Many allergy sufferers believe that locally produced honey can alleviate symptoms. The idea is that bees become covered in pollen spores when they from one flower to the next — spores which are then transferred to their honey.
It is thought that eating that honey, even just a spoonful a day, can build immunity through gradually exposure.
For some reason the New York Times recently chose to report on this topic citing the negative results of a nearly decade-old study, stating:
“In the study … the scientists followed dozens of allergy sufferers through the springtime allergy season. The subjects were randomly split into three. One consumed a tablespoonful daily of locally collected, unpasteurized and unfiltered honey; another ate commercial honey; and a third was given a corn syrup placebo with synthetic honey flavoring.
After tracking the subjects’ symptoms for months, the scientists found that neither of the honey groups saw improvements over the placebo group.”
Interestingly enough, a study published earlier this year came to a completely different conclusion!
This brand new study assessed the effects of the pre-seasonal use of birch pollen honey or regular honey on symptoms and medication during birch pollen season.
A total of 44 patients with diagnosed birch pollen allergy consumed either the birch pollen honey or regular honey daily from November to March. The control group consisted of 17 patients who were just using their usual allergy medication to control symptoms.
The study found that, during birch pollen season, compared to the control group, the patients using birch pollen honey experienced:
- 60 percent reduction in symptoms
- Twice as many asymptomatic days
- 70 percent fewer days with severe symptoms
- 50 percent decrease in usage of antihistamines
Sources: New York Times May 9, 2011
Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology February 2002;88(2):198-203
International Archives of Allergy and Immunology 2011; 155(2): 160-166