The most well-known product made by bees is certainly honey; but bees provide humans with more than just this natural sweetener. Another bee byproduct is bee pollen, or propolis, which is popular among some people as a health aid and nutritional supplement. Bee pollen is purported to help with a number of physical ailments, including high cholesterol.
What Is Bee Pollen?
When you hear the word "pollen," you might think of the dust produced by flowers for purposes of reproduction. But pollen is useful to bees -- and people -- as well. When bees alight on flowers to collect nectar for honey-making, the blossoms' pollen sticks to the bees' legs. Bees then carry the pollen back to the hive, where it is used as food. Beekeepers can harvest the bee pollen by using special screens designed to catch the pollen as bees re-enter their hives.
Effects on Cholesterol
Bee pollen contains numerous vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, amino acids and trace elements. Devotees of bee pollen's use as a nutritional supplement claim that bee pollen provides numerous health benefits. According to Natural News, bee pollen is effective at lowering cholesterol. But its benefits don't stop there. Other purported health benefits include increased energy, improved digestion, improved sports performance and weight loss, says the North Carolina State University Cooperative Extension.
Caveats
Bee pollen's effectiveness as a health aid is not accepted by everyone. The University of Utah Health Care states that currently there are no well-established, scientifically supported medical or health uses for bee pollen. Likewise, the New York University Langone Medical Center notes that scientific evidence for bee pollen's health benefits is lacking. However, bee pollen has been used for decades as a nutritional supplement and may be helpful in some circumstances.
Considerations
If you are interested in using bee pollen to lower your cholesterol, consult your doctor before giving it a try. While safe for many, bee pollen has been known to cause severe adverse reactions in people who are unknowingly allergic to pollen. Your physician can help you assess the safety of bee pollen supplements for you. In addition, you may wish to consider and discuss with your physician other conventional interventions for high cholesterol, such as dietary changes and increased exercise.
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