Honey isnt as healthy as we think

By Peter Whoriskey September 11, 2015

Honey has an aura of purity and naturalness. Fresh air, birdsong, forests and
meadows.

High-fructose corn sweetener? Not so much.

So you might think that honey is better for you. But a study published this
month compared the health effects of honey and the processed sweetener and
found no significant differences.

The effects were essentially the same, said Susan K. Raatz, a research
nutritionist at the USDA who conducted the study with two colleagues.

The belief that HFCS may be harmful - linked to obesity or diabetes - has helped
sink consumption of HFCS over the last ten years.

Researchers at the USDA decided to put that belief to the test. The honey
industry, likely hoping that that honey's suspected health benefits might be
proven, helped fund the effort.

The researchers gave subjects daily doses of each of three sweeteners - honey,
cane sugar and high-fructose corn sweetener - for two weeks at a time. They
then compared measures of blood sugar, insulin, body weight, cholesterol and
blood pressure in the 55 subjects.

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The researchers found that the three sweeteners basically have the same
impacts. Most measures were unchanged by the sweeteners. One measure of a
key blood fat, a marker for heart disease, rose with all three.

Honey is thought of as more natural whereas white sugar and high fructose
corn syrup are processed from the cane or the beet or the corn, said Raatz,
whose paper appears in the Journal of Nutrition. We wanted to find out if they
were different. But chemically, they are very, very similar, and thats what it
seems to break down to.

Introduced in the 70s, high-fructose corn sweetener quickly gained favor among
soft drink and snack producers. Sales soared and by 2003, consumption of HFCS
reached just about the same level as sugar.

Since then, though, sales have been sliding.

That's at least partly because of widespread concerns that fructose might be

linked to obesity and diabetes. Many health authorities, however, say
that evidence of any potential harm from HFCS, at least relative to other
sweeteners, is scant at best.

At this time, there's insufficient evidence to say that high-fructose corn syrup is
any less healthy than other types of sweeteners, according to the Mayo Clinic
website.

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 We are not aware of any evidence...that there is a difference in safety, the
Food and Drug Administrations website says.

Some studies do raise questions about how the body metabolizes fructose. But
even if fructose, which is found in apples and pears, turns out to be particularly
harmful, it wouldn't necessarily mean that HFCS is worse for you than honey or
table sugar. All three contain fructose, and all three are composed of similar
proportions of fructose and another simple sugar, glucose. (Honey and HFCS are
composed mainly of fructose and glucose; cane sugar is sucrose, a compound of
fructose and glucose.)

When it comes to consumer perceptions, the trouble for HFCS arises at least in
part from its name - "high fructose" may suggest that it contains much more
fructose than the other sweeteners, though it doesn't.

Honey, meanwhile, maintains a halo. It is not for nothing that the Kellogg
Company renamed Sugar Smacks to Honey Smacks.

The marketers made a big mistake when they called it high-fructose corn
syrup, said Raatz. "A sweetener is a sweetener, no matter the source."

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[1] Marion Nestle: http://www.foodpolitics.com/2016/04/a-rare-industry-

funded-study-with-unhappy-results-for-the-honey-board-funder/

[2] To Journal of Nutrition:

http://jn.nutrition.org/content/145/10/2265.abstract

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Mayo Clinic:

"Possible health concerns with natural sweeteners

So-called natural sweeteners are generally safe. But there's no health advantage
to consuming any type of added sugar. And consuming too much added sugar,
even natural sweeteners, can lead to health problems, such as tooth decay, poor
nutrition, weight gain and increased triglycerides. Also, be aware that honey can
contain small amounts of bacterial spores that can produce botulism toxin.
Because of that, honey shouldn't be given to children younger than than 1 year
old."

http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-
depth/artificial-sweeteners/art-20046936?pg=2

Possible health benefits of sugar alcohols

One benefit of sugar alcohols is that they don't contribute to tooth decay and
cavities. They may also help with the following:
Weight control. Sugar alcohols are considered nutritive sweeteners
because they contribute calories to your diet. Still, sugar alcohols have
fewer calories than does regular sugar about 2 calories per gram on
average. This means that sugar alcohols can be considered lower calorie
sweeteners, and they may aid weight-control efforts.
Diabetes. Unlike artificial sweeteners, sugar alcohols can raise blood
sugar levels because they're carbohydrates. But because your body
doesn't completely absorb sugar alcohols, their effect on blood sugar is
less than that of other sugars. Different sugar alcohols can affect blood
sugar differently. You can consume sugar alcohols if you have diabetes,
but you still must pay attention to the total amount of carbohydrates in
your meals and snacks. Talk to your doctor or dietitian for guidance.

Possible health concerns with sugar alcohols

As with artificial sweeteners, the FDA regulates sugar alcohols as food additives.
Sugar alcohols used in U.S. manufactured food generally have GRAS status.

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There are few health concerns associated with sugar alcohols. When eaten in
large amounts, usually more than 50 grams, but sometimes as little as 10 grams,
sugar alcohols can have a laxative effect, causing bloating, intestinal gas and
diarrhea. Product labels may carry a warning about this potential laxative effect.

Natural sweeteners
Natural sweeteners are sugar substitutes that are often promoted as healthier
options than processed table sugar or other sugar substitutes. But even these
so-called natural sweeteners often undergo processing and refining, including
agave nectar.

Among the natural sweeteners that the FDA recognizes as being generally safe
for consumption are fruit juices and nectars, honey, molasses, and maple syrup.

Uses for natural sweeteners

Natural sweeteners have a variety of uses both at home and in processed foods.
They are sometimes known as added sugars because they're added to foods
during processing. They may be used, for example, in tea and cocktails to
sweeten drinks, in desserts, as pancake and waffle toppings, on cereals, and for
baking.

Possible health benefits of natural sweeteners

Although natural sugar substitutes may seem healthier than processed table
sugar, their vitamin and mineral content isn't significantly different from that of
sugar. Honey and sugar, for instance, are nutritionally similar, and both end up in
your body as glucose and fructose. Choose a natural sweetener based on how it
tastes and its uses, rather than on its health claims, and use it sparingly.

Possible health concerns with natural sweeteners

So-called natural sweeteners are generally safe. But there's no health advantage
to consuming any type of added sugar. And consuming too much added sugar,
even natural sweeteners, can lead to health problems, such as tooth decay, poor
nutrition, weight gain and increased triglycerides. Also, be aware that honey can
contain small amounts of bacterial spores that can produce botulism toxin.
Because of that, honey shouldn't be given to children younger than than 1 year
old.

Moderation is key with sugar substitutes

When choosing sugar substitutes, it pays to be a savvy consumer. Get informed
and look beyond the hype. While artificial sweeteners and sugar substitutes may
help with weight management, they aren't a magic bullet and should be used
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only in moderation. If you use sugar substitutes to save calories, be careful not
to eat higher calorie foods as a reward for the calories you saved.

Just because a food is marketed as sugar-free doesn't mean it's free of calories.
If you eat too many sugar-free foods, you can still gain weight if they have other
ingredients that contain calories. And remember that processed foods, which
often contain sugar substitutes, generally don't offer the same health benefits as
do whole foods, such as fruits and vegetables.

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