Pairing honey and yogurt could aid probiotic cultures beneficial to digestive health

06 Aug 2024 --- Adding a spoonful of honey to yogurt is not only tasty but could also be great for gut health, reveals new research from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, US. The two new studies indicate that honey can aid the beneficial probiotic cultures found in fermented dairy products.

“We were interested in the culinary pairing of yogurt and honey, which is common in the Mediterranean diet, and how it impacts the gastrointestinal microbiome,” says Hannah Holscher, associate professor in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, part of the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences at Illinois and co-author of the two studies published in The Journal of Nutrition.

“The enzymes in our mouth, stomach and intestines help with digestion and facilitate nutrient absorption, but they also reduce the viability of microbes. That’s great when it’s pathogens but not necessarily when it comes to beneficial bacteria,” Holscher explains. “We wanted to see if honey could help probiotic bacteria survive in the gut.”

Yogurt contains probiotic strains such as Bifidobacterium animalis in addition to conventional yogurt starter cultures. Probiotics are well-established as beneficial to digestive health and bowel movement and some research links them to improved mood and cognition.

Probiotic bacteria love honey
For one of the studies, titled “Honey Varietals Differentially Impact Bifidobacterium animalis ssp. lactis Survivability in Yogurt through Simulated In Vitro Digestion,” the research team tested the effects of four types of honey (alfalfa, buckwheat, clover and orange blossom) on the viability of B. animalis in yogurt through simulated digestion processes.

Yogurt contains probiotic strains such as Bifidobacterium animalis in addition to conventional yogurt starter cultures.The researchers grew microbes in petri dishes with solutions that recreated the environment of saliva, stomach acid, intestinal bile and enzymes.

In the saliva and stomach fluid environments, there were no differences in the survival of B. animalis when “fed” a mix of yogurt and any of the honey types or in comparison with the control of yogurt with sugar and water.

However, yogurt with honey — especially clover honey — helped the survival of the probiotic bacteria in the intestinal phase of digestion. 

Confirming the outcomes
In the second study, the research team tested the findings in a clinical study involving 66 healthy adults. The participants were asked to consume two foods for two weeks — yogurt with clover honey and pasteurized, heat-treated yogurt. 

The researchers collected stool samples from the participants and information about their bowel movements. The participants were also asked to complete questionnaires and evaluate their mood, cognition and overall wellness. 

“Our findings showed that pairing honey with yogurt supported the survival of the yogurt’s probiotic bacteria in the gut, so the lab study results did translate to real-world application in humans,” Holscher details.

The studies did not find changes in intestinal transit time, bowel movement frequency or mood and cognition measures. According to Holscher, this could be because the participants were healthy overall and had regular bowel movements, so there was not much room for improvement. 

“We found that one tablespoon of honey in a serving of yogurt helps support probiotic survival. However, we have to keep in mind that honey is an added sugar, and most US citizens need to be cognizant of the amount of sugar in their diet to maintain a healthy body weight,” she states.

“But adding a little bit of honey to unsweetened yogurt is a nice culinary pairing to incorporate into your menu rotation,” Holscher concludes.