The health benefits of honey are becoming increasingly documented among nutrition journals and health websites. But did you also know that claims are now being made supporting honey as an ergogenic aid for exercise performance? According to WHFoods, a leading nutrition website, honey helps support optimal blood sugar levels during exercise, as well as replenishes muscle-building glycogen following exercise.

Why it May Work

Honey is composed entirely of sugar, a simple carbohydrate that quickly dissolves into the bloodstream and provides a quick source of energy. This is why carbohydrate-based beverages and bars are highly effective for providing instant energy during exercise. Honey, however, is composed of about equal parts glucose and fructose. Nearly all carbohydrates are ultimately converted to glucose after consumption, at which point they provide fuel for our body’s cells. Any unused glucose is stored as glycogen in the muscles and liver. Fructose dissolves much more slowly than glucose, providing more sustained cellular fuel (energy). Honey is unique in that it provides both quick and prolonged energy. For this same reason, honey helps restore the glycogen the muscles use to perform activity during exercise.

Honey is also believed to have wound-healing and immune-building properties that may promote injury recovery.

What the Research Says

The research exploring the relationship between honey and exercise performance is still somewhat sparse.

In one study, subjects who underwent an intensive weight-lifting workout and subsequently consumed a protein solution mixed with either honey, sugar, or maltodextrin. The honey group maintained blood sugar levels longer during exercise and more favorable glycogen restoration two hours following exercise than the other two groups.

A 2001 study, summarized by Scientific American, tested the effects of honey on a group of cyclists. Researchers had nine competitive cyclists pedal 64 kilometers per week for three consecutive weeks. One group was given honey, another a dextrose gel, and a final group a flavored placebo. The honey and dextrose groups both outperformed the placebo group, although the dextrose group slightly outperformed the honey group as well.

A 2009 study, published in the International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, investigated the effects of a honey-sweetened beverage, compared to a traditional carbohydrate beverage and a placebo, on a 90-minute soccer simulation. Following the study, results demonstrated that neither the honey nor traditional carbohydrate group outperform the placebo group.

Additional studies have produced fairly similar equivocal results.

Conclusions

Honey certainly has numerous health benefits, such as carbohydrates, antioxidants, anti-bacterial enzymes that promote immune system function, and an array of vitamins and minerals. However, the paucity of research investigating its role in exercise performance are insufficient to support claims that honey provides an extra edge in the gym. Honey is likely equal to similar carbohydrate-based beverages and bars in its ability to provide energy and restore muscle glycogen following exercise. Future research may shed light on honey’s additional ability to improve performance in any way.