Summary
Metabolic syndrome—marked by obesity, high blood sugar, abnormal lipids, and elevated blood pressure—continues to rise globally, prompting growing interest in natural interventions that address multiple metabolic pathways at once. This review highlights substantial preclinical and human evidence suggesting that honey may offer broad protective effects against MetS. Despite being a sweetener, honey has a relatively low glycemic index and has been shown to lower blood glucose, curb excessive weight gain, and improve lipid profiles by reducing total cholesterol, triglycerides, and LDL while boosting HDL, thereby lowering the risk of atherosclerosis. Honey also appears to enhance insulin sensitivity, helping stabilize glucose levels and easing the burden on the pancreas in individuals with insulin resistance. Its rich antioxidant content helps counteract oxidative stress—a key driver of metabolic dysfunction—and supports healthier vascular function by protecting the endothelium. Together, these findings indicate that honey could play a meaningful role as both a preventive and adjunctive therapy in managing metabolic syndrome.
PMID: 30072671
PCMID: PMC6115915
DOI: 10.3390/nu10081009
Abstract
Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a cluster of diseases comprising of obesity, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, and hypertension. There are numerous pre-clinical as well as human studies reporting the protective effects of honey against MetS. Honey is a nutritional food low in glycemic index. Honey intake reduces blood sugar levels and prevents excessive weight gain. It also improves lipid metabolism by reducing total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and increasing high-density lipoprotein (HDL), which leads to decreased risk of atherogenesis. In addition, honey enhances insulin sensitivity that further stabilizes blood glucose levels and protects the pancreas from overstimulation brought on by insulin resistance. Furthermore, antioxidative properties of honey help in reducing oxidative stress, which is one of the central mechanisms in MetS. Lastly, honey protects the vasculature from endothelial dysfunction and remodelling. Therefore, there is a strong potential for honey supplementation to be integrated into the management of MetS, both as preventive as well as adjunct therapeutic agents.
Ramli NZ, Chin KY, Zarkasi KA, Ahmad F. A Review on the Protective Effects of Honey against Metabolic Syndrome. Nutrients. 2018 Aug 2;10(8):1009. doi: 10.3390/nu10081009. PMID: 30072671; PMCID: PMC6115915.