Let's talk about... Bee Pollen!
Bee pollen is produced from plant flower pollen, which is collected by bees and mixed with nectar or the salivary gland secretion of the insects. In such form, it is transported, placed on the hind legs, to hives. Then flightless bees mix it with their saliva and pack into honeycombs, covered with a mixture of wax and honey. Under such conditions, the anaerobic fermentation proceeds with the formation of lactic acid, serving as a preservative. The substance, produced in this way, makes a source of nutrients for both adult bees and larvae.
Bee pollen is reported to have been used as a health supplement and in cosmetics in ancient civilizations such as China, India, and Greece but has since fallen out of favor. It has more recently come to light again with claims like "superfood", "antioxidant", "anti-inflammatory", and more. Indeed, from all the hype around bee pollen, you would think it could solve a myriad of health problems.
With all the buzz around bee pollen and its benefits, I decided to do some in depth research to see if the science backs up any of these phenomenal claims.
Here are some of the things I found:
Bee pollen contains a host of plant phytochemicals that in themselves have proven health benefits.
Some of these chemicals are known to be antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, pain relieving, restorative, and supportive in tissue repair, plus many more.
Many essential vitamins and nutrients are found in bee pollen, indeed making it a relative "powerhouse" food, gram to gram when compared to other health supplements.
Many "Headline" claims state that "Studies have found that [bee pollen]"... and will go on to make amazing statements about its health benefits. Most of these studies are actually animal studies, as there is a lack of human trials. Note that this does not discount them, just that animals and humans work with plant chemicals differently and they are processed within the body very differently as well. So any headline that says a study confirms the health benefits, make sure to take that with a grain of salt.
Here is a summary of a review article on bee pollen, propolis, and royal jelly. A review article is one in which the authors find, read, and study all available material on a subject, and report on what they find in one article, making it easier to assimilate a lot of information.
"In vitro and animal studies seem to confirm the usefulness of using bee products (propolis, bee pollen, and royal jelly) as natural agents capable of counteracting the effects of oxidative stress underlying the pathogenesis of numerous diseases or disorders, such as neurodegenerative disorders, cancer, diabetes, and atherosclerosis, as well as negative effects of different harmful factors and drugs (e.g., cytostatic agents). However, studies on their role in humans are very limited, and the existing ones have aimed mostly at evaluating the effect of the supplementation of commercially available extracts of propolis or royal jelly in healthy people or type 2 diabetes. Unfortunately, in the available literature, there is a lack of studies considering this issue in the context of neurodegenerative disorders or cancers, although promising results were obtained in animal studies. This may result from the fact that particular samples of bee products may have different compositions, so it is difficult to draw a general conclusion concerning their potential therapeutic application without a detailed chemical analysis." Kocot J, Kiełczykowska M, Luchowska-Kocot D, Kurzepa J, Musik I. Antioxidant Potential of Propolis, Bee Pollen, and Royal Jelly: Possible Medical Application. Oxid Med Cell Longev. 2018 May 2;2018:7074209. doi: 10.1155/2018/7074209. PMID: 29854089; PMCID: PMC5954854.
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