Functional Yogurt Fortified with Honey Produced by Feeding Bees Natural Plant Extracts for Controlling Human Blood Sugar Level

Abstract

The human blood sugar level is important and should be controlled to avoid any damage to nerves and blood vessels which could lead to heart disease and many other problems. Several market-available treatments for diabetes could be used, such as insulin therapy, synthetic drugs, herbal drugs, and transdermal patches, to help control blood sugar. In a double-blind human study, four kinds of honey from bees fed on acacia, sea buckthorn, chlorella alga, and green walnut extracts were used in fortifying yogurt for controlling human blood sugar. The impact of a previously fortified honey was investigated on blood levels and other parameters of healthy individuals in a human study with 60 participants. The participants received 150 mL of yogurt mixed with 30 g of honey every morning for 21 days. Before and after the study period, the basic blood parameters were tested, and the participants filled out standardized self-report questionnaires. Acacia honey was the traditional honey used as a control; the special honey products were produced by the patented technology. The consumption of green walnut honey had a significant effect on the morning blood sugar level, which decreased for every participant in the group (15 people). The average blood sugar level at the beginning in the walnut group was 4.81 mmol L−1, whereas the value after 21 days was 3.73 mmol L−1. The total decrease level of the individuals was about 22.45% (1.08 mmol L−1). Concerning the sea buckthorn and chlorella alga-based honey product groups, there was no significant change in the blood sugar level, which were recorded at 4.91 and 5.28 mmol L−1 before treatment and 5.28 and 5.07 mmol L−1 after, respectively. In the case of the acacia honey group, there was a slight significant decrease as well, it was 4.77 mmol L−1 at the beginning and 4.27 mmol L−1 at the end with a total decrease rate of 10.48%. It could thus be concluded that the active ingredients of green walnut can significantly decrease the blood sugar level in humans. This study, as a first report, is not only a new innovative process to add herbs or healthy active ingredients to honey but also shows how these beneficial ingredients aid the honey in controlling the human blood sugar level.