What is bee bread and is it really that useful?

What is bee bread

PergaR. Mărgăoan, Mirela Stranț, 2 Alina Varadi. Bee Collected Pollen and Bee Bread: Bioactive Constituents and Health Benefits / Antioxidants, or bee bread, is the flower pollen of plants with the addition of honey and digestive enzymes of bees, which is sealed in combs and goes to feed the larvae. Under the influence of enzymes, lactic acid is formed in it, which preserves the product and increases its shelf life.

As a food additive, bee bread is sold in the form of light yellow and brown granules. Depending on the region of production and the plants from which the pollen was collected, the taste mayS. M. Mohammad, N. Mahmud ‑ Ab ‑ Rashid, N. Zawawi. Stingless Bee-Collected Pollen (Bee Bread): Chemical and Microbiology Properties and Health Benefits / Molecules be sweet, bitter, or sour.

In the description of supplements, it is often mentioned that bee bread has a unique composition and helps from everything in the world, from colds to overweight and reduced potency. The nutritional value of bee bread is really quite high, but whether it is worth considering it a superfood is a big question.

Is it true that bee bread has a high nutritional value?

According to differentR. Mărgăoan, Mirela Stranț, 2 Alina Varadi. Bee Collected Pollen and Bee Bread: Bioactive Constituents and Health Benefits / Antioxidants
2. S. M. Mohammad, N. Mahmud ‑ Ab ‑ Rashid, N. Zawawi. Stingless Bee-Collected Pollen (Bee Bread): Chemical and Microbiology Properties and Health Benefits / Molecules
3. S. M. Mohammad, N. Mahmud ‑ Ab ‑ Rashid, N. Zawawi. Botanical Origin and Nutritional Values ​​of Bee Bread of Stingless Bee (Heterotrigona itama) from Malaysia / Journal of food quality
4. E. Ivanišová, M. Kačániová, H. Frančáková, J. Petrová. Bee bread - Perspective source of bioactive compounds for future / Potravinarstvo data in bee bread contains from 216 to 412 kcal per 100 g.

The composition of the product is as follows:

• 10-20% protein, a complete set of 20 amino acids, including essential ones.
• 3-5% fats, most of which are unsaturated. 45% of them are polyunsaturated fatty acids, including Omega-3.
• About 60% carbohydrates, including sugar - glucose and fructose.
• Vitamins C, B1, B2, E, K, biotin, nicotinic, folic and pantothenic acids. It was not possible to find the exact amount of these substances in the bee bread. In just one jobS. M. Mohammad, N. Mahmud ‑ Ab ‑ Rashid, N. Zawawi. Stingless Bee-Collected Pollen (Bee Bread): Chemical and Microbiology Properties and Health Benefits / Molecules it is indicated that there is not so much vitamin C in bee bread - only 0.1 mg / g.
• Iron (about 120 mg / kg), calcium (1.5 g / kg), copper, zinc, selenium and magnesium (1.5 g / kg), potassium and phosphorus (about 6 g / kg).
• Antioxidants - 8.9 to 22.7 mg polyphenols per gram dry weight.

Thus, the nutritional value of bee bread is really high, but whether it will help to obtain any special health benefits is a big question.

Will bee bread help improve health?

Most of the experiments using bee bread, or pollen, were carried out either in a test tube or on laboratory animals.

For example, in one studyF. Sobral, R. C. Calhelha, L. Barros. Flavonoid Composition and Antitumor Activity of Bee Bread Collected in Northeast Portugal / Molecules bee bread extract inhibited the growth of breast, liver, lung and cervical cancer cells, in anotherM. H. Borawska, R. Markiewicz-Żukowska, S. K. Naliwajko. The interaction of bee products with temozolomide in human diffuse astrocytoma, glioblastoma multiforme and astroglia cell lines / Nutrition and cancer- helped to stop the growth of glioblastoma multiforme (brain cancer).

Also it worked wellS. M. Mohammad, N. Mahmud ‑ Ab ‑ Rashid, N. Zawawi. Stingless Bee-Collected Pollen (Bee Bread): Chemical and Microbiology Properties and Health Benefits / Molecules against bacteria Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Salmonella, harmful to humans.

In experiments on mice and rats, it was found that taking 0.5 g of bee bread per 1 kg of body weight:

• reducesR. Kaur, N. R. Kumar, K. Harjai. Feeding bee pollen and bee bread to mice: effect and antioxidant status / International Journal of Therapeutic Applications lipid peroxidation and activates antioxidant protection;
• protects the liver from toxicity caused by the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus;
• reduces M. Bakour, N. S. Al-Waili, N. El Menyiy. Antioxidant activity and protective effect of bee bread (honey and pollen) in aluminum-induced anemia, elevation of inflammatory makers and hepato-renal toxicity / Journal of food science and technology toxicity from exposure to aluminum - helps to avoid a decrease in hemoglobin, increased inflammation and harm to the kidneys and liver;
• on a high-fat diet protectsZ. A. Othman, W. S. W. Ghazali, L. Noordin. Phenolic Compounds and the Anti ‑ Atherogenic Effect of Bee Bread in High ‑ Fat Diet ‑ Induced Obese Rats / Antioxidants (Basel) from the growth of total and bad cholesterol, reduces the risk of atherosclerotic plaque formation, the obesity index and the size of fat cells;
• reducesC. Eleazu, J. B. Suleiman, Z. A. Othman. Bee bread attenuates high fat diet induced renal pathology in obese rats via modulation of oxidative stress, downregulation of NF ‑ kB mediated inflammation and Bax signaling / Archives of physiology and biochemistry oxidative stress and obesity-related kidney disease.

Basically, bee bread is considered beneficial for humans due to its high polyphenol content. These substances help 1. H. Cory, S. Passarelli, J. Szeto. The Role of Polyphenols in Human Health and Food Systems: A Mini-Review / Frontiers in nutrition
2. K. Ganesan, B. Xu. A Critical Review on Polyphenols and Health Benefits of Black Soybeans / Nutrienst fight inflammation, protect against oxidative stress and noncommunicable diseases, including diabetes, cancer, heart disease and obesity, and may even prolong life.

In one cohort studyR. Zamora-Ros, M. Rabassa, A. Cherubini. High Concentrations of a Urinary Biomarker of Polyphenol Intake Are Associated with Decreased Mortality in Older Adults / The journal of nutrition It is estimated that older people who consume more than 650 mg of polyphenols per day are 30% less likely to die than those who eat 500 mg.

Thus, bee bread can actually benefit by becoming a source of antioxidants. However, it is definitely not worth declaring it a medicine for all diseases. At least until there is qualitative research involving humans, not rats, rabbits, or cancer cells.

Can bee bread hurt

Has been describedA. Jagdis, G. Sussman. Anaphylaxis from bee pollen supplement / Canadian Medical Association journal a case where a woman has a serious allergic reaction to a pollen supplement: swelling of the face and throat, difficulty swallowing, skin rash, dizziness and weakness.

This is rare, but it does happen. For example, in an Italian studyF. Menniti-Ippolito, G. Mazzanti, A. Vitalone. Surveillance of suspected adverse reactions to natural health products: the case of propolis / Drug safety found that over five years, the health system had recorded 18 reports of allergic reactions to propolis supplements, which also include pollen collected by bees. Six cases required hospitalization, and two were life-threatening.

Since bee pollen contains pollen, in the long term it can also cause such a reaction in the presence of allergies. Therefore, the first time you should try the supplement with caution and prepare for the possible consequences.

In addition, perge can 1. S. M. Mohammad, N. Mahmud ‑ Ab ‑ Rashid, N. Zawawi. Stingless Bee-Collected Pollen (Bee Bread): Chemical and Microbiology Properties and Health Benefits / Molecules
2. S. M. Mohammad, N. Mahmud ‑ Ab ‑ Rashid, N. Zawawi. Botanical Origin and Nutritional Values ​​of Bee Bread of Stingless Bee (Heterotrigona itama) from Malaysia / Journal of food quality accumulate arsenic, mercury, lead and cadmium, harmful to health. If the hives are located in areas with unfavorable environmental conditions, the amount of heavy metals in bee bread may exceed the safe limit.

It is difficult to say whether this can harm, but it will definitely not add health.

Is it worth buying bee bread

By eating 20 grams of bee bread a day, you can get from 178 to 454 mg of polyphenols, about 30 mg of calcium and 120 mg of potassium and phosphorus.

The same amount of antioxidants and macronutrients contains 1. M. A. Gundesli, N. Korkmaz, V. Okatan. Polyphenol content and antioxidant capacity of berries: A review / International Journal of Agriculture, Forestry and Life Sciences
2. P. Brat, L. Mennen, S. George, A. Scalbert. Determination of the polyphenol content of fruits and vegetables. Establishment of a database and estimation of the polyphenol intake in the french diet / Acta Horticulturae in a glass of berries or a couple of apples and a mugG. Stocco, A. Summer, M. Malacarne. Detailed macro- and micromineral profile of milk: Effects of herd productivity, parity, and stage of lactation of cows of 6 dairy and dual-purpose breeds / Journal of Dairy Science milk. Moreover, the cost of bee bread is about 500-600 rubles per 100 g of product.

Thus, when you eat few fresh fruits, berries and vegetables, for example during winter, bee bread can invigorate the body with antioxidants, protect it from oxidative stress and inflammation.

If your diet is varied and healthy, there is no obvious reason to spend money on bee bread.