Table 3.
Hypolipidemic effects of honey in clinical and pre-clinical studies.
| Author | Honey Sources/Types | Dose | Duration | Models | Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aziz et al. (2017) [13] | Stingless bee honey (SLBH) | 1.0 or 2.0 g/kg/day | 28 days | Male Sprague-Dawley rats | Treatment with 2.0 g/kg of SLBH significantly reduced TG, TC and LDL levels in diabetic compared to untreated diabetic rats (p < 0.05). Treatment with 2.0 g/kg of SLBH significantly increased HDL levels in diabetic rats (p < 0.05). |
| Nemoseck et al. (2011) [16] | Clover honey from Hunter’s Honey Farm, Martinsville, Ind, United States | Honey diluted with water with energy density of 11.41 kJ/g | 33 days | Male Sprague-Dawley rats | Rats given honey have lower TG levels (54.4 ± 19.3 mg/dL vs. 77.2 ± 36.7 mg/dL) (p ≤ 0.05). |
| Chepulis & Starkey (2008) [31] | Honeydew honey | 10% honey (100 g/kg) mixed in diets | 365 days | Sprague-Dawley rats | Honey fed rats had: Significantly higher HDL levels (2.82 ± 0.30 mmol/L) than sugar-free diet (2.32 ± 0.33 mmol/L) and sucrose diet (2.44 ± 0.51 mmol/L). Non-significant decreases of TG and LDL. |
| Yaghoobi et al. (2008) [33] | Natural unprocessed honey (unknown type) | 70 g honey dissolved in 250 mL tap water daily | 30 days | 60 overweight or obese (BMI > 25 kg/m2) individuals (age: 20–60 years old) | Honey supplementation led to: Significantly lowered TG levels by 19% (p = 0.006) and non-significantly reduced TC by 3.3% and LDL by 4.3% in dyslipidemic subjects. Non-significantly reduced TC (3%), LDL (5.8%), TG (11%), and increased HDL (3.3%) in non-dyslipidemic individuals. |
| Bahrami et al. (2009) [34] | Natural unprocessed honey from Samans kandeh, Neka, Sari City, Iran | 1st 14 days: 1.0 g/kg/day 2nd 14 days: 1.5 g/kg/day 3rd 14 days: 2.0 g/kg/day 4th 14 days: 2.5 g/kg/day |
56 days | 48 type II diabetes patients (25 patients were given honey; 23 patients as control) | Honey groups have significantly lower TC, LDL, TG (p = 0.000) and higher levels of HDL (p < 0.01) compared to baseline. |
| Öztaşan et al. (2005) [40] | Mad honey | 50 mg/kg | 3 days | Male albino Wistar rats | Mad honey administration significantly reduced TC, TG and VLDL in both control groups and experimental groups. |
| Erejuwa et al. (2016) [50] | Nigerian honey from bee farm in Ebonyi State, Nigeria | 1.0 g/kg, 2.0 g/kg, 3.0 g/kg (dissolved in drinking water) | 21 days | Wistar rats | In diabetic rats, honey significantly reduced TG & VLDL levels (p < 0.05). Honey dose of 2.0 g/kg significantly increased HDL levels in diabetic rats (p < 0.05). Honey dose of 1.0 & 2.0 g/kg significantly lowered non-HDL levels in diabetic rats (p < 0.05). Honey dose of 1.0 & 2.0 g/kg resulted in non-significant reduction of TC and LDL levels compared with non-diabetic control (p > 0.05). |
| Al-Waili (2004) [53] | Natural honey | Honey solution (75 g honey in 250 mL of water) | 15 days | 8 healthy volunteers and 5 dyslipidemic patients | Treatment with honey resulted in: Non-significant decreases of TC, LDL and TG with a non-significant increase of HDL in healthy volunteers. A significant decrease of TC with a non-significant decrease of LDL in dyslipidemic patients. |
| Busserolles et al. (2002) [55] | Honey from a local supplier in Ceyrat, France | 65 g/100 g honey in purified diets | 14 days | Male Wistar rats | Honey-fed rats had significantly lower TG levels (1.49 ± 0.12 mmol/L) than fructose-fed rats (2.03 ± 0.20 mmol/L) (p < 0.05). |
| Mushtaq et al. (2011) [69] | Natural Honey obtained from ‘The Beehive’ of Food and Fine Pastries Manufacturing Co., Ltd., Jeddah, Saudi Arabia | 40 g honey dissolved in tap water daily | 28 days | 128 obese & 128 normal weight individuals from four different ethnic groups (P = Pathan; B = Baloch; H = Hazara; PU = Punjabi) | Honey significantly: Reduced TC in normal male of ethnic (P) and in normal male and female of ethnic (B). Reduced TC in obese male and female of ethnic (B, PU) and obese female of (H). Reduced TG in normal male (B) and normal female of (PU). Reduced TG in obese male in all ethnic groups and all obese female ethnic groups except (H). Increased HDL in normal male of (P, PU). Increased HDL in both gender of obese (B, P) and obese male of (H). Reduced LDL in obese male in all ethnic groups and obese female of (B, P). |
| Münstedt et al. (2009) [70] | Mixed blossom honey from Europe, Central America, and South America | 75 g | 14 days | 60 patients with hypercholesterolemia (30 patients were given honey; 30 patients were given honey-comparable sugar solution) | Only female patient receiving honey had significantly reduced LDL compared to sugar solution group. |
| Khalil et al. (2015) [74] | Tualang honey | 3 g/kg/day | 45 days | Male albino Wistar rats | Pre-treatment with honey significantly lowered serum total cholesterol (TC) and triglyceride (TG) levels than untreated rats with ISO-induced myocardial infarction (p < 0.05). |
BMI, body mass index; HDL, high-density lipoprotein; ISO, isoprenaline; LDL, low-density lipoprotein; SLBH, stingless bee honey; TC, total cholesterol; TG, triglyceride; VLDL, very low-density lipoprotein.