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The sticky treat is said to have anti-cancer and immunity-boosting properties, but experts say there is little evidence to back those claims
 With more expensive honey brands and products hitting the shelves, consumers are now paying a pretty penny for the sticky treat.
Sales of this sweet carbohydrate made by honey bees from flower nectar have been sending cash registers buzzing.
This is despite the fact that prices for popular brands such as Manuka Honey from New Zealand range from $10 for a 500ml jar to as much as $100. Rarer forms of honey from Egypt and Indonesia can cost more than that.
But while people buy into talk of its supposed health benefits, such as anti-cancer and immunity-boosting properties, dietitian Nelson Chin from nutrition consultancy company, The Nutrition Place, warns that “there is insufficient scientific evidence to support such claims”.
He says: “Like sugar, honey is a carbohydrate food which provides mainly calories and a little amount of vitamins and minerals. But it is denser than sugar, so it provides more calories a tablespoon. For instance, one tablespoon of honey provides 64 kilocalories while one tablespoon of white granulated sugar provides 49 kilocalories.”
With recent reports on “honey laundering”, where honey reportedly originating from countries such as Russia and Indonesia actually came from China, nutritionists and dietitians advise consumers to read the label carefully to ensure they are not swallowing the equivalent of golden syrup.
Nutritionist Sheeba Majmudar from wellness centre Verita Advanced Wellness advises people to look for the mention of raw honey on the label.
“Most honey found in the market is heat-treated. That destroys the enzymes and healing properties of the honey,” she says.
 Aware of the harmful effects of heat on honey, local honey chain Yummi House’s business development manager, Mr Wilson Er, says its honey is “100 per cent unprocessed”. If you are drinking honey, it should be mixed in warm water, not in hot water with a temperature of more than 70 deg C, he says.
A new player in the market, this honey company sources from the tropical wild forests in South America, Africa and Indonesia.
It has six outlets in Singapore. The newest one opened at Marina Bay Sands two weeks ago.
The director of retailer Honey House, Ms Sophia Lim, notes that local doctors are cautious about recommending the use of honey. “Singapore doctors are very careful when advising patients about honey, as they don’t want patients to misuse or overuse the product.”
However, the company’s apitherapist, someone who studies products produced by bees such as honey and bee pollen, Ms Judy Low, says sales have “increased steadily over the years and new stock is brought in every three months” to the supermarkets and hospitals that it supplies.
Ms Nehal Kamdar, senior dietitian at Raffles Hospital, cautions against excessive intake of honey.
“It may lead to incomplete fructose absorption, which is associated with abdominal symptoms or diarrhoea,” she says.
She adds that small amounts can be taken daily, “as long as they are a part of an overall healthy meal plan”.
Says Ms Low: “There is no point substituting sugar with honey, if, in the same day, one has coffee with sugar or a soft drink. About a tablespoon a day should be sufficient.”
Ms Kamdar also expresses concern for pregnant and breastfeeding women who take honey.
She says: “Potentially harmful contaminants such as C. botulinum and grayanotoxins can be found in some types of honey and may be harmful to them and the growing foetus.
Honey should also not be fed to children less than one year old.” The contaminants, found in untreated honey, can lead to botulism, a paralytic illness.
For diabetics, Mr Chin says that while they can take honey as part of their diet, “they must take into consideration their total intake and distribution of carbohydrates throughout the day”.
Over at retailer Honey World Trading, director Tony Liew imports other honey products such as sweets or wine containing the substance.
He explains: “Unlike other countries such as the United States or New Zealand, where honey is found on the breakfast table, in Singapore, we have peanut butter and kaya. Clearly, honey would be a healthier option, even
though it is a bit more pricey.”
But does it mean no money, no honey? Not for Ms Gloria Chan, 26, who gets her daily Manuka honey fix from the supermarket.
“The honey I take costs only about $10 a bottle and because I’m the only one in my family who takes it, the same bottle can last for at least one month,” says the freelance artist.
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