Bee pollen proven to be a “treasure trove of active natural metabolites” that benefit human health
01/14/2019 / By Tracey Watson
The ancient Greeks, Egyptians and Chinese all recognized the value of honey and bee pollen in medicine. Cave paintings dating all the way back to 7,000 years before Christ (B.C.) depict the earliest known beekeepers. And modern scientific research has confirmed that they were all on the right track; honey’s incredible healing properties have been well documented, and multiple studies have proved that bee pollen is packed with antioxidant, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, anti-carcinogenic and anti-allergic properties.
A collaborative study by researchers from China and Brazil, which focused on the therapeutic benefits, nutritional properties and polyphenolic acids and flavonoids in bee pollen, called this gift from nature “a nutrient-rich treasure trove of active natural metabolites [which] benefits human health.” The study was published in the Journal of Functional Foods in October 2018.
What is bee pollen?
Bee pollen is the name given to the tiny balls of pollen which worker honeybees collect from flowers and combine with nectar and honeybee secretions to serve as the primary source of food for the hive. As reported by Science Direct, bee pollen is a rich source of protein, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, lipids and polyphenols (the compounds which give plants their color and protect them from danger).
A treasure trove of human nutrition
For their study, the research team focused on profiling and updating the nutritional values of bee pollen, examining its natural plant metabolites in more detail, and looking more closely at its safety as a food supplement.
Several techniques were used to identify the individual elements of bee pollen, including high-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detection (HPLC-DAD) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). These highly sensitive techniques enabled the researchers to create a “comprehensive compositional analysis of bee pollen.”
Some of the amazing nutritional benefits of bee pollen highlighted by the researchers were its ability to help children suffering from loss of appetite or malnutrition; its capacity to strengthen muscle and improve body conditioning; and its endurance-boosting power for people engaged in strenuous work.
Natural News previously reported:
Each granule of bee pollen is packed with amino acids, vitamins, fatty acids, and minerals that are needed for different bodily functions. This makes bee pollen one of the most complete superfoods so if you’re suffering from nutritional deficiencies then this product might be able to fill in the gaps.
Studies have found that bee pollen reduces inflammation, relieves allergies (more about that later), protects against cancer, boosts metabolism and energy, improves fertility, eliminates harmful bacteria and clears up skin problems.
Another previous article by Natural News noted:
Pollen is richer in protein than any animal source, and contains more free-form amino acids than beef, eggs or cheese of equal weight. It contains an abundance of pro vitamin A in the form of carotenoids, the B complex vitamins and folate (the natural form of folic acid), vitamin C and vitamin E, as well as a wealth of minerals, enzymes, lecithin, carbohydrates in the form of natural sugars, and fatty acids. The amino acids found in pollen are the most indispensable in our daily diet and cannot be manufactured or synthesized in our bodies. Pollen also contains lecithin, amines, nuclein, guanine, xanthine, hypoxanthine, vernine, waxes, gums, resins, hydrocarbons, sterols, polypeptides, ribose, desoxyribose, hexuronic acid, vegetable oils, and various growth factors.
Allergies and bee pollen
The collaborative study by the Chinese and Brazilian researchers also looked into the question of whether bee pollen can trigger allergies in some people. Although it noted a need for caution and greater safety monitoring of bee pollen, it also noted that only three cases of allergies where bee pollen was an ingredient in a product were recorded in a six-year period.
And, other studies have actually found that bee pollen provides protection against allergies since it reduces the amount of histamines produced by mast cells in response to allergens.
All things considered, there are many sound reasons to include bee pollen in your daily supplement regimen. Learn more at Nutrients.news.
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