Studies have shown that honey increases the survival of probiotics in yogurt, supporting the benefits of a Mediterranean diet, but with no significant health effects in healthy individuals.
According to a new study from the University of Illinois, honey increases the survival of probiotic bacteria during the digestion of yogurt, supporting gut health without affecting bowel movement frequency or mood in healthy adults. Adding honey to yogurt can be a beneficial, yet low-sugar dietary option.
If you like having plain yogurt for breakfast, try sweetening it with a spoonful of honey. Not only does adding honey enhance the flavor, it also boosts the activity of the yogurt’s probiotic bacteria, according to two new studies from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
“We were interested in how the combination of yogurt and honey, which is common in the Mediterranean diet, affects the gut microbiome,” says Hannah Holscher, an associate professor in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition in the College of Agricultural, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences at the University of Illinois. She is a co-author of two studies, both of which are of Journal of Nutrition.
Greek yogurt and other yogurts contain probiotic strains such as: Bifidobacteria In addition to traditional yogurt starter cultures, taking certain probiotics may promote digestive health and regular bowel movements, which may have a positive effect on mood and cognition.
Research details
“Enzymes in the mouth, stomach and intestines aid digestion and promote nutrient absorption, but at the same time reduce the viability of microorganisms – this works for pathogens but not necessarily for beneficial bacteria,” says Holscher. “We wanted to find out whether honey helps probiotic bacteria survive in the gut.”
In the first study, the researchers conducted laboratory experiments to look at the effects of four types of honey (alfalfa, buckwheat, clover, and orange blossom) on bee survival. B. Animalis To simulate the process of yogurt digestion, they grew microbes in petri dishes in solutions that mimicked the components of saliva, stomach and intestines. acidintestinal bile, enzymes, etc.
Regarding saliva and gastric juices, B. Animalis There were differences in probiotic survival rates between the honey varieties and the control treatments of yogurt with sugar or water, but yogurt with honey, especially the clover variety, helped support probiotic survival during the intestinal stage of digestion.
Next, the researchers wanted to test their findings in a clinical study. They recruited 66 healthy adults and asked them to consume two types of food: clover honey yogurt and pasteurized, heat-treated yogurt, for two weeks each. Participants provided stool samples and information about their bowel movements. They also filled out questionnaires and completed tasks assessing their mood, cognition, and overall health.
Suggestions and suggestions
“Our results show that combining yogurt with honey allows the probiotic bacteria in yogurt to survive in the gut, so our laboratory findings can be translated into real-life applications in humans,” Holscher said.
But there was no change in bowel transit time, stool frequency, or measures of mood or cognitive function, which Holscher believes is because the participants were healthy adults who already had good bowel habits, so there wasn’t much room for improvement.
The researchers also conducted a small follow-up study in which 36 participants consumed a third food item – yogurt with sugar. When the researchers compared the results of the three conditions, they found that the combination of yogurt and honey preserved the most probiotics, but had no effect on health indicators.
“We found that adding a tablespoon of honey to a serving of yogurt helps keep probiotics alive. But remember, honey is an added sugar, and most Americans need to watch the amount of sugar they’re getting in their diet to maintain a healthy weight,” she said. “But adding a little honey to unsweetened yogurt is a good combination to incorporate into your menu.”
You can also support your gut health and microbiome by adding toppings when making your yogurt parfait to get more fiber in your diet — for example, add berries, seeds, and nuts, and maybe even drizzle a little honey on top, suggests Holscher.
Reference: “Honey varieties have different effects on bifidobacterial viability in yogurt” David A Alvarado, Luis Alberto Ibarra-Sánchez, Annemarie R Mysonhimer, Tauseef A Khan, Rong Cao, Michael J Miller, Hannah D Holscher, January 12, 2024, Nutrition Journal.
DOI: 10.1016/j.tjnut.2024.01.010
This research was supported in part by the National Honey Board.
“Adding honey to yogurt formulated with Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis DN-173 010/CNCM I-2494 aids in probiotic enrichment but does not reduce intestinal transit time in healthy adults: a randomized controlled crossover trial”, Annemarie R Mysonhimer, Marina D Brown, David A Alvarado, Eva Cornman, Myra Esmail, Tehila Abdiel, Karen Gutierrez, Jorge Vasquez, Corinne N Cannavale, Michael J Miller, Naiman A Khan, Hannah D Holscher, 1 June 2024, Nutrition Journal.
DOI: 10.1016/j.tjnut.2024.05.028
This research was supported by the National Honey Board and Hatch Project 1009249 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
