Is it true that eating honeycomb is healthier than drinking honey?

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Humans have long used honey from beekeeping because of its sweet and healthy taste. But do you know if honeycombs can also be consumed? Although not as popular as honey, it turns out the benefits of honeycomb are no less important for health, especially in maintaining endurance.

What is honeycomb and what's the difference with honey?

Honeycomb is a part of a honeycomb in the form of a cross section with hexagon patterned cells. Honeycomb is made by bees by using honey sap. It has very little water content, different from honey in general, so it looks denser and has a lot of sap. Honeycomb also contains pure honey in every cell, which is not touched by the process of human intervention when taking and processing honey.

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When honey is only used as a sweetener, honeycomb can be a food with a sweet taste, but tends to be safe for oral and dental health. Honey sap on honeycomb also contains vitamins A and C which are good for the skin so that it can be used as a cream and soap ingredient.

Nutrient content in honeycomb

Honeycomb contains around 391 calories per 100 grams, and contains unsaturated fats that are good for health. The biggest nutrient content of honeycomb is sodium (563 milligrams) and minerals such as potassium (115 milligrams) with a total carbohydrate of about 89 grams. In addition, honeycomb also contains small amounts of dietary fiber and protein which are 3 grams each.

Although it is consumed together with honey, honeycomb basically has a smaller amount and type of nutrient content. Honey and honey have more calories, sugar, vitamins and minerals such as calcium and iron but are lower in sodium compared to honeycomb. Both honey and honeycomb have no saturated fat and trans fat so there are no calories from fat.

Benefits of honeycomb for health

Here are some benefits that can be obtained when consuming honeycomb:

Accelerate wound healing - Pure honey found in honeycomb is rich in potassium vitamins and minerals which are useful for repairing damaged cells and accelerating healing. In addition, honey has natural anti-microbial substances that are useful to prevent bacterial infections of damaged tissue.
Strengthens the resilience of the respiratory tract - as well as preventing bacterial infections in wounds, consuming honeycomb by chewing can prevent infection and strengthen the respiratory tract in the sinuses and around the nose. If done to cure the flu, honeycomb can be consumed in a few times a day or chewed in the mouth for several hours until the flu symptoms subside or about 4 to 6 hours.
Maintain oral health - Antibacterial substances at honeycomb are also useful for cleaning and curing infections in teeth and gums. In addition, the unique honeycomb texture and the sap of honey in it can help remove plaque on the teeth and strengthen the gums.

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Helps balance cholesterol - As one source of unsaturated fat, honeycomb is useful in increasing HDL levels. One clinical study in 2004 (as reported by Livestrong.com) showed that fat from honeycomb could reduce the proportion of LDL by about 21-29%.
Helps glucose metabolism - As a nutrient that is vital to the human body, glucose is used as the main ingredient in energy. Honeycomb and the sap of honey it contains have a unique alcohol compound that can help glucose metabolism by reducing excess insulin levels in individuals who experience insulin resistance conditions such as those with diabetes.

Be careful if there is too much honeycomb

Honeycomb and honey gum tend to be difficult to digest and can trigger digestive disorders if consumed too much and too often. There was one case of gastric obstruction in 2009 due to regular consumption of honeycomb for two months. As a result, the sap of honey and honeycomb can accumulate in the stomach causing obstruction and blockage of the gastrointestinal tract to the intestine, so it requires surgery to overcome it.

Although it is not yet known with certainty the safe level of honeycomb consumption, but need to know the nature of the ingredients of honeycomb which has sap and very little containing water will make it difficult for the digestive system to do the solution. Therefore, limit the portion of honeycomb consumption to about 100 grams in one meal, because it can meet one fifth of daily calorie needs (391 calories). Make sure not to consume every day, or with a limit of three times per week.