Does honey (and honey wine maybe?) contribute to longevity?

[GntlKnigt1]

This article is very long, but seems like an historical review of the health benefits of honey. Could it be that honey wine might contribute to longevity? Has anyone studied the longevity of beekeepers? Brother Adam was 98 years old when he died. Having just visited my cardiologist (things are fine following my aortic valve replacement 2 years ago), this raises some interesting issues.....

Parr’s grandfather, a native of Bedfordshire, died in his 100th year. At the age of 85, he had a complete set of new teeth and his snowy hair became darker (Philosophical Transactions, Vol. XXIII). It was recorded of Parr that he was very fond of metheglin (honey wine).

Also....
Piast, the beekeeper, who was elected King of Poland in 824 A.D. and whose family ruled Poland for several centuries with the greatest glory, lived to the age of 120. That he indulged in honey and mead is proven by the contemporary legends.

http://www.honey-health.com/honey-and-longevity/

[antonioh]

Well ... alcohol preserves...

[antonioh]

Most benefits of honey came from the relationship of its sugars and the enzimes that it contains (and maybe the fenolic compounds) . Vitamins and mineral contents are very scarce and so, with little importance on its effects.

The process of fermentation changes everything ... but who knows...

[bernardsmith]

Methinks we will discover that the only real driver of longevity will be your genes and the biological /physical environment in which those genes were expressed. In other words, a child conceived during the deprivations associated with war or famine or in a society mired in stress will possess genes that developed in their mother's body that mirrored such want or stress. All the other accounts (from raw eggs to honey to whatever) will turn out to be quite fabulous...

[Medsen Fey]

Methinks we will discover that the only real driver of longevity will be your genes and the biological /physical environment in which those genes were expressed...

I have to disagree. Smokers are a good example. They inhale substances that damage the body and impair the immune system and on average, it shortens their lifespan. There are things you can do that can affect your longevity outside your genetics.

There are many legends about the longevity of beekeepers. Whether that is due to honey and bee product ingestion or due to the fact that beekeeping may select for non-type-A personalities I cannot say.



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[edblanford]

Whether or not mead or honey can extend one's life is certainly up for question, but it can certainly improve the quality of life, regardless of length.

[Shelley]

Beekeepers also get stung a lot, which may be a contributor. However, research does suggest that moderate alcohol consumption contributes to longer lives so I say no harm in trying! Just make it a life worth living.

[bernardsmith]

I have to disagree. Smokers are a good example. They inhale substances that damage the body and impair the immune system and on average, it shortens their lifespan. There are things you can do that can affect your longevity outside your genetics.

There are many legends about the longevity of beekeepers. Whether that is due to honey and bee product ingestion or due to the fact that beekeeping may select for non-type-A personalities I cannot say.

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I totally agree with you...Totally. There are many, many, many external environmental factors that can reduce or enhance your likely longevity, But that was not my point. My point was the rather more simple one that ceteris parabus (all other things being taken into account) I will bet the farm that it will be your genes that determine precisely our longevity. With identical genes and an identical biological environment during gestation - all other things being equal - smokers (as a class ) will die younger than non smokers (as a class)... and smokers will suffer more ailments and suffer those ailments with greater severity than non smokers ...(and for the record my background is in medical sociology, and I am not someone who assumes or claims genes are the answer to every question... but I do think that longevity will be grounded in the expression of our genes - all other things being equal (and as a medical sociologist my interest is in ALL those OTHER things and their impact on the quality and length of our days - from the zip code you live in to how many minutes your primary care doctor sees you to how you self diagnose and treat your "symptoms"... and actually (off topic - so I apologize) my interest is more in how we are tending to "medicalize" more and more of everyday life in ways that enable medicine (as a social institution) to intrude more and more into our lives )...

[WVMJack]

I think GM has more Geezers as members than any other list that is not about retirement, probably as good a scientific observation as any! WVMJ

[GntlKnigt1]

An interesting claim..... am wondering if it will eventually be proven. Just how DOES one collect lactic acid bacteria from a bees stomach, anyway?

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/...0OQ17Y20150610

[mannye]

Nope. Audiokarma has the oldest membership. Audiophiles are mostly geezers.


Sent from my TARDIS at the restaurant at the end of the universe while eating Phil.

[jdranchman]

I find the more mead I drink, the longer everything gets. For example, it takes longer to: find my glasses, find the restroom in my own house, walk down the stairs, tie my shoes, finish a complete sentence, etc. So I agree with the longevity thing from my own personal experimentation.

[GntlKnigt1]

Lol! Hysterical ...

[GntlKnigt1]

Another interesting article on impact of honey on health, specifically in reducing urinary tract infections from catheters.....

http://www.bbc.com/news/health-37471076

[Millinger]

GntlKnigt1 it can depend not only on mead but it must have a couple of factors used at the same time.