Honey 'could reduce' effects of aging
Tuesday, 18 September 2007
LONDON, Sep 15 (PTI): Worried over ageing? Just start taking a spoonful of honey every day. Yes, according to scientists, honey could help counter the effects of ageing and decrease anxiety, the 'Daily Mail' reported here yesterday.
"Diets sweetened with honey may be beneficial in decreasing anxiety and improving memory during ageing," Nicola Starkey of the University of Waikato in New Zealand told the British daily.
According to her, this could be due to the antioxidant properties of honey.
In fact, Starkey and Lynne Chepulis of the same university came to the conclusion after they conducted their tests on rodents. They raised them on diets of 10 per cent honey, 8 per cent sucrose or no sugar at all for a year.
The rats were two months old at the start of the trial, and were assessed every three months using tests designed to measure anxiety and spatial memory.
They were also more likely to enter novel sections of a Y- shaped maze, suggesting they knew where they had been previously and had better spatial memory.
Honey has been used since ancient times as a food, medicine and beauty treatment. It has also been used as an antiseptic therapeutic agent for the treatment of ulcers, burns and wounds.
Moreover, honey contains various micro-nutrients said to help prevent some cancers and combat hay-fever.
"Diets sweetened with honey may be beneficial in decreasing anxiety and improving memory during ageing," Nicola Starkey of the University of Waikato in New Zealand told the British daily.
According to her, this could be due to the antioxidant properties of honey.
In fact, Starkey and Lynne Chepulis of the same university came to the conclusion after they conducted their tests on rodents. They raised them on diets of 10 per cent honey, 8 per cent sucrose or no sugar at all for a year.
The rats were two months old at the start of the trial, and were assessed every three months using tests designed to measure anxiety and spatial memory.
They were also more likely to enter novel sections of a Y- shaped maze, suggesting they knew where they had been previously and had better spatial memory.
Honey has been used since ancient times as a food, medicine and beauty treatment. It has also been used as an antiseptic therapeutic agent for the treatment of ulcers, burns and wounds.
Moreover, honey contains various micro-nutrients said to help prevent some cancers and combat hay-fever.