Honey

Nicola · Honey

I found this on the AV-Skeptics group:

A commonly held idea about honey, in certain vegetarian and
naturopathic
circles, is that a diabetic person can eat it as much as they like.
The fact is that honey contains a considerable amount of glucose which
needs the same amount of insulin to be broken down as does the glucose
coming from grains, bread, potatoes, etc. Honey also contains fructose
which needs insulin as well (but a little less than glucose) in order
to
be used by the body. Therefore, to tell a diabetic that he can eat
honey even in moderate amounts is a very silly thing to do. Another
widespread idea about honey is that it is ok to use honey for
respiratory ailments. It is true that in the case of acute bronchitis,
the flu or a bad cold, a diet based on vegetable broth together with
herbal teas sweetened by fir, eucalyptus, lavender or thyme honey will
make healing easier and quicker. However, to use honey on a daily
basis
as a spread on bread and on cheese, as a sweetener of yoghurt, fruit,
fruit juices, lemmon juice, and even of the tea at the end of a meal
will considerably increase colic and stomach fermentations and
putrefactions, which will in turn cause certain saprophytes to change
into pathogenic species colonizing the organism through an
inflammation
of the digestive membrane. As a matter of fact, honey is normally
digested in the small intestine, but before it reaches that level, it
halts, on its way, the digestion in the mouth and in the stomach. This
is no problem when honey is eaten alone, but if taken with carbs it
brings about their fermentation (digestion in the mouth having been
halted) and if taken with proteins it brings about their putrefaction
(digestion in the stomach having been halted). Taken with other foods,
honey is very often the culprit for many common ailments, such as
leucorrhoea, sinusitis, bronchitis, etc... In twenty years of
practice, I have cured many patients from chronical infections by
simply
telling them to stop eating honey together with other foods. From my
experience, honey should always be eaten alone, in a separate meal
such
as breakfast, and only by people with a solid digestive system. The
article title is: HONEY - A THOUSAND VIRTUES IN CELIBACY; A THOUSAND
TROUBLES IN MARRIAGE (Robert Masson)

Answer from Dr. Groves:
Hi

Honey contains a mixture of sugars but the nectar from which it is made contains a high proportion of the fruit sugar, fructose. Diabetics are advised to eat '5 portions of fruit and vegetables a day' because they too contain the fructose, and fructose doesn't raise blood glucose levels as much as glucose from starches. This is why fruit is thought to be healthy for diabetics.

But it isn't that simple. The aim of the dietary advice is to reduce the risk of complications. In this respect fructose does not seem to be a good choice because according to established evidence: 'Fructose glycosylates haemoglobin 7 times faster than glucose.'[1] 'Glycosylates' means that it combines with protein. Haemoglobin is the protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen around the body. When haemoglobin is glycosylated in this way, this stops it from performing its function properly. Glycosylation also makes the blood 'sticky'. This makes it more likely to clot, to stick to the artery walls and to block the small capillaries in the eyes, kidneys, brain and lower legs so that blood does not reach these parts. This is the cause of the damage to eyes, kidneys, nerves and peripheral blood vessels.

This tendency to glycosylation is also important because glycosylation of proteins such as LDL & HDL particles increases the growth rate of atheroma, generally believed to cause heart disease.[2]

Fructose also appears to increase total cholesterol primarily by raising LDL.[3] It appears that LDL rises by more than 1% for every 2% increase in dietary fructose. The authors of this study say 'There is now reason to believe that dietary fructose will increase the risk of atherosclerosis. '

So, although honey may lower your blood glucose levels, I regret to say that that doesn't mean it is any safer for you than any other sugar.

Incidentally, table sugar (sucrose), which hydrolyses to 50% glucose and 50% fructose, has a lower GI than bread. Which makes me wonder why, if the ADA uses their own criteria, diabetics are told to avoid sugar and stock up on bread.

Barry Groves PhD
Author: Natural Health & Weight Loss
Co-producer: The Perfect Weight Plan: Be Slim Without Dieting (DVD / Video)
http://www.second- opinions. co.uk
http://www.diabetes -diet.org. uk
http://www.choleste rol-and-health. org.uk
http://www.theperfe ctweight. com

References
1. Bunn HF, Higgins PJ. Reaction of monosaccharides with proteins: possible evolutionary significance. Science 1981; 213: 222-9.
2. Bierman EL. George Lyman Duff Memorial Lecture. Atherogenesis in diabetes. Arterioscler Thromb 1992; 12: 647-56.
3. Swanson JE, Laine DC, Thomas W, Bantle JP. Metabolic effects of dietary fructose in healthy subjects. Am J Clin Nutr 1992; 55: 851-6.

cygnus

I have Av's books and I about fell out of my chair when he recommended honey..for anyone.

He also dips strawberries in honey and eats lots of refined french bread. I like his take on fat and protein(and raw WOE) but some of this stuff is just wacky.