Honey for the Heart: Cardiovascular Benefits for Postmenopausal Women

Since time immemorial, honey has been widely used as food and medicine, and it has been found perfectly preserved in ancient Egyptian tombs and in cave art dating back 6,000 years. Its lineup of active biological constituents includes polyphenols, nutritionally dense phytochemicals with antioxidant properties.

Honey is no stranger to providing heart-friendly benefits, consistently appearing in studies to help reduce the risk of heart disease. It aids the body in healthy fat processing by reducing the total amount of cholesterol and fats in the bloodstream.

This benefit takes on special importance when it comes to menopause, as cardiovascular disease emerges as one of the long-term complications at this stage of life with the highest morbidity and mortality rates.

In 2018, researchers investigated the long-term effects of honey -- specifically tualang honey and a honey cocktail containing honey, bee bread, and royal jelly -- on cardiovascular markers in postmenopausal women.

Tualang honey is a type of honey produced by bees that collect nectar from the Tualang tree (Koompassia excelsa) in Southeast Asia. It is known for its unique flavor and potential health benefits, including antioxidant properties. Tualang honey is a unique type of honey produced by the giant honey bee, Apis dorsata. This honey is primarily harvested from nectar collected from a variety of plants in the rainforest, rather than exclusively from the Tualang tree (scientifically known as Koompassia excelsa).

The group conducted a randomized, double-blinded, two-armed parallel study that compared 20 grams (g) per day of tualang honey with a 20 g per day honey cocktail in postmenopausal subjects ages 45 to 65. They then assessed heart health indicators at the beginning of the study as well as six and 12 months into the intervention.

If you haven't heard about tualang honey before, it is a Malaysian multifloral jungle honey that has become popular in medical databases in recent years for its potential health benefits. The honey is produced by the rock bee, which builds hives on the branches of tall tualang trees in Peninsular Malaysia's northwestern region.

Tualang honey has been linked to anti-influenza, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antimutagenic, antitumor, and antidiabetic properties, in addition to its wound-healing properties.

The study concluded that tualang honey therapy yielded superior effects in lowering diastolic blood pressure and fasting blood sugar compared to the honey cocktail. The latter, however, showed remarkable effects on body mass index (BMI).

Of course, we may need to be cautious with honey due to its sugar content. Every case is different and needs to be assessed independently.

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