Medical Advice From Winnie-The-Pooh

By David Bjerklie

Can honey sweeten your health? Researchers at the University of California at Davis gave volunteers four tablespoons of buckwheat honey a day for a month and found that honey consumption was directly related to blood levels of polyphenols--antioxidant compounds found in fruits, vegetables and tea that have been linked to a reduced risk of heart disease and cancer. Sure, honey has calories--64 per tablespoon--but given that the average American consumes 150 lbs. of caloric sweeteners each year, substituting honey for sugar seems like a healthy trade-off. --D.B.