Bee pollen benefits - real or imagined? Is this a case of being the latest craze or is there something to it all...?

Bee pollen is currently on the public radar thanks, in part, to the media play that honeybees are getting with regard to environmental issues, widespread hive death, and food system crisis speculation. But the human intake of bee pollen is not new, even if it seems new. Like with any new-seeming food fad, it is important to find out what real bee pollen benefits exist and to understand how to separate marketing claims from real evidence.

I hope I can help with this. I have long and formal training in evidence-based research, which I both support and am critical of. I don't ignore ancedotal evidence (personal experience) as there are many cases where something works despite the research saying it doesn't. I do, however, pay attention to the source of the information and make decisions in light of it.

Let me backtrack a little before returning to the topic of bee pollen benefits.

The Freedom of Choice

Once upon a time, we ate off the land. And by this, I mean, we grew our own fruits and vegetables, and in some cultures, raised or hunted animals for sustenance and other basic needs. And it was much less complicated. You ate what god or nature (or whatever you believed in as Creator) provided and gave thanks for it. You didn't question whether pig haunch was better for you than chicken wing or whether you should harvest more blackberries than raspberries. You planted/foraged/hunted and then ate.

Not so, these days. Life is complicated. Too much choice and too much information. Paralysis and bad decision-making are direct results (see work by Dr. Barry Schwartz on the paradox of choice). How did this happen and how are we maintaining it? A few ideas. Today, we have a mostly misinformed media churning out job-protecting headlines on the next superfood that will keep you slim and prevent cancer. We have a bizarre research granting and publishing system set up to further the agendas of researchers who produce results of the favourable kind. We have governments backed by corporations who make policies that favour the corporations rather than protect the public. We have a war on between health and sugar/fat/you-name-it fuelled by the marketplace, entertainment and the medical system, and of course, consumer demand. And we have a mainly ignorant public who knows nothing about how to grow food and might even nod and agree if you told them broccoli grew right there in the grocery store. Um, what's broccoli? Oh, and finally, we have access to so much technology that a simple search on vitamin supplements makes you wish you hadn't bothered to ask at all.

Nutrition Research

One more thing to discuss before we get to bee pollen benefits. Nutrition research. This can and should be a long discussion. I will summarize, and if you want more, there is a nicely explained blog article on this topic by registered dietician, Jack Norris. A few things to think about:

First, and this applies to any field of health research, there are different types of studies, and most cannot tell you with any kind of certainty whether one thing has an effect on another. Most research can point you in new or more specific directions. When you read a newspaper or magazine article that says "a tablespoon of bee pollen a day causes headache reduction", be wary. 'Cause' is a very strong word.

Second, food and other substances and the human body are very complicated things. It is extremely difficult to control all factors that might affect whether a particular substance has an effect on human health.

Third, it is extremely difficult to control human behaviour - including eating - over the period of time needed to adequately study nutrition.

These are a few of the major issues that make conclusions in nutrition research difficult. Advice? Keep in mind that media reports are often not well researched. There may be sensational claims made in order to get readership. If you choose to search for research yourself, ask a librarian for some help to head in the right direction. Lastly, if something looks too good or easy or miraculous to be true, it likely is.

Am I Cynical?

Yes... and no. On the one hand, I have worked in health policy and health research. I have also worked in agriculture and apiculture. And I am also a librarian and information professional. I have seen the system(s) in action. On the other hand, I see that we are the best prepared that we have ever been to educate ourselves and be in optimal health.

Bee Pollen Benefits (return to the top)

Let's get down to it.

As you can see from the bee pollen analysis, bee pollen is chock full of things essential to human body function - amino acids/proteins, vitamins, minerals, and more. Ergo, it is the best thing humans could possibly eat, right? Interestingly, the presence of a useful substance in a food does not equal uptake, processing and use when we eat it.

It has been called a 'superfood' and a complete food. I have sold dehydrated pollen on behalf of a beekeeper, and I've met people who swear the stuff has cured them of migraine headaches, airborne pollen allergies and has boosted their energy. I have cruised through a number of web sites that show up in a search for 'bee pollen' - the majority of which are authored by beekeepers or others selling bee products - everyone says the same thing in the same way, and I wonder if it's a cut and paste job and what the original source of the information is. The reality is, as much as I love beekeepers and their stewardship role, the majority of those who run these sites keep bees and maybe grow food, but they don't do research, let alone read it, and rely upon folk wisdom when they make their claims about bee pollen benefits. It doesn't mean that the benefits don't exist - it is just that making claims without any solid, repeatable evidence to back them up is irresponsible.

I am in the middle of collecting research on bonafide bee pollen benefits. At this point, I have only seen studies that say there is NO benefit.¹ That does not mean there are absolutely no benefits - it just has not been shown through clinical research yet.

I have seen many studies that look at benefits in animals and on the properties of pollen. Varieties and properties of collected pollen vary greatly. You could almost say that there are no two samples of pollen that are exactly the same since bees visit different kinds of plants and the pollen collected reflects this. I will summarize the purported bee pollen benefits and provide evidence when I come across it.

Anti-Oxidants and Anti-Aging Properties
Anti-oxidant properties vary widely across plant types.² Method of preparation of pollen for ingestion can affect the level of anti-radical activity (an extract prepared in ethanol stands out among extracts). Can bee pollen keep you young? Hmmmm...

Allergy Relief
Some evidence that hay fever allergic reactions can be relieved by ingesting local bee pollen supplements, but research is unable to provide a clear picture. Long history of use as a folk medicine. A former boss of mine swore that her dog's sneezes and sniffles abated when she fed him bee pollen granules... Conclusion? Hmmmm...

Nutritional Supplement
There is some evidence that very specific kinds of pollen have nutritional value for lab animals. It is not clear whether there are bee pollen benefits in humans. As mentioned above, no evidence has been shown through research. Therefore, more research is needed! Even if there is some benefit, supplements should NOT replace food and meals.

In short, take bee pollen knowing that there is no real, conclusive evidence about its benefits. I think that fresh, frozen bee pollen is delicious (see the next page on how to take bee pollen)- definitely an acquired taste for most people - so I take it because it tastes good. I haven't noticed any effects, myself. But I am always on the lookout for decent research on honey and bee pollen benefits and dangers.

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1 Burke, L.M., Castell, L.M., Stear, S.J., Rogers, P.J., Bomstrand, E., Gurr, S., Mitchell, N., Stephens, F.B., and Greenhaff, P.L. "BJSM Reviews: A–Z of Nutritional Supplements: Dietary Supplements, Sports Nutrition Foods and Ergogenic Aids for Health and Performance, Part 4". British Journal of Sports Medicine 43:14 (2009): 1088.

2 Lejaa, M., Mareczeka, A., Wyżgolika, G., Klepacz-Baniakb, J., Czekońskab, K. "Antioxidative Properties of Bee Pollen in Selected Plant Species." Food Chemistry 100:1 (2007): 237.

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