Honeydew – A Sweet Prebiotic for Upset Stomachs

15 June 2007

Want to settle your stomach and relieve heartburn without continually popping antacids? The secret could lie in a few teaspoons a day of Honeydew, a malty tasting amber colored “forest honey” harvested from New Zealand’s South Island beech forests.

Latest research shows complex sugars found in honeydew honey encourage “good bugs” in the intestinal tract, relieving acid reflux, and upset stomachs. The secret is found in honeydew’s carb fibers called prebiotics – non-digestible ingredients of whole foods that help multiply the “good” gut bacteria that reduce inflammation.

When a positive balance of good bacteria is maintained, the “bad” bacteria are less able to cause disease and irritation.
Prebiotics work in tandem with probiotics – the live beneficial bacteria found in fermented foods like yoghourt, sauerkraut and miso which add healthy flora to the gut. Prebiotics – found in the soluble fiber in food called inulin - don't replace bacteria but help feed up the 'good' bacteria in the digestive tract.

Good Foods for Prebiotics

We need around 5g of inulin daily on top of a regular diet for our healthy bacteria to get a boost. Inulin based prebiotics appear naturally in Jerusalem artichokes, garlic, onions, tomatoes, asparagus, chicory, bananas, leeks, cucumber, chickpeas, oats, sunflower seeds, peas, beans, lentils and some breakfast cereals.

Scientists at the University of Reading have discovered that Shredded Wheat, Shreddies and Cheerios also have a naturally occurring prebiotic effect – in other words, they provide food for the good bacteria in the gut.

The researchers found that each of these cereals increased levels of two types of friendly bacteria – lactobacilli and bifidobacteria – in a laboratory test that mimicked the human gut. They then went on to see whether these effects were reproduced in humans. When 38 healthy adults ate a bowl of Shredded Wheat for three weeks, the researchers discovered that again, levels of bifidobacteria and lactobacilli significantly increased.

Using Honeydew In Cooking

Honeydew honey is a must in the kitchen, as it retains its rich flavor during cooking. As an added bonus, honeydew honey can be used as a cancer-preventing marinade. The National Honey Board has documented that marinating meat for four hours in marinades containing 30% honey significantly reduces the formation of heterocyclic aromatic amines (potential cancer-causing compounds) in meat that begins to char or blacken when cooked at high temperatures.

Honeydew – New Zealand’s answer to maple syrup – has a musky “Christmas cake” aroma and has long been the choice of chefs in New Zealand for glazes and in baking.

The Cowboy Diet

One study took 8 hard-working cowboys, and divided them into two groups. Half of them ate one probiotic yoghourt a day. The other half ate one dish daily containing high levels of prebiotics. (See Healthy Recipes for soups and salads high in prebiotics.*)

In five days the cowboys on prebiotics increased their good bacteria numbers by 133 million, small in bacteria terms, but an encouraging effect. The probiotic group saw little change over the week, but over a longer period there’s evidence that they can make a difference.
*The study and recipes were devised by Gemma Walton PHD, School of Food Biosciences at University of Reading.

Health Benefits of Probiotics

• Increases energy levels


• Reduces allergies


• Boosts immunity response


• Reduces inflammation


• Improves colon function


• Increases absorption of calcium, magnesium and Vit K


• Restores stomach health after taking antibiotics

What the research says...

Research about the benefits of probiotics in general is far from conclusive. The most significant results are with bowel complaints

• Diarrhoea: Three major studies indicate that probiotics can reduce the duration of acute diarrhoea in children by a day. There are also indications that they may help to prevent diarrhoea caused by bacteria generally.


• Bowel disease: Some trials indicate that some types of probiotic may help to control diseases such as ulcerative colitis, but not Crohn’s disease.


• Irritable bowel syndrome: The evidence is conflicting on whether they help.


• Eczema: A recent Finnish study, published in the Lancet, indicated that probiotics might prevent babies developing atopic eczema.


• Cholesterol levels: One small randomised controlled trial indicated that some probiotics can lower levels, but this has been contradicted by other studies.


• Immunity: A paper presented at the European Influenza Conference this year indicated that probiotics combined with vitamin and mineral supplements could reduce the duration of the common cold.

<< Back to articles page