Honey: A Novel Antioxidant

Abstract

The global prevalence of chronic diseases such as diabetes mellitus, hypertension, atherosclerosis, cancer and Alzheimer's disease is on the rise. These diseases, which constitute the major causes of death globally, are associated with oxidative stress. Oxidative stress is defined as an “imbalance between oxidants and antioxidants in favor of the oxidants, potentially leading to damage”. Individuals with chronic diseases are more susceptible to oxidative stress and damage because they have elevated levels of oxidants and/or reduced antioxidants. This, therefore, necessitates supplementation with antioxidants so as to delay, prevent or remove oxidative damage. Honey is a natural substance with many medicinal effects such as antibacterial, hepatoprotective, hypoglycemic, reproductive, antihypertensive and antioxidant effects. This review presents findings that indicate honey may ameliorate oxidative stress in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT), liver, pancreas, kidney, reproductive organs and plasma/serum. Besides, the review highlights data that demonstrate the synergistic antioxidant effect of honey and antidiabetic drugs in the pancreas, kidney and serum of diabetic rats. These data suggest that honey, administered alone or in combination with conventional therapy, might be a novel antioxidant in the management of chronic diseases commonly associated with oxidative stress. In view of the fact that the majority of these data emanate from animal studies, there is an urgent need to investigate this antioxidant effect of honey in human subjects with chronic or degenerative diseases.

Effects of Gelam Honey on Oxidative Stress in Lung Cancer Cells

“…Aljadi and Kamaruddin (2004), as well as Chua and co-workers (2012) have also found that the antioxidant properties of Gelam honey are correlated with its content of phenols, flavonoids and vitamins. The putative anti-oxidative activities of Gelam honey have also been confirmed by animal studies done previously (Lee et al 2011;Erejuwa et al 2012).…”

“…Parallel to this, increased oxidative stress and decreased antioxidant enzymes have been observed in lung cancer patients as the disease progresses (Gupta et al 2010). Schramm et al (2003) reported that natural honey contains numerous antioxidant compounds that delay, prevent or remove oxidative damages (Erejuwa et al 2012). Aljadi and Kamaruddin (2004), as well as Chua and co-workers (2012) have also found that the antioxidant properties of Gelam honey are correlated with its content of phenols, flavonoids and vitamins.…”

Effect of Honey on Sperm Characteristics and Pregnancy Rate in Mice

“…Honey is rich in fructose, which is an important marker in the seminal fluid, and provides energy and nutrients for the sperm and maintain perfect alkaline medium for their viability and motility. Honey is full of enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants, and contains pinostrobin, pinocembrin, ascorbic acid, vitamins E, diastase, glucose oxidase (Erejuwa et al, 2012). It acts against lipid peroxidation and oxidative stress by ROS such as, hydrogen peroxide, super oxide, and prevents oxygen contact with unsaturated fatty acids in the sperm plasma membrane (Syazana et al, 2011).…”

Total phenols and antioxidant activities of natural honeys and propolis collected from different geographical regions of Ethiopia

“…It is known to have both enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidant activities [2,3]. Though, honey is a highly supersaturated solution of a complex mixture of sugars, it also contains small amount of other constituents including minerals, proteins, vitamins, organic acids, flavonoids, phenolic compounds, and enzymes; catalase, peroxides, glucose oxydase and other phytochemicals [3][4][5].…”