Honey and Cholesterol: What a Big 2023 Review Found
Honey and cholesterol made headlines when a University of Toronto team published a large review in Nutrition Reviews. They pooled 18 controlled trials and reported small improvements in some blood fats when people ate honey, especially raw honey and clover honey. Before swapping your medication for a spoon, though, it is worth looking closely at what the review found and how certain those findings are. This article explains the honey and cholesterol research in plain language, what it does not show, and where honey can fit in a heart-friendly diet. For blood sugar, see honey vs sugar and blood sugar.
For general education only, not medical advice. Our honey is a food and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
Cholesterol basics
Cholesterol is a waxy substance carried in the blood by particles called lipoproteins. LDL, often called bad cholesterol, can build up in artery walls. HDL, often called good cholesterol, helps carry cholesterol away. Triglycerides are another type of blood fat.
Doctors look at all of these together when assessing heart risk.
The 2023 honey and cholesterol review
The review, Effect of honey on cardiometabolic risk factors, pooled 18 controlled trials with 1,105 participants. Most trials gave about 40 grams of honey a day, roughly two tablespoons, for around eight weeks.
The University of Toronto summary highlighted that the effects came mostly from raw honey and from single-source honeys like clover and robinia.
| Measure | Pooled result | Certainty |
|---|---|---|
| Total cholesterol | Small decrease | Low |
| LDL cholesterol | Small decrease (unstable) | Low |
| Triglycerides | Small decrease | Low |
| HDL cholesterol | Small increase | High |
What the honey and cholesterol results do not show
The changes were small, and most were rated low certainty because results varied a lot between trials. The LDL result became unclear when some trials were removed in sensitivity checks.
The trials were short, so no one knows whether these changes would last or lower heart attacks and strokes. And honey was usually compared with other sugars or with nothing, so the key question may be whether honey is less harmful than other sweeteners rather than whether it is protective.
- Effects were small.
- Most results were low certainty.
- Trials lasted weeks, not years.
- No trial measured heart attacks or strokes.
Honey is still an added sugar
Two tablespoons of honey add about 128 calories and 34 grams of sugar. The American Heart Association suggests most women keep added sugars to about 25 grams a day and most men to about 36 grams. So the amount used in many trials would use up most or all of a day's added sugar budget.
The researchers themselves said the takeaway is not to start eating honey, but that people who already use sugar might consider replacing some of it with honey.
What lowers cholesterol most
Heart organizations focus on these habits:
| Habit | Example |
|---|---|
| More soluble fiber | Oats, beans, lentils, apples |
| Healthier fats | Olive oil, nuts, fish instead of butter and fatty meats |
| Regular activity | About 150 minutes a week of moderate exercise |
| Healthy weight | Even modest weight loss helps |
| Medication when prescribed | Statins and other drugs lower LDL reliably |
Where honey fits
If you use sweeteners, swapping some table sugar for a little honey is a reasonable choice. Pair it with cholesterol-friendly foods: drizzle honey over oatmeal, whisk it into an olive oil dressing, or add it to plain yogurt with walnuts.
Our articles on honey and oats and honey and olive oil have ideas.
Raw versus processed honey in the review
The review found clearer effects with raw honey than processed honey. Raw honey is not heated or finely filtered, so it keeps more of its natural compounds. Why this would matter for blood fats is not known, and the authors called for more research.
Our article on raw vs processed honey benefits covers what raw means.
Honey and cholesterol medicines
There is no known interaction between honey in food amounts and common cholesterol medicines. But never stop or change a prescribed medicine because of a food study. Talk to your doctor if you have questions.
Who should be careful
People with diabetes should count honey as carbohydrate and follow their care team's advice. People with high triglycerides are often told to limit all sugars, including honey. Babies under 12 months should never have honey.
Honey and cholesterol in context
To put the honey and cholesterol findings in perspective, the drop in total cholesterol in the review was about 0.18 mmol/L, or roughly 7 mg/dL. Statin medicines typically lower LDL by 30 to 50 percent. Dietary fiber from oats and beans can lower LDL by around 5 to 10 percent in many people.
So even if the honey result holds up, it is a small nudge, not a treatment. The review's main value is showing that moderate honey did not worsen blood fats in short trials.
Our raw honeys
Al Safa's Raw Clover Honey and our other raw honeys are never heated above hive temperature and strained only of wax. We do not claim they lower cholesterol, but they are a flavorful swap for some of the sugar in your day.
Find them in our shop.
Sources
Outside health sources we used for this article. They open in a new tab.
- Effect of honey on cardiometabolic risk factors: a systematic review and meta-analysis · Nutrition Reviews (via PMC)
- Study suggests honey reduces cardiometabolic risks · University of Toronto
- How much sugar is too much? · American Heart Association
Frequently asked questions
- Does honey lower cholesterol?
- A 2023 review found small improvements in some blood fats, but most results were low certainty. Honey is not a cholesterol treatment.
- How much honey was used in studies?
- Most trials used about 40 grams a day, roughly two tablespoons, which is a lot of added sugar.
- Is raw honey better for cholesterol?
- The review saw clearer effects with raw honey, but the evidence is low certainty.
- Does clover honey help cholesterol?
- Clover honey showed effects in the review, but findings need confirmation in larger trials.
- Can I replace my statin with honey?
- No. Never stop prescribed medicine because of food research. Talk to your doctor.
- What is the best diet for cholesterol?
- One rich in fiber, vegetables, healthy fats and whole grains, with limited saturated fat and added sugar.
Al Safa Honey is a food producer, not a medical provider. Nothing here is medical advice, and these statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Talk to your doctor about any health concern. Never give honey of any kind to a baby under 12 months old.