What is bee pollen?
Bee pollen is made from bee saliva, plant pollens and nectar collected by worker bees. As a product with over 250 active substances, though, bee pollen has not been officially recognized as a medicine in most countries. It is mainly used as a supplement which can be found in most health stores.
Top 3 benefits
1. High antioxidant content
Recent studies have revealed that the wide variety of antioxidants in bee pollen can protect the human body against potentially harmful free radicals. Enzymatic hydrolysates from bee pollen may help patients with cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and hypertension.
2. Boosts liver function
A study shows that chestnut bee pollen may enhance the liver’s detoxifying abilities. The effect has been proved by animal studies - bee pollen helps boost the liver’s antioxidant defense and remove waster products.
3. Reduces inflammation
The anti-inflammatory activity of bee pollen has been studied. Researchers suggest that bee pollen extract can reduce swelling of rats’ paws by 75%. Based on the studies, bee pollen is suggested to be used as a dietary supplement and as a functional food.
Although the experiment of bee pollen has succeeded on animals, there is not enough evidence to prove its effectiveness on human. However, as bee pollen is safe to most people (except those who are allergic to bee products for example), it is recommended to consider bee pollen as a dietary supplement.
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