Behind the buzz: The health benefits of honey revealed… and if it’s REALLY better for you than a spoonful of sugar

Once simply spread on toast as a treat or mixed with hot water and lemon to soothe a sore throat, honey has enjoyed somewhat of a rebrand over the past few years.

This is partly thanks to food influencers on social media – it doesn’t take a lot of scrolling until you encounter the sight of the gloopy amber liquid being poured over a sesame studded block of fried feta, or artfully drizzled over a pepperoni pizza.

Homemade honey has become a celebrity-endorsed hobby, with the likes of David Beckham, Ed Sheeran and Stacey Solomon, taking to social media to share their experiences of beekeeping.

But honey has also become regarded as a standalone health product, with a notable surge in trendy jars of manuka, made from the pollen of a specific type of bush in New Zealand, priced upwards of £10 at supermarkets and high street retailers across the country.

But how healthy is it really? Some say it’s a superfood – while others say it is just sugar, albeit in a gloopier, more golden form. 

‘It’s important to remember that honey is basically a source of sugar,’ nutritionist Jenna Hope tells the Daily Mail.

‘A good quality honey will be better for you than refined white sugar because it will contain some additional nutrients, but there is a very fine line between the two.’

With that in mind, we take a closer look at honey, from its nutritional profile to reputation as a herbal health tonic…

What is exactly is honey and how is it different to sugar?

Honey is a natural excretion made by bees using the nectar they collect from flowers. It also contains small amounts of water, minerals, acids, enzymes and plant compounds. 

The flavour and colour of honey depends on which flowers the bees visited, with clover honey, heather honey, manuka honey and wildflower honey some of the main variations. 

Meanwhile, the white granulated sugar stirred into millions of cups of tea and coffee every day is a highly processed product made from sugar cane or sugar beets. 

Despite their very different origins, calorie and carbohydrate-wise, honey and sugar are not that different. 

One teaspoon of honey contains 21 calories and 6g of carbs, fractionally higher than white granulated sugar’s 16 calories and 4g of carbohydrates. 

Both can be enjoyed as part of a balanced, healthy diet and count towards the NHS’ guideline of 2,000 calories for women and 2,500 for men. 

However, granulated white sugar is regarded as ’empty calories’ because unlike honey, it contains no additional nutrients or minerals. 

So which is the best addition to a cup of tea? 

‘I would probably say you’re better off remove the sugar entirely,’ says Ms Hope. 

‘Although, if you are insistent about in adding sugar, then honey would be a better alternative.’ 

Another benefit of using honey is that you’ll typically need to use less of it as it is sweeter than sugar. 

Why is honey healthier than sugar? 

In its purest form, honey contains trace amounts of vitamin C and many types of vitamin B including niacin, riboflavin, pantothenic acid, folate, and pyridoxine. 

Both vitamins C and B are ‘water soluble’, which means that the body can’t store them and we need to eat them daily. 

The particular type of vitamin C – ascorbic acid – is needed for iron absorption, collagen production and is a potent antioxidant, protecting our cells from damage and inflammation linked to a swathe of diseases including cancer and dementia.  

The B vitamins are required by the body for healthy blood production, to support nervous system function and for to power digestion. 

Honey is also essential mineral rich, containing trace elements of calcium, iron, copper, and zinc which are crucial for bodily functions, including transporting oxygen in the blood, bone health and general immunity.

It’s not uncommon to see jars of honey that have had extra vitamins and minerals added during the production process, which Ms Hope advises to avoid. 

‘You’re better off to stick to plain, raw, local, unprocessed honey,’ she says. 

‘The ones with added extra micronutrients, or ingredients like turmeric and ginger, are often much more processed.’

What’s the best way to eat honey? 

Because honey is a source of pure sugar, it’s best to eat it with other foods which can slow down digestion. This will both prevent blood sugar spikes and keep you feeling fuller for longer. 

‘It should be eaten sparingly and ideally be combined with a source of protein or fats to help slow down the release of sugars into the bloodstream,’ says Ms Hope. 

‘If you’re doing a lot of exercise, then it can be quite good to have on toast as an alternative to jam, because it’s going to contain a few more micronutrients and will give you some fast release energy.

‘But for the average person, ideally, if you are having it then stir it into something like a Greek yoghurt or serve it with peanut butter because that is going to slow down the release of the sugar.’ 

Can honey really cure a sore throat? 

In 2020, experts at Oxford University said doctors should tell patients to have a spoonful of honey rather than reaching for the medicine cabinet or prescribing antibiotics.

They reviewed studies which compared the effectiveness of honey with cough suppressants, antihistamines and painkillers.

Honey was found to be ‘superior’ at relieving coughs, sore throats and congestion – and unlike other medications had no harmful side effects.

Honey was on average 36 per cent more effective at reducing cough frequency than common medications and cut cough severity 44 per cent more.

The NHS also advises drinking a mixture of hot water, lemon and honey to soothe a sore throat. 

What is the healthiest honey?  

Manuka honey is widely regarded as being the healthiest honey because it is naturally high in antibacterial compounds.  

All raw, unprocessed honey contains a chemical called glucose oxidase, which helps to produce hydrogen peroxide, which can kill bacteria.

However, in the 1980s, researchers claimed that manuka honey – which has been used in traditional medicine for centuries – is especially potent and has additional bacteria-killing powers. 

In a study published in 1991,  scientists removed the hydrogen peroxide from a range of honeys, including manuka, then saw how it performed in a series of laboratory experiments. 

Investigators reported that manuka retained the ability to kill bacteria, leading to the discovery of an additional germ-busting element.

They found that manuka honey also contains methylglyoxal (MGO) a naturally occurring chemical that can damage or slow the growth of bacteria. 

However, experts say manuka does not come cheap. 

Because of its reputation as a health food, a jar of manuka can set you back anywhere between £10 to over £1,000 depending on the brand and its Unique Manuka Factor (UMF) number. 

The UMF decides its class, with the higher the number, the higher the potency (and price). 

As a rule of thumb, ‘suitable for general wellness’ has UMF 5-9 and manuka honey containing the minimum amount of active, therapeutic properties is UMF 10-15. 

Manuka honey that contain the most antibacterial elements has a UMF number of 16+. Some jars claim to have a UMF of 70 or even 250.

The UMF number also ensures consumers aren’t buying fake manuka honey or a mixture of manuka and a lesser product – and that’s definitely something to be aware of.  

‘Unfortunately, there’s a lot of very highly processed, mass-produced manuka honey on the market and they don’t contain as much of the benefits,’ says Ms Hope. 

Can honey cure hay fever? 

It’s an often repeated claim: a daily spoonful of local honey can keep debilitating hay fever symptoms at bay.

However, experts say there is no evidence to support the idea. 

Wellness advocates claim that by eating local honey made from the local pollen spores that are causing your nose to block and eyes to stream, you are given an opportunity to build up an immune response. 

Similar things are said about bee pollen, a crunchy byproduct of bees’ honey-making process. 

Sadly, although there is much anecdotal evidence for these ‘natural cures’, there is no scientific proof that eating unprocessed honey from a local hive will protect you against seasonal allergies. 

The same is true of bee pollen, but that isn’t a reason not to eat it at all.

A 2023 study by University Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah in Morocco highlighted that it has a potent blend of polyphenols – powerful antioxidant compounds found naturally in plants – including flavonoids, carotenoids, and Vitamins A, C, and E. 

‘Bee pollen is a very good source of Vitamin B12 and contains 27 minerals including copper, iron, zinc and magnesium,’ says Ms Hope. 

‘Furthermore, if you want to have the benefits of honey but want to reduce your sugar intake, then actually be pollen is quite a good thing to add to things like yoghurt or porridge in the morning.’