Following Part 1 (honey to heal wounds) and Part 2 (honey's anti-carcinogenic properties), here's another benefit: honey to help cognition.
According to a meta analysis published by the National Library of Medicine, honey has four categories of benefits such as a (1) memory booster, (2) neuroprotective booster, (3) anti-stress agent, and (4) anti-nociceptive prompt. We'll keep these separate though they're all related.
(1) Memory Booster - Citing a study of nearly 3,000 people aged 65 or older who ate honey for 5 years, only 489 developed dementia. Why? How? Because honey improves blood flow to the brain and has antioxidant effects.
(2) Neuroprotective Booster - Cellular deterioration, including the erosion of cellular function in the brain, is an ongoing, natural process. You can think of "deterioration" and "oxidation" as the same. Just as rust is the oxidation of metal, reactive oxygen species (or ROS, also called "free radicals") oxidize the brain. To offset this natural aging process, we need the opposite of oxidants. You guessed it: antioxidants. And you probably also just guessed that honey is packed with flavonoids, which have antioxidant properties that fight ROS/free radicals. That's the "neuroprotective" function of honey.
(3) Anti-stress Agent - Hang on for the ride with this one. Stress often manifests itself in humans like depression. Or, in science-speak, "subchronic noise stress promotes depressive-like behavior and decreases cognitive processes"...now you see why we like distilling these studies down for you!). Honey can minimize these stress and depressive conditions, according to studies in the meta-analysis (we're sparing you how the studies actually stated this...)
(4) Anti-nociceptive Prompt - Ok. Let's start with, "what is a 'nociceptor'?" A nociceptor is a sensory receptor in the brain that detects pain. Honey has analgesic (pain-reducing) properties.
Bottom line: it doesn't just taste good. It's good for your brain. At least that's the buzz in the scientific literature.
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