Metabolic effects of honey in type 1 diabetes mellitus: a randomized crossover pilot study

• Published in: Journal of medicinal food Vol. 16; no. 1; p. 66
• Main Authors: Abdulrhman, Mamdouh M, El-Hefnawy, Mohamed H, Aly, Rasha H, Shatla, Rania H, Mamdouh, Rasha M, Mahmoud, Doaa M, Mohamed, Waheed S
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.01.2013
• Subjects: Adolescent; Blood Glucose - metabolism; C-Peptide - blood; Child; Cross-Over Studies; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 - diet therapy; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 - metabolism; Female; Honey - analysis; Humans; Hypoglycemic Agents - administration & dosage; Insulin - metabolism; Male; Pilot Projects; Triglycerides - metabolism
• ISSN: 1557-7600
• DOI: 10.1089/jmf.2012.0108

The aim of this study was to evaluate the metabolic effects of 12-week honey consumption on patients suffering from type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM). This was a randomized crossover clinical trial done in the National Institute for Diabetes and Endocrinology, Cairo, Egypt. Twenty patients of both sexes aged 4-18 years with type 1 DM and HbA1C<10% participated in the study. They were randomized into two equal groups (intervention to control and control to intervention). The dietary intervention was 12-week honey consumption in a dose of 0.5 mL/kg body weight per day. The main outcome measures were serum glucose, lipids, and C-peptide, and anthropometric measurements. None of participants were lost in follow-up. The intervention resulted in significant decreases in subscapular skin fold thickness (SSFT; P=.002), fasting serum glucose (FSG; P=.001), total cholesterol (P=.0001), serum triglycerides (TG; P=.0001), and low-density lipoprotein (P=.0009), and significant increases in fasting C-peptide (FCP; P=.0004) and 2-h postprandial C-peptide (PCP; P=.002). As possible long-term effects of honey after its withdrawal, statistically significant reductions in midarm circumference (P=.000), triceps skin fold thickness (P=.006), SSFT (P=.003), FSG (P=.005), 2-h postprandial serum glucose (P=.000), TG (P=.003), and HbA1C (P=.043), and significant increases in FCP (P=.002) and PCP (P=.003) were observed. This small clinical trial suggests that long-term consumption of honey might have positive effects on the metabolic derangements of type 1 DM.