Study on combining honey with yogurt

Probiotics provide numerous health benefits. Now, American scientists have discovered that adding a spoonful of honey to yogurt helps the probiotics in the yogurt survive in the gut. This is a win-win combination that is both healthy and delicious.

Digestion simulation experiment

There is growing evidence that probiotic consumption positively impacts mood and gut health. Since honey is often added to yogurt, a common source of probiotics, researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign examined the effects of adding honey to yogurt on the gut microbiome across two studies.

In the first study, scientists examined whether adding one of four types of honey—alfalfa, buckwheat, clover, and orange blossom—to commercial yogurt (Activia) containing B. animalis affected the survival of probiotics in the yogurt during digestion. Specifically, the research team added 42g (two tablespoons) of honey to 170g (two-thirds of a cup) of yogurt, then exposed this mixture to laboratory solutions simulating digestion in the mouth, stomach, and intestine.

Assoc. Prof. Hannah Holscher of the University of Illinois, a co-author of the study, stated: "The enzymes in our mouth, stomach, and intestine help digestion and promote nutrient absorption, but they also reduce the survival of microbes. That’s great if it’s not beneficial bacteria but pathogens. We wanted to see if honey could help beneficial bacteria survive in the gut."

For fluids in the mouth and stomach, the researchers observed no differences in the survival of B. animalis between the various honey types and the control versions (yogurt mixed with sugar or water). However, yogurt with honey—particularly clover honey—helped beneficial bacteria survive the intestinal digestion stage.

Clinical trial in adults

Next, the researchers evaluated the findings of the first study in a clinical trial. Sixty-six healthy adults were randomly divided into two groups: a control group consuming 170g of commercial pasteurized yogurt containing B. animalis twice daily for two weeks, and a treatment group consuming the same amount of yogurt mixed with 21g of clover honey over the same period. After two weeks and following a four-week washout period, the treatment and control groups crossed over. Participants were asked to avoid dietary probiotic supplements, fermented dairy products, and fermented foods. They provided stool samples and information regarding their bowel movements, and completed questionnaires assessing mood, cognition, and overall well-being.

Assoc. Prof. Holscher said: "Our findings show that pairing honey with yogurt helps the probiotic bacteria in yogurt survive in the gut, thereby translating laboratory findings into real-world applications in humans."

Limitations of observed outcomes

However, the research team found that adding clover honey to yogurt did not affect intestinal transit time, bowel movement frequency, mood, or cognition.

A small-scale follow-up study followed 36 individuals consuming sweetened yogurt. Comparing results across all three study conditions, the scientists noted that the combination of yogurt and honey preserved the highest number of beneficial bacteria, but did not influence other measured health parameters.

The study results were published in the journal Nutrition.

N.P.D (NASATI), according to Newatlas, 8/2024