The positive effects and mechanisms of honey against breast cancer

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer is a malignancy that occurs in cells in the breast tissue where cells in the breast divide and grow out of control, invade surrounding tissues, or spread (metastasize) to distant areas of the body. METHOD: This review was systematically carried out through PubMed, Scopus, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar websites in English and Indonesian using the keyword content of the article, obtaining 21 selected articles. This review demonstrates honey’s promising mechanism of combined synergistic effect for breast cancer management. CONCLUSION: Antioxidants in honey intercept free radicals of phenolic compounds which are the main factors responsible for the antioxidant activity of honey. The antimicrobial activity in most honey is due to the enzymatic production of hydrogen peroxide, and its anti-cancer properties are discussed in this section.