Health Benefits of Bee Pollen: Many people regard bee pollen as a superfood because of its many nutrients; others see it as a natural therapeutic product that has anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and antiviral properties. Consuming bee pollen may suit people with allergies to flower pollen or bee stings.
What is bee pollen?
Bees forage and collect pollen from a variety of plants. When the bees return to the beehive with the pollen, it becomes food for the colony in the form of fats, minerals, and proteins. It may also contain other compounds, such as enzymes, bee wax, honey, and nectar.
The type of plants the bees harvest, together with other ingredients, affects the composition of the bee pollen.
As a product for human use, bee pollen appears as small yellowish-orange to dark brown or black granules. The pollen has a sweet, floral taste that varies depending on which plants the bees gathered it from.
How to eat bee pollen
People can use bee pollen in various ways, such as a topping on cereals, yogurt, or salad, or in smoothies or similar drinks. It is also available as a supplement.
An energy boost – Health Benefits
The fantastic cocktail of nutrients within bee pollen makes it the ideal source of energy. It contains proteins and vitamins with lots of healthy carbohydrates. Bee pollen eliminates feelings of tiredness and improves your stamina in many ways. It works by providing carbohydrates as a short-term energy boost.
It adds proteins and prepares your body for future challenges. Pollen makes your body better now and in the long-term because proteins are the building blocks of organisms.
Soothing the skin
Bee pollen is a part of various skin treatments and has been for ages. It does wonders for both cosmetic and health conditions of the skin. You can treat conditions such as rosacea, psoriasis, and infections.
Additionally, you can add valuable amino acids and vitamins to your skin’s surface, helping you regenerate dead cells faster. Also, your skin will breathe better. You will look a lot younger and fight infections off better.
Breathing help
Did you know that you can treat asthma using bee pollen? That’s right. By adding it to your diet, you add antioxidants to your body. They have an especially beneficial effect on the lungs. The antioxidants fight any potential or existing inflammation. Better breathing is only one benefit.
When you breathe better, you give your body more oxygen. This notion means every process in the body speeds up, helping everything from weight loss to fighting diseases.
The enemy of all allergies
Histamine is a substance that lurks within the body. It is the main culprit of many annoying allergies. It causes you to have serious health problems and significantly impacts your quality of life. In recent years, researchers made a startling discovery.
Not only does bee pollen help with allergies, but it does so in a grand yet efficient way. According to one study, 94% of all subjects with allergies benefited from ingesting pollen. They never experienced allergy problems again and continued having the powder in their diet. Respiratory diseases fear bee pollen — it’s their worst enemy.
A digestion boost
By adding bee pollen to your diet, you give your body the unique chance to have an efficient digestive tract. How do you do that? It’s simple; bee pollen contains lots of valuable enzymes that work wonders.
Bee pollen helps your intestines and the rest of your body get all the necessary nutrients from food. Add that to the existing protein, vitamins, and minerals, and you’ll get a formidable combo. This addition will significantly improve your body. You’ll be thankful later.
Immunity was never higher
What can’t bee pollen do? Anything is possible. It improves intestinal flora. It improves the bacteria-antibody balance in your body, so you’ll be much safer from incoming diseases and infections.
It’s a natural remedy, and bee pollen-based medicine is a regular part of therapies. It has an antibiotic effect on the body and fights off any attacking virus or microbe. Antioxidants within it also do their job in protecting the cells and maintaining order in the organism.
Eradicates addictions
Addictions are all about cravings and the urge created by your body out of habit. When you eat sweets and consume narcotics or alcohol, you find it hard to stop. Bee pollen can aid you with this, as it eliminates these negative impulses. It restores hormonal balance and removes the need for such substances.
This concept is a relatively unproven benefit of bee pollen. However, several studies support this claim, and they use bee pollen in many rehab centers. Both natural powder and pollen-based medicine helps improve lives.
A cardiovascular boom
Bee pollen offers benefits for every facet of your health. Cardiovascular health is affected by this magical super-food. The reason for that is ruin – an essential antioxidant bioflavonoid. It makes blood vessels stronger and improves blood circulation.
Not only that, but it also corrects existing health issues and helps you move on from them. It removes excess cholesterol and destroys even the smallest blood clots and blockages. It’s crucial to add bee pollen to your diet to ensure health even at an old age.
Better prostate health
The prostate is one of the most sensitive organs of the human body. Problems accumulate as the body ages. One of the most common prostate problems is prostate hyperplasia. Pain, inflammation, and frequent urination are some common symptoms.
Bee pollen is useful in combating any inflammation. It can eradicate prostate hyperplasia and prevents it from reoccurring. It’s an investment for the future, too.
Treating Infertility
Bee pollen has specific properties that improve ovarian function. It can correct fertility problems that have persisted for decades. Chances of getting pregnant increase when you take a small amount of bee pollen on a regular basis. Several studies have shown changes in fertility levels due to bee pollen.
Not only that, but bee pollen also boosts hormone levels and increases your libido. If you have problems with your sex life, try bee pollen. Both you and your partner will be healthier, and you will have more fun than ever.
Is bee pollen nutritious?
Bee pollen is a complex food. There are about 200 active substances in pollen, including:
- amino acids
- triglycerides
- phospholipids
- vitamins
- macronutrients and micronutrients
- flavonoids
Pollen also contains the following important nutritional compounds:
What is apitherapy?
Some traditional medicinal practitioners use bee products, such as pollen, as a form of medicine. Using bee products to benefit health is known as apitherapy.
Bee pollen contains many active compounds that may have antioxidant, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory properties.
Antioxidant
Bee pollen contains antioxidants, vitamins, and other compounds, and may reduce damage in the cells from free radicals or oxidative stress. It may also protect cells from damage due to ultraviolet (UV) light from the sun.
However, levels of antioxidants in bee pollen can vary widely based on the plant types and growing conditions in the area where bees collected the pollen.
Antimicrobial
A 2011 study into the antimicrobial, antioxidant, and proteasome proteins of Greek pollen, indicated that high levels of the flavonoids quercetin and kaempferol in bee pollen may be responsible for its antimicrobial activity.
Anti-inflammatory
Research in animal models suggests that bee pollen may have anti-inflammatory properties.
Other animal-based research from 2010 indicated that bee pollen extract reduced inflammation in rats. In another study from the same year, mice with liver disease showed anti-inflammatory effects after consuming bee pollen.
However, researchers need to carry out further studies to confirm whether these results apply in humans.
Are there other potential health benefits?
Some bee products, including bee pollen, may have other health benefits. However, more human-based research is needed to confirm any beneficial effects.
Some of these potential benefits are:
Regulating the immune system
2010 research article indicates that compounds in bee pollen may help regulate the immune system by improving individual immune response in the cells or stimulating the immune cells when necessary. Bee pollen compounds, such as flavonoids, volatile oils, and steroids, may reduce the impact of allergies on the immune system.
Promoting wound healing
Bee pollen may help with some forms of wound treatment, such as burns. Animal-based research suggests that an ointment containing bee pollen extract killed microbes on fresh burn wounds and promoted wound closure, speeding up healing and, potentially, preventing secondary issues.
Protecting against heart disease
Bee pollen may reduce the risk of heart disease. Research showed that pollen extracts reduce blood lipids and cholesterol levels and may help protect from heart disease and stroke. In models of heart disease, bee pollen reduces atherosclerosis plaques and helps keep clots from forming.
An animal-based study suggests bee pollen extract may help reduce the formation of fatty acid deposits in the arteries.
However, results from animal-based studies may not necessarily translate to humans, and scientists will need to carry out more research to confirm this.
Fighting against cancer cells
A 2014 review found that some bee products may help fight tumor cells in different models of cancer. However, the study used specific types of bee products, including honey, royal jelly, and propolis.
There is no current evidence that bee pollen has any effect on cancer in humans.
Side effects and precautions
Allergies, product contamination, and interaction with medications, such as blood thinners, are all possible concerns with bee products. Anyone considering using bee pollen should talk with their doctor first.
Allergies
People who are allergic to pollen should contact their allergist or doctor before using any pollen products. A person with an allergy to bees or bee stings should also avoid pollen products.
Medications
Bee pollen and its compounds may interact with some medications. A person should seek medical advice before adding bee pollen to their diet.
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