El índice glucémico de la miel varía de 32 a 87, dependiendo del origen botánico y del contenido en fructosa. Los principales componentes relevantes para la nutrición y la salud son los carbohidratos, que la convierten en una excelente fuente de energía, especialmente para niños y deportistas. Además de sus principales componentes, los carbohidratos fructosa y glucosa, la miel también contiene un gran número de otros componentes en pequeñas y mínimas cantidades, que producen numerosos efectos nutricionales y biológicos: actividades antimicrobianas, antioxidantes, antivirales, antiparasitarias, antiinflamatorias, antimutagénicas, anticancerígenas e inmunosupresoras.

Diferentes estudios nutricionales han confirmado diversos efectos tras la ingesta de miel, por ejemplo, una mejora de la salud gastroenterológica y cardiovascular. Además, la miel mostró efectos fisiológicos en los indicadores de salud sanguínea, así como efectos en pacientes con hepatitis A y mucositis por radiación. Sin embargo, hay que señalar que la mayoría de los estudios en humanos se basaron en ingestas de miel relativamente altas, de 50 a 80 g. Las composiciones de la miel, y también sus diferentes efectos biológicos, dependen en gran medida del origen botánico de la miel. A menudo, este hecho no se tuvo en cuenta en los estudios revisados.

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NUTRITION AND HEALTH EFFECTS

Oral Health

Due to its antibacterial activity honey ingestion inhibits the growth of bacteria, causing caries and might induce a carioprotective effect. But to be on the safe side, it is advised to clean the teeth after consumption of honey.

Gastroenterology

Honey is a potent inhibitor of the causing agent of peptic ulcers and gastritis, Helicobacter pylori. Honey is not involved in prostaglandin production, but it has a stimulatory effect on the sensory nerves in the stomach that respond to capsaicin.

Different Health Enhancing Effects

A positive effect of honey on hepatitis A patients was found after ingestion of clover and rape honey, causing a decrease of the alanine aminotranferase activity (by 9 to 13 times) and a decrease of bilirubin production by 2.1 to 2.6 times [133]. Honey has a supportive effect on patients who have undergone a cancer radiation therapy by reducing the incidence of radiation mucositis. Patients with head and neck cancer treated with radiation therapy were given honey. There was a significant reduction in the symptomatic grade 3/4 mucositis among honey-treated patients compared to the controls; i.e. 20% versus 75%. The compliance of the honey-treated group of patients was better than the controls. 55% of the patients treated with honey showed no change or a positive gain in body weight compared to the controls, the majority of which lost weight. Honey was administered to chemotherapy patients with neutropenia and was found to reduce the need for colonystimulating factors. Febrile neutropenia is a serious side effect of chemotherapy.

Allergy

Honey allergy seems relatively uncommon; allergies reported can involve reactions varying from cough to anaphylaxis. In this study it was reported that patients allergic to pollen are rarely allergic to honey, although there is one reported case of combined honey pollen allergy. The incidence of honey allergy, reported in a group of 173 food allergy patients was 2.3%.

Source:

Journal of the American College of Nutrition (2008)