Table 4.
Studies examining the effect of honey supplementation on perceptual responses around exercise.
| Study | Participants | Design | Exercise Stimulus | Nutritional Intervention | Data collection Method and Time-Points | Outcome Variables | Main Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abbey and Rankin [47] | Male soccer players of NCAA Division I, post-collegiate, and club standard (n = 10). | Randomised, single blind crossover. | Soccer-specific exercise (5 × 15 min blocks, plus 10 min half-time), followed by progressive 20 m shuttle run to fatigue. | 6% CHO-electrolyte solution (honey, commercial sports drink, or placebo). 8.8 mL∙kg−1 (0.5 g∙kg∙body mass−1) CHO consumed 30 min pre-exercise and at half-time. | Every 15 min during exercise, scale not reported. | RPE. | ↔ between trials for RPE. |
| Ahmad et al. [48] | Male runners of recreational standard (n = 10). | Randomised, single blind crossover. | 60 min run at ~65% V̇O2 max, followed by 2 h ‘rehydration phase’ and 20 min treadmill running test on. | 6.8% CHO solution (honey) or H2O to recover 150% of body mass lost during run one. Fluid consumed 0 min (60% of mass loss), 30 min (50%), and 60 min (40%) after run one. | Likert scale (1–5), 0 min (T1), 30 min (T2), and 60 min (T3) after run one. | Perceptions of thirst, sweetness, nausea, fullness and stomach upset. | Perceptions of sweetness at T1-T3 were ↑ for honey vs. for honey vs. water. ↔ between trials for perceptions of thirst nausea, fullness, or stomach upset between trials. |
| Earnest et al. [46] | Amateur male cyclists (n = 9). | Randomised, double blind, counterbalanced, crossover. | 64 km time trial on cycling ergometer. | 15 g of gel (honey, dextrose, or placebo) with 250 mL water consumed every 16 km. Plus an additional 250 mL of water every 3.2 km. | Likert scale (6–20) at pre-exercise, 16 km, 32 km, 48 km, and 64 km. | RPE. | ↔ between trials for RPE. |
| Kreider et al. [49] | Resistance trained individuals (n = 40; males: n = 19, females: n = 21). | Randomised, four independent groups. | 3 sets of 10 repetitions at approximately 70% of 1 RM on chest press, seated row, shoulder press, lat pulldown, leg extension, leg curl, biceps curl, triceps extension, and leg press. | 40 g of whey protein with 120 g of either sucrose, powdered honey, or maltodextrin. Consumed within 5 min post-exercise. Other group consumed no supplement. | Likert scale (1–10) at pre-exercise (T1), post exercise (T2), and 30 min (T3), 60 min (t4), 90 min (T5), and 120 min (T6) post-feeding. | Severity of perceived hypoglycaemia, dizziness, fatigue, headache, and stomach upset. | ↔ between groups for perceptions of hypoglycaemia, dizziness, fatigue, headache, or stomach upset. |
| Łagowska et al. [45] | Trained male rowers (n = 11). | Randomised, crossover. | Rowing ergometer: 2 × 40 min with a 5 min break, performed at an intensity corresponding to ~75% of the onset of blood lactate accumulation. | 150 mL of CHO solution (either commercial sports drink; 7.8% CHO, or ‘natural’ drink containing banana, fruit juice, and honey; 6.7% CHO), consumed immediately pre-exercise and every 15 min during exercise (6 × 150 mL total). | Likert scale (1–5) at post-exercise: | Perceptions of taste, smell, thirst quenching ability, beverage consistency, and refreshment. | Satisfaction with beverage consistency was ↓ for natural vs. commercial drink. ↔ between trials for perceptions of taste, smell, thirst quenching ability, or refreshment. |
CHO: carbohydrate, NCAA: National Collegiate Athletic Association, RPE: rating of perceived exertion, 1RM: one repetition maximum, ↑: increased/higher, ↓: decreased/lower, ↔: no difference.