The next time you enjoy honey on yourbiscuits or toast, thank the honeybees for its gift of honey. Honey, mans first and most reliable source of sweetener and an excellent substitute for sugar, has amazing benefits to health. Its benefits, surprisingly, have less to do with its nutritional value but more with its health benefits.Quite remarkable is the unique composition of honey, which makes it a dressing for wounds and a more effective cough suppressant for children over a year old than other widely used cough medicines. Substances in honey help to maintain a moist healing environment, banish infection, promote new skin growth and prevent scarring.In fact, a recent Indian study involving burn patients found that honey was vastly superior to conventional treatments in suppressing infection and in speeding healing.It is exciting to see scientists validating the use of honey in reducing menopausal syndrome. A study, which evaluated whether Malaysian Tualang honey was effective in reducing menopausal syndrome in female rats, found that honey could be an alternative to hormone replacement therapy (HRT).Menopause is the transition period in a womans life when her ovaries stop producing eggs, her body produces less oestrogen and progesterone, and menstruation becomes less frequent, eventually stopping altogether. Menopause is a natural event that normally occurs between the ages of 45 and 55 and its symptoms are caused by changes in oestrogen and progesterone levels. The ovaries make less of these hormones over time.Although the specific symptoms and how significant (mild, moderate, or severe) they are vary from woman to woman; its common symptoms include hot flashes, night sweats, sleeping problems, night sweats and decreased interest in sex. Also, some women also experience forgetfulness (in some women), headaches and mood swings including irritability, depression, and anxiety.In order to reduce these complications, hormone replacement therapy (HRT) has been prescribed extensively over the last 25 years. However, long-term HRT use increases the risk of breast cancer, endometrial cancer and vaginal bleeding, thus the search for alternatives to HRT.In the 2010 study published in the BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine journal, 35 female rats were used as an animal model for menopause. The rats were divided into two control groups and three test groups. The test groups were given different doses of honey once daily for two weeks while the control groups had distilled water.The reproductive organs (womb and vagina), tibia bone (the larger bone in the leg below the knee) and aorta (the blood vessel carrying blood from the heart to all the organs and other structures) were examined.The researchers found that the honey-treated rats experience a significant increase in the weight of their womb, the level of testosterone in the blood and bones density increased and there was suppression of body weight in comparison with other rats used as control.They suggested that the improvement of the womb as well as the vagina wall was due to the presence of biologically active oestrogen-like molecules or phytoestrogens in honey.According to them, the positive effect of honey on bone density was probably due to honey containing high flavonoids and gluconic acid. The gluconic acid, which is the major organic acid in honey and carbohydrate constituents, enhances absorption of calcium into the bones.However, the researchers stated that clinical trials were required to see if these benefits could be translated to post menopausal women.Royal jelly and propolis were other beehive products that have been scientifically proven for their improvement of menopausal syndrome. According to the journal Ethnopharmocology, clinical trials suggested that bee propolis produce oestrogenic effects, which may help to alleviate the symptoms of menopause due to oestrogen level drops.Osteoporosis, a reduction in bone mineral density, represents the most common metabolic bone disease. Postmenopausal women are particularly susceptible to osteoporosis when their production of oestrogen declines. For these women, fracture is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality.However, researchers in a study which evaluated the protective effects of olive oil supplementation suggested it helps to ensure absorption of calcium required for stronger bones.The researchers declared in the 2011 edition of BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine that olive oil can be used to effectively mitigate thinning of bones in premenopausal women, thus making it a promising candidate for the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis.In the past, researchers have shown that consuming honey along with supplemental calcium enhanced calcium absorption in rats. In addition, the absorption of calcium was increased as the amount of honey was increased.Of course, one of the key strategies for reducing the likelihood of developing low bone mass (and subsequent osteoporosis) is to consume the recommended amounts of calcium. It is also important that the calcium consumed be absorbed by the body. Dietary factors that have been shown to enhance the absorption of calcium include vitamin D and the sugars found in honey.In addition, other foods proven to alleviate symptoms of menopause include tofu, ginseng, sesame seeds and soya beans.In a group of menopausal women with an average of 14 hot flashes per week, a study comparing the effectiveness of soy bean against wheat flour; the women receiving soy flour experienced a 40 per cent reduction in hot flashes. There are other proven benefits of soy such as reduction in cholesterol levels, prevention of uterine, endometrial, breast and prostate cancers.
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