Department of Biological, Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy; Department of Neuroscience and cell biology, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy.
Department of Biological, Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy.
J Nutr Biochem. 2020 Aug;82:108401. doi: 10.1016/j.jnutbio.2020.108401. Epub 2020 Apr 17.
Honey is a natural product, containing flavonoids and phenolic acids, appreciated for its therapeutic abilities since ancient times. Although the bioactive potential is linked to the composition, that is variable depending on mainly the botanical origin, honey has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Therefore, honey, administered alone or in combination with conventional therapy, might result useful in the management of chronic diseases that are commonly associated with oxidative stress and inflammation state. Obesity is a metabolic disorder characterized by visceral adiposity. The adipose tissue becomes hypertrophic and undergoes hyperplasia, resulting in a hypoxic environment, oxidative stress and production of pro-inflammatory mediators that can be responsible for other disorders, such as metabolic syndrome and neurodegeneration. Experimental evidence from animals have shown that honey improves glycemic control and lipid profile with consequent protection from endothelial dysfunction and neurodegeneration. The purpose of the present review is to summarize the current literature concerning the beneficial effects of honey in the management of the obesity-related dysfunctions, including neurodegeneration. Based on the key constituents of honey, the paper also highlights polyphenols to be potentially responsible for the health benefits of honey. Further well-designed and controlled studies are necessary to validate these benefits in humans.
蜂蜜是一种天然产物，含有类黄酮和酚酸，自古以来因其治疗能力而受到赞赏。尽管生物活性潜力与其成分有关，但成分会根据主要的植物来源而变化，蜂蜜具有抗氧化和抗炎特性。因此，蜂蜜单独使用或与常规疗法联合使用，可能对管理通常与氧化应激和炎症状态相关的慢性疾病有用。肥胖是一种代谢紊乱，其特征是内脏脂肪过多。脂肪组织变得肥大并增生，导致缺氧环境、氧化应激和促炎介质的产生，这可能导致其他疾病，如代谢综合征和神经退行性变。动物实验证据表明，蜂蜜可以改善血糖控制和血脂谱，从而防止内皮功能障碍和神经退行性变。本综述的目的是总结有关蜂蜜在管理肥胖相关功能障碍（包括神经退行性变）方面的有益作用的现有文献。基于蜂蜜的关键成分，本文还强调了多酚可能是蜂蜜具有健康益处的原因。需要进一步进行设计良好和对照良好的研究来验证这些对人类的益处。
