Endocrinology & Metabolic Syndrome
Open Access

Abstract

Honey as a Sole Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Mamdouh Abdulmaksoud Abdulrhman

Objectives: The complications from type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) still occur despite the ongoing efforts to prevent, or decrease it. This clinical trial aimed to evaluate the effects of honey, as an alternative, non-expensive natural substance in twenty adult patient volunteers suffering from type 2 DM and its associated metabolic derangements.

Methods: The patients volunteered to stop the medicines and use honey as a sole treatment of their illnesses. There was no specific dietary restriction except for food preservatives and additives, beverages and sweets.

Results: Honey consumption resulted in more hyperglycemia in these patients, but without diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) or hyperglycemic hyperosmolar state (HHS). Longer-term honey consumption resulted also in weight reduction in all the patients, and control of the blood pressure in the patients, who had hypertension before the honey intervention. The median duration of the honey intervention, without anti-diabetic medicines was 1.09 years, with a range from 0.42 to 13.5 years. Ten of the 20 patients continued the honey intervention for more than 1 year, whereas the other 10 continued the intervention for one year or less. The only cause of the discontinuation of the honey intervention was persistent hyperglycemia. Despite persistent hyperglycemia in all the patients, and persistence of the dyslipidemia in the patients, who had dyslipidemia before the intervention, the macro-vascular complications, particularly the coronary heart disease (CHD), did not develop in any of them. On the contrary, the cardiovascular status improved in the patients, who had CHD before the intervention. However, micro-vascular complications developed in two patient volunteers, who continued the honey intervention, without medicines, for more than 8 years.

Conclusion: The author imposed on announcing these results, which might be of help for the patients with diabetes mellitus.