therefore, it is crucial for your health to be aware of whether the honey you consume is genuine or fake.
Authentic honey is the one produced by bees using their natural comb without any chemical residues, agricultural pesticides, or artificial combs. Laboratory analyses, as in many foods, provide clear results about honey. Honey bees mix molecules like diastase enzyme and proline protein, which are their secretions, with the nectar they obtain from flowers to create honey. Analyzing honey should meet the criteria specified in the Turkish Food Codex. According to the Turkish Food Codex, for honey to be considered authentic, the diastase value should be at least 8, and the proline value should be at least 300.
Fake honey, on the other hand, refers to honey that does not meet the values specified in the Turkish Food Codex, containing additives such as colorants, sweeteners, glucose syrup, corn syrup, or artificial combs.
How Should Honey Be Stored?
Proper storage conditions are essential for preserving honey without spoilage. Since honey has minimal water content (water activity (WA) is between 0.56 and 0.62), bacteria find it challenging to multiply. However, inadequately sealed containers may allow moisture and air to enter, causing honey to spoil.
There is no need to store honey in the refrigerator. You can keep honey in a tightly closed container in a dark place at room temperature. If you have purchased honey in large quantities and cannot consume it quickly, storing it in the refrigerator can also preserve its quality.
Health Benefits of Honey

• Rich in antioxidants: Honey contains various bioactive compounds like flavonoids and phenolic acids, which act as antioxidants. These antioxidants help neutralize reactive oxygen species (ROS) that can accumulate in body cells and cause damage, leading to conditions such as premature aging, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease.
• Honey and diabetes: There is strong evidence indicating the beneficial effects of honey in diabetes treatment. In a clinical trial, honey consumption by type 1 diabetic patients was associated with a lower glycemic index compared to normal sucrose and glucose. However, another study suggested that honey intake by some diabetic patients might worsen glycemic control. Despite its potential to increase blood sugar levels, honey's antioxidants may contribute to protecting against diabetes.
• Can protect your heart: Antioxidants such as flavonoids, polyphenolics, vitamin C, and monophenolics in honey may have a protective effect against the risk of cardiovascular failure. Studies examining honey consumption have found that it reduces cardiovascular risk factors in animal studies, human studies, healthy individuals, and patients. These results imply that, unlike refined sugars, individuals with heart conditions can consume this natural honey without posing any health risks.
• Aids in wound healing: Medical honey acts as an effective antiseptic agent against burns, ulcers (including stubborn ones), surgical wounds, fungal wounds, pressure sores, and damaged skin due to cancer or laceration.
• Honey and cancer: Recent studies suggest that honey can exhibit anticancer effects through various mechanisms. Natural honey, with its high antioxidant content, inhibits the proliferation of various cancer cells, demonstrating anti-tumor activity and accelerating early deaths.
• May alleviate asthma and cough: Honey has been used as an ancient remedy for soothing pain, coughs, and fever. Research indicates that honey can help improve upper respiratory infections and alleviate coughs and symptoms related to asthma.

Potential Risks of Honey
Honey, being a natural sweetener, cough suppressant, and part of a healthy diet, is generally safe for consumption. However, adverse effects can occur in some cases.

• Avoid giving honey to infants under one year old, as even a small amount of exposure may lead to a rare but severe gastrointestinal condition known as infant botulism. Bacteria from spores can grow in the baby's intestines, producing a dangerous toxin that can endanger the baby's life.
• Some individuals, especially those allergic or sensitive to certain components in honey, such as bee pollen, may experience rare but serious and sometimes fatal allergic reactions. If you observe the following symptoms after consuming honey, seek medical attention:
  • Wheezing and other asthma symptoms
  • Dizziness
  • Nausea
  • Vomiting
  • Excessive sweating
  • Fainting
  • Irregular heart rhythms

Honey and the Relationship with Sports
As the consumption of honey is becoming increasingly popular among athletes, the number of studies examining the relationship between honey consumption and sports has risen in recent times.
In the United States, three different controlled studies investigated whether honey could be a carbohydrate source for athletes compared to other carbohydrate sources. The first study suggested that honey could be a good fuel alternative for the muscles of exercising individuals. The second study proposed that consuming honey alongside protein in the post-workout meal could serve as a good carbohydrate source for muscle recovery. The third study found that endurance athletes cycling could increase exercise capacity during exercise. While the study results show positive outcomes, it emphasizes the need for further research for definitive evidence. Considering these studies and the general benefits of honey, athletes may consider consuming honey in appropriate portions to diversify their diets.
Summary

• Honey is a natural product containing sugars, water, vitamins, minerals, proteins, phenolic compounds, and antioxidants.
• Authentic honey is produced by bees in their natural habitat, without any residues, pesticides, or additives.
• The crystallization or non-crystallization of honey does not provide information about the quality of honey, as crystallization is a natural process.
• Honey is a good source of carbohydrates and is rich in folic acid and potassium minerals.
• You can store honey in tightly closed glass