Honey’s Ability to Reduce Blood Pressure and Heart Rate in Healthy Male Subjects

Abstract

Food is the energy source of the body; honey is not only a natural sweetener that provides the body with energy, but has been used as a medicine for different diseases in different parts of the world. This study evaluated honey’s ability to reduce systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure and heart rate in healthy male subjects. We assessed the systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and heart rate (HR) of fifty healthy male subjects, their basal SBP, DBP and HR were taken and was use as the control value. Each subject was give 20 ml of honey to consume and their systolic SBP, DBP and HR were measured at different intervals; 15 minutes, 30 minutes and 60 minutes after the intake of honey. The blood pressure was measured, using sphygmomanometer/auscultatory method and heart rate was determined via palpating the radial pulse. Honey significantly (p = 0.05) decreased SBP from 117.80±0.88 to 110.20±2.14 after 15 minutes of honey intake, the significant (p = 0.05) decrease was maintain after 30 minutes of honey consumption at 111.33±2.14, and it was also observed after 60 minutes of honey intake at 110.4±2.08. The result shows that short-term honey consumption has the ability reduce blood pressure in healthy male subject and its consumption might have a beneficial effect.

Full text

Frontiers in Science 2014, 4(1): 8-11
DOI: 10.5923/j.fs.20140401.02
Honey’s Ability to Reduce Blood Pressure and Heart Rate
in Healthy Male Subjects
Esther Olusola Aluko1,*, Titilope Helen Olubobokun1, Dara Ezekiel Atang1, Victor Udo Nna2
1Department of Physiology, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of Uyo, Uyo, Nigeria
2Department of Physiology, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Medical Sciences, University of Calabar, Calabar, Nigeria
Abstract Food is the energy source of the body; honey is not only a natural sweetener that provides the body with
energy, but has been used as a medicine for different diseases in different parts of the world. This study evaluated honey’s
ability to reduce systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure and heart rate in healthy male subjects. We assessed the
systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and heart rate (HR) of fifty healthy male subjects, their basal
SBP, DBP and HR were taken and was use as the control value. Each subject was give 20 ml of honey to consume and
their SBP, DBP and HR were measured at different intervals; 15 minutes, 30 minutes and 60 minutes after the intake of
honey. The blood pressure was measured, using sphygmomanometer/auscultatory method and heart rate was determined
via palpating the radial pulse. Honey significantly (p= 0.05) decreased SBP from 117.80 ± 0.88 mmHg to 110.20 ± 2.14
mmHg after 15 minutes of honey intake. The significant (p= 0.05) decrease was maintained after 30 minutes of honey
consumption at 111.33 ± 2.14 mmHg, and it was also observed after 60 minutes of honey intake at 110.4 ± 2.08 mmHg.
The result shows that short-term honey consumption has the ability to reduce blood pressure in healthy male subjects and
its consumption might have a beneficial effect.
Keywords Diastolic blood pressure, Healthy male, Heart rate, Honey, Systolic blood pressure
1. Introduction
Diet is either beneficiary or detrimental to health, studies
have associate the intake of sugar-sweetened beverages with
elevated blood pressure [1] but interestingly, honey, a
complex form of sugars has been documented to have
several medicinal benefits: as remedy for diarrhea [2],
gastric ulcers [3], wound healing [4], as skin disinfectant [5],
as immune inducer [6], as anti-diabetic agent [7, 8], as
antibacterial agent [2], as antioxidant [9], and also has an
antimutagenic and antitumor activity [10]. Antimicrobial and
antibacterial properties of honey have been ascribe to its
sugar concentration plus other factors which include low pH,
hydrogen peroxide, flavanoids, phenols and terpenes [11].
Nigerian honey is produced by Apis mellifera adansonii a
native of West Africa [12]. It physiochemical study shows it
constituents to include 17.9% water, 28.3% glucose, 38.9%
fructose, 4.4% maltose, 1.6% sucrose, 0.2% nitrogen and
8.5±2.7 mg/kg Hydroxymethylfurfural, has a pH of 3.9, total
acidity of 21.5±5.6 meq/kg, and 15 mm2/s viscosity [13].
Traditionally it is used in the treatment of various ailments,
thus; bronchial cough, feverish cough, colds, sore or irritated
throats, ulcers in the mouth, tension, burns and wounds
* Corresponding author:
queenalosesther@gmail.com (Esther Olusola Aluko)
Published online at http://journal.sapub.org/fs
Copyright © 2014 Scientific & Academic Publishing. All Rights Reserved
earache, and also taken daily to maintain good health [14].
Studies have documented its anti-diabetic property [14] and
that it can also be use as a nutraceutical agent [15].
Arterial blood pressure is the force exerted by blood
against the arterial walls, it is expressed in millimeter of
mercury (mmHg), the highest is systolic blood pressure and
the lowest diastolic blood pressure [16]. Arterial pressure is
the major factor that affects the effectiveness of the heart
pumping action, the heart can be hypo effective, if arterial
blood pressure is elevated [17]. High arterial pressure causes
excessive workload on the heart and this may lead to heart
failure, coronary heart disease or even death as a result of
heart attack. Furthermore, high arterial pressure causes
multiple hemorrhage in the kidney, consequently destroying
the kidney tissues. The kidney plays an important role in
normal functioning of the cardiovascular system [17].
Diet is one of the risk factors associated with the
development of high blood pressure. Various diets such as
high salty diet has been documented to cause high blood
pressure [18, 19]. Cholesterol is the factor responsible for
atherosclerosis (narrowness of blood vessels) thus food rich
in saturated fats and trans fats are detrimental to the heart
[20]. High carbohydrate diet has also been documented to be
detrimental to the cardiovascular system [21]. Honey, though
constituted by mainly sugar has been reported to be
cardioprotective; Maureen 2004 [22] recommended that
eating honey can reduce blood levels of some
macromolecules that are linked to an increased risk of heart

Frontiers in Science 2014, 4(1): 8-11 9
disease, a study reported that systolic and diastolic blood
pressure were reduced by honey inhalation in hypertensive
patients [23]. Romero-Silva et al, 2011[24] in their animal
study reported that honey decreased the increased blood
pressure on carbohydrate-induced obesity in rats. This is
consistent with another animal study which reported that
honey decreased systolic blood pressure in spontaneously
hypertensive rats [25]. The risk of developing high blood
pressure is gender related; males have been reported to have
higher risk of developing high blood pressure compared with
their female counterparts, and it is well documented that men
have higher blood pressure then their age - matched women
[26]. This study therefore evaluates honey’s ability to reduce
systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure
(DPB) and heart rate (HR) in healthy male subjects.
2. Material and Methods
2.1. Honey
The honey was obtained from the Agric-extension and
was certified pure by the wildlife unit of Department of
Forest Resource Management, Faculty of Agriculture of the
University of Ilorin, Nigeria.
2.2. Subjects
Seventy subjects randomly selected from University of
Ilorin, mini campus were recruited for the study. The age
ranges between 18 - 25 years, with weight of 56 - 70 kg and
height of 1.62 - 1.82 m. Exclusion criteria were the presence
of cardiovascular disorder, blood pressure above 120/80
mmHg in accordance to the JNC-7 [26] and use of any
medications. After prior examination, 50 male subjects were
certified fit to participate in the study. Each subject gave a
written consent to participate in the study. The study was
reviewed and approved by the ethical committee of the
University of Ilorin teaching hospital on human subjects.
2.3. Experimental Procedures
The experiment was done in the morning and all the
subjects did not take breakfast prior to the experiment. The
blood pressure was measured with the subjects in the sitting
position after a 10 mins rest, with the arm supported and the
forearm at the heart level, using a mercury
sphygmomanometer with a cuff size of 12 x 26 cm. The heart
rate was determined via palpating the radial pulse. The blood
pressure and heart rate were measured three consecutive
times at 1 minute interval between measurements and the
average was recorded. After baseline recording, each subject
was given 20 ml of honey. The blood pressure was then
measured after 15 minutes, 30 minutes, and 60 minutes of
administration.
2.4. Statistical Analysis
The results were presented as mean ± standard error of
mean (SEM). Statistical differences were evaluated using the
Student paired t-test and the Student independent t-test. The
statistical significance was accepted at the level of p=0.05.
3. Results
The study assessed the effect of honey intake on SBP,
DBP and HR in healthy male subjects. Honey significantly
(p=0.05) decreased mean systolic blood pressure after 15, 30
and 60 minutes of consumption when compared to the
control value (table 1). The changes in mean diastolic blood
pressure and heart rate were not significant when compared
with the control value (table 1). The increase in mean
systolic blood pressure, heart rate and the reduced mean
diastolic blood pressure at 30 minutes when compared to that
of 15 minutes after intake of 20 ml of honey was not
significant. The mean systolic blood pressure, the increased
mean diastolic blood pressure and the heart rate at 60
minutes compared to that of 15 minutes was also not
significant (table 1). The decrease in mean systolic blood
pressure, increased mean diastolic blood pressure and mean
heart rate at 60 minutes compared to that of 30 minutes was
not significant (table 1).
The values are represented in mean ± standard error of
mean (SEM). a- Significantly different from basal values
after intake of 20ml of honey, (p=0.05, n= 50).
Table 1. Effect of Honey on Systolic Blood Pressure, Diastolic Blood Pressure and Heart Rate in Healthy Male Subjects
PARAMETERS BASAL
VALUES
15 MINUTES
VALUES
30 MINUTES
VALUES
60 MINUTES
VALUES
SBP (mmHg) 117.80±0.88 110.20±2.14a 111.33±2.14a 110.4±2.08a
DBP (mmHg) 79.60± 0.03 80.20±3.13 78.73±2.63 81.47±1.79
HEART RATE
(beat/minute) 70.80±2.19 70.40±3.10 72.33±2.53 73.33±2.66

10 Esther Olusola Aluko et al.: Honey’s Ability to Reduce Blood Pressure and Heart Rate in Healthy Male Subjects
4. Discussion
Food, an essential source of energy, can either maintain or
deteriorate a person’s health. Some diets such as high salt
diet, fatty diet and sugar sweeten food are detrimental to the
cardiovascular system [1, 18, 19]. Honey is a natural
sweetener that supplies the body with quick energy and is
used in different parts of the world for diverse medicinal
purposes. This study evaluates honey’s ability to reduce
systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure and heart
rate in healthy male subjects after 15, 30 and 60 minutes of
honey intake.
We observed that honey decreased systolic blood pressure
after 15, 30 and 60 minutes of honey intake, this is consistent
with the study of Al-Waili 2003 [23], he reported that honey
decreased SBP in hypertensive patients and mild reduction
was observed in normal subjects, concurring animal studies
have also reported a similar decrease in SBP after honey
administration; Romero-Silva et al, 2011[24] reported that
honey reduced the increased blood pressure in
carbohydrate-induced obese rats and a study in
spontaneously hypertensive rats reported same decrease in
SBP [25]. Honey has no significant effect on DBP and HR
differing from the findings of Al-Waili 2003[23], and
Romero-Silva et al 2011 [24]. This may be attributed to the
short duration of study.
The mechanism through which honey elicits it
hypotensive effect is not well understood. It might be via
inducing synthesis of endothelium derived nitric oxide
which results in vasodilatation, Al-Waili 2003[28] reported
that honey contains various concentrations of nitric oxide
(NO) metabolites and suggested that NO might be partially
responsible for the biological and therapeutic effects of
honey. It can also be suggested to be as a result of its ability
to trigger insulin secretion; insulin facilitates absorption of
magnesium ions which in turn cause vascular dilation. Al –
Waili 2004 [29] in his study suggested that honey has an
insulin sensitization effect, he explained that honey though a
mixture of sugars – fructose, glucose, maltose, sucrose and
other complex carbohydrates would be expected to raise the
blood sugar level and its glycemic index should be similar to
that of glucose, has been demonstrated to cause reduction in
blood glucose in both normal and diabetic patients. It is an
established fact that insulin secretion is mainly stimulated by
high blood glucose, thus if honey decreases blood glucose
level but increases insulin secretion, it is suggestive that
honey might have a direct effect on the beta cells of the
pancreas. The ability of insulin to increase cellular
magnesium levels was first reported by Lostroh 1973 [30].
The result was consistent with that of Paolisso and
Barbagallo 1997 [31] who reported that insulin directly
stimulates magnesium ions absorption and might also
contribute to its regulation. Magnesium ions have been
demonstrated to cause nitric oxide independent coronary
artery vasodilatation in human [32]. Honey has been
documented to contain minerals like sodium, calcium,
potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, copper, iron,
manganese, chromium, and selenium [33]. However, this
study did not assess the mechanism of action of honey, this is
recommended for future study.
5. Conclusions
The results of this study showed that short-term honey
consumption has the ability to reduce systolic blood pressure
in healthy male subjects and it might have the ability to
decrease the risk of developing elevated blood pressure
associated with male. However, to ascertain this, further
study is needed to evaluate the long-term effect of honey in
healthy males.
Limitation of Study
The limitations of this study are as follows;
The effect of honey was studied only in short term
consumption, further studies (probably using animals) is
required to ascertain possible long term effects.
The study only compared the initial SBP, DBP and HR
measured prior to honey consumption with after
consumption, but did not evaluate a control group.
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