Honey May Enhance Yogurt's Probiotic Power, New Studies Suggest

Two recent studies have revealed that adding one or two tablespoons of honey to unsweetened yogurt may help beneficial bacteria from the yogurt survive the digestive process, thereby enhancing its probiotic effectiveness.

"We were interested in the culinary pairing of yogurt and honey, which is common in the Mediterranean diet, and how it impacts the gastrointestinal microbiome," said Hannah Holscher, a nutrition scientist at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and co-author of the studies.

The Mediterranean diet, known for its health benefits, typically emphasizes healthy fats from fish, olive oil, and nuts, with limited consumption of red meat. Although dairy isn't a significant component, cheese and yogurt are exceptions, often paired with honey, a tradition dating back to ancient Greece.

Holscher and her team aimed to investigate whether honey plays a role beyond being a mere sweetener when added to yogurt. Some types of yogurt contain probiotic bacterial strains like Bifidobacterium animalis, which is associated with improved gastrointestinal health and immune function.

Honey, famous for its antibacterial properties, also acts as a prebiotic, promoting the growth of beneficial microbes. The researchers wanted to determine whether honey could help probiotic bacteria endure the harsh conditions of the human digestive system.

"The enzymes in our mouth, stomach, and intestines help with digestion and facilitate nutrient absorption, but they also reduce the viability of microbes," Holscher explained. "That's beneficial when it comes to pathogens, but not necessarily for beneficial bacteria. We wanted to see if honey could help probiotic bacteria survive in the gut."

In the first study, researchers conducted lab experiments to assess how four honey varieties—alfalfa, buckwheat, clover, and orange blossom—affected the viability of B. animalis in yogurt during simulated digestion. They mixed yogurt inoculated with the bacteria into one of the four honey varieties and exposed it to solutions simulating digestive fluids, including saliva, stomach acid, intestinal bile, and enzymes.

The study found no significant effect of honey on the bacteria's survival in saliva or stomach acid, with results similar to control groups that used yogurt mixed with sugar or water. However, in solutions mimicking intestinal fluids, yogurt mixed with honey did support the survival of beneficial bacteria, with the clover varietal showing the most pronounced effect.

The researchers then conducted a randomized, controlled crossover trial with 62 healthy adults. Participants consumed yogurt with clover honey for two weeks, followed by heat-treated yogurt for another two weeks. A follow-up trial involved 36 participants consuming yogurt mixed with sugar for a third round. Participants provided stool samples and information on bowel movements and completed questionnaires on mood, cognition, and overall well-being.

"Our findings showed that pairing honey with yogurt supported the survival of the yogurt's probiotic bacteria in the gut, so the lab study results did translate to real-world application in humans," Holscher said.

The study did not observe changes in intestinal transit time, bowel movement frequency, mood, or cognition, which Holscher noted might be due to the overall health of the participants. However, she emphasized the need for further research.

While honey can enhance probiotic survival, Holscher cautioned that it is still sugar with associated health risks. "We found that one tablespoon of honey in a serving of yogurt helps support probiotic survival. However, we have to keep in mind that honey is an added sugar, and most Americans need to be cognizant of the amount of sugar in their diet to maintain a healthy body weight," she said.

Holscher concluded that this research hints at the ancient wisdom behind the tradition of mixing honey and yogurt. "Adding a little bit of honey to unsweetened yogurt is a nice culinary pairing to incorporate into your menu rotation," she suggested.