What Happens to Your Body When You Eat Honey

Honey has a reputation for being an all-natural sweetener that’s better for you than granulated sugar. But does honey’s health halo really live up to the hype? Like regular sugar, maple syrup, coconut sugar or corn syrup, honey is still an added sugar (albeit a natural one). However, some research shows that moderate honey consumption may have a few health benefits.

Read on to learn what the buzz about honey is all about, plus its nutritional value, health benefits and ways to incorporate it into a healthy diet. 

Why We Love Honey

May Reduce Chronic Inflammation

Honey is rich in antioxidants—compounds that can help neutralize damage to your body’s cells from free radicals. Unchecked, that damage may lead to pesky chronic inflammation that increases the risk of developing conditions like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, cancer and more. Thankfully, honey is rich in polyphenols, naturally occurring compounds that act like antioxidants to tackle inflammation.

May Improve Your Heart Health 

Honey is considered an added sugar, so you might be surprised to learn that it may have some potential heart-health benefits. When it comes to sugar, the American Heart Association recommends limiting added sugars to a maximum of 6% of total daily calories (roughly 6 teaspoons for women and 9 teaspoons for men). But that doesn’t mean you have to avoid them completely. When you do consume added sugars, consider reaching for honey more often. Research has shown that consuming roughly 2 tablespoons of honey per day for 8 weeks may reduce heart disease risk factors such as total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and fasting triglycerides.

May Optimally Fuel Your Workouts

Simple carbohydrates are the primary fuel source for athletes during intense exercise. With 17 grams of sugar per tablespoon, honey is a delicious way to get them. Compared to other portable carbohydrate sources like sports gels, research shows that honey may be just as effective at supporting performance and warding off fatigue. What’s more, it may also bolster your immune system against the effects of intense exercise. 

May Improve Gut Health

The influence of your gut health on your overall health is far-reaching. A thriving gut microbiome contains a diverse array of different strains of bacteria where the good bacteria outweigh the bad ones. Preliminary research suggests that honey’s antibacterial properties may have the potential to encourage the growth of beneficial gut bacteria while simultaneously reducing the number of infection-causing bacteria.

Another way to ensure you’re keeping the good gut bacteria around? Provide them with fuel in the form of prebiotics, which are also found in honey.

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Nutrition Information

One tablespoon of honey (21 g) contains the following nutrients, per the USDA:

• Calories: 64 
• Carbohydrates: 17 g
• Dietary fiber: 0 g 
• Total sugar: 17 g
• Added sugar: 0 g
• Protein: 0 g 
• Total fat: 0 g 
• Saturated fat: 0 g 
• Cholesterol: 0 g
• Sodium: 1 mg

^{*Sugar in honey is naturally occurring}

As you can see, honey is essentially sugar, and though it contains trace amounts of potassium, it does not provide meaningful amounts of other vitamins or minerals. With that said, honey contains other health-promoting compounds, like polyphenols, which are not listed on the nutrition information panel. 

Is Honey Safe for Everyone?

Honey is generally safe to eat, but there are a couple of potential risks for certain people.

The American Academy of Pediatrics advises that honey (and any processed foods that contain honey) should not be given to infants before their first birthday because of the potential risk for infant botulism. Honey naturally contains dust particles that may carry spores of the bacteria Clostridium botulinum, which can cause botulism. Since infants' immune systems are still developing, babies are at higher risk of getting very sick. Infant botulism is rare, but this serious illness can attack your child’s nerves. The primary sign of infant botulism is muscle weakness, which presents as trouble feeding and breathing or a weak cry.

People who are prone to allergies may need to be careful about eating honey because it contains bee pollen that can potentially cause a serious allergic reaction. While some people swear by eating local honey to help alleviate their seasonal allergies, there is not enough evidence to support honey as an allergy remedy.

3 Ways to Enjoy Honey 

Beyond adding honey to your afternoon cup of tea, here are more ways to enjoy honey: 

• On veggies: We all know that eating your vegetables is important for disease prevention. If the flavor of bitter veggies like broccoli or Brussels sprouts gives you the ick, try adding a bit of honey. You may be surprised to find yourself serving up seconds of this Honey-Mustard Roasted Cabbage. 
• In salad dressings: Adding sugar to salad dressing helps balance out the acidity of the vinegar and brings together its flavors. Reach for honey instead of sugar to add a bit of sweetness to dressings like Honey-Garlic Dressing. 
• On your favorite protein: A little bit of honey goes a long way to add subtle sweetness to proteins like chicken and fish. For example, honey is paired with flavorful hoisin sauce for this 5-Ingredient Honey-Ginger Chicken recipe. For vegetarians, honey works well on tempeh, too. We're also big fans of hot honey. Its combo of sweet and spicy works especially well on proteins, like our Hot Honey Roast Chicken & Vegetables, Hot Honey Grilled Shrimp or these Crispy Hot Honey Salmon Bites. 
  

Recipes to Try

Apple-Honey Cake

5.0

Grilled Honey-Mustard Chicken with Zucchini-Corn Relish

5.0

Honey-Garlic Chicken Thighs with Carrots & Broccoli

4.5

Our Expert Take

There are lots of good reasons to enjoy honey. It’s sweet and delicious and even contains some antioxidants. However, just like table sugar or corn syrup, it is still sugar. So if you’re a honey lover, keep an eye on serving sizes. Then, go ahead and drizzle a little into your tea, salad dressing or veggies.