Honey is used worldwide for its pleasant flavor and sweetness, as well as its applications in medicine. Consuming honey provides your body with range of nutrients, while topical application of honey might help treat skin conditions or aid in wound healing. Honey might provide a source of vitamin D and might also complement the function of vitamin D in your body.
Nutrients in Honey
Honey contains a variety of nutrients that can benefit your health. It serves as a source of fructose, a natural sugar that your body converts into fuel for your cells. Honey also contains small amounts of protein, found within the trace amounts of bee pollen, as well as a small amount of lipids. Consuming raw, unpasteurized honey also provides your body with a source of nutrients, including vitamins K, E, A, C, several B-vitamins, as well as vitamin D.
Effects of Vitamin D
Vitamin D proves important to maintaining your general health. It interacts with your parathyroid gland to aid in the metabolism of calcium, a mineral that makes up bone tissue and aids in muscle contraction and nerve functioning. Vitamin D helps your body retain calcium in your bones, helping to maintain strong bone tissue. Deficiencies in vitamin D cause bone disorders, including a softening of bones, bowing of long bones and an increased risk of bone fractures. Consuming enough vitamin D proves particularly important in women who have entered menopause, because they face an increased risk of bone loss.
Possible Synergistic Effects
Consuming honey and vitamin D might have synergistic effects on your health, since honey might also help maintain healthy bones. An animal study published in "BioMed Central Complementary Alternative Medicine" in 2010 found that consuming honey helped improve bone density and strength following hormonal changes that mirror those that occur during menopause. While the efficacy of honey to prevent bone loss in post-menopausal women has not yet been investigated, honey might complement the function of vitamin D in maintaining bone health after menopause.
Considerations
Although raw honey might provide a modest source of vitamin D, its specific vitamin D content is not known. In addition, different types of honey might contain varying levels of vitamin D, since the honey is made from distinct populations of bee pollen. As a result, you should rely on honey as a source of vitamin D, and instead consume dairy products or leafy greens to boost your dietary intake of the vitamin. Consuming raw honey might also pose a potential health risk -- the pasteurization process normally kills any pathogens found in the honey.
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