Why you shouldn't add honey to your tea

A little honey in a hot drink, or how to combine the useful with the pleasant at a time when the temperature is plummeting. However, this preventative reflex would not be the most effective in alleviating the evils of winter. Four specialists talk about this common mistake.

With each sore throat, we draw our teaspoon of honey. Anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antiseptic, healing, energizing ... We can no longer count the virtues of this golden liquid, derived from the nectar of flowers and transformed by the bees Apismellifera. In ancient Egypt, the product was so popular that it was even offered to the gods. However, to benefit from its healing properties, it would be better to avoid slipping it into your tea or your herbal hot drinks. 

Heat deactivates living assets

In practice, the antibacterial and antiseptic action of honey comes from the synergy of several factors. Starting with its acidity, due to its very low pH, which prevents bacteria from multiplying. Its high sugar level (80%), associated with a low water content (15 to 18%), absorbs the water particles vital for bacteria to better destroy them. Finally, we also find in our honey jar defense enzymes transmitted by the bee such as glucose oxidase which will produce hydrogen peroxide, this famous antiseptic used to the rescue small sores.

Only, from the moment you approach a kettle in this microcosm, you will disrupt its proper functioning. "Honey is very sensitive to oxidation and heat," says nutritionist Hafid Halhol. The more the temperature rises, the more the enzymes degrade. "Above 42 ° C, all living activity is destroyed, it is the same for the human body", confirms Dr Albert Becker, doctor, beekeeper and president of the French Association of Apitherapy (AFA).

A hot drink first, then a spoon of honey

It is still possible to drink tea with honey, without risk to the body, and to still have some of the benefits. "We will wait for it to cool down so that the cup no longer burns our fingers and we can then add the honey in it, before drinking it," explains DrAlbert Becker. As underlined by the doctor of pharmacy Olivia Metral, this will aim to preserve the sweet taste of honey as well as its anti-inflammatory qualities but not its natural anti-infectious properties. "If we dilute honey with water, we alter its pH and its sugar concentration, and therefore we stop its action against bacteria," explains the Apitherapy specialist.

However, if taken separately, hot water and honey are highly effective, especially for flu-like conditions. “A hot drink, between 37 and 38 ° C, will increase vasodilation in the oral sphere, reports the doctor of sciences in human nutrition Nicolas Cardinault. This will allow a better absorption under the tongue of the active ingredients when you ingest the honey. “So a cup, a spoon of honey and then off to bed!”