Adding honey to yogurt can enhance gut health by helping probiotics survive through the digestive process. Research from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign explored this by studying the effects of honey on probiotic yogurt, specifically focusing on how different types of honey (alfalfa, buckwheat, clover, and orange blossom) influence the survival of probiotics like Bifidobacterium animalis during digestion.
In a lab setting, it was found that while honey didn’t affect probiotic survival in the mouth or stomach, clover honey significantly improved probiotic survival in the intestines. This was then tested in a clinical study involving 66 healthy adults, who alternated between consuming yogurt with and without clover honey over two weeks. The results confirmed that honey supported the survival of probiotics in the gut, though it did not affect digestion speed, bowel movement frequency, mood, or cognition, likely due to participants’ pre-existing health.
A follow-up study comparing yogurt with sugar reinforced that honey is more effective in preserving probiotics than sugar. Despite honey being an added sugar, using a small amount in unsweetened yogurt is recommended as a beneficial and tasty option.
Both studies (1 and 2) were published in The Journal of Nutrition and supported by the National Honey Board.
