Honey could have a positive affect on age-related problems; it may improve memory, as well as reduce anxiety.
Scientists at the University of Waikato in Hamilton, New Zealand, raised rats for 12 months on diets containing either:
- 10 percent honey
- 8 percent sucrose or
- no sugar at all.
According to the New Scientist magazine, scientists found that those on diets including honey had better spatial memory and were less anxious.
How could they tell?
Scientists noted that:
- Less Anxious Honey-fed rats spent almost twice as much time in the open sections of an "assessment maze," which the researchers say suggests that they were less anxious.
- Better Memory The rats were also more likely to spend time in new sections another portion of the maze; this suggests they knew where they had been before and had better spatial memory.
The researchers propose that honey may improve memory due to its antioxidant properties, which help to prevent free radicals damaging cells in the body.