The of human consumption of bee products can be traced back to a painting from between 8000-5000 B.C. in Spain. The Greeks considered pollen to be the food of kings. There is a reference to bee pollen in the Bible. Ancient philosophers such as Hippocrates, Pliny the Elder, and Pythagoras believed in the therapeutic potential of bee pollen. So, it seems only natural that we, in the present day, would take a fascination with bee pollen.
As bees collect pollen from plants and flowers, they combine the pollen with salivary secretions and nectar to form pollen granules which can be taken back to the beehive. Once at the hive, the bees deposit the granules into the honeycomb cells. The pollen can then be covered with a layer of honey or wax for preservation. Beekeepers place a small mesh, known as a pollen trap, at the opening of the hive that scrapes the pollen from the bee's legs as they enter the hive. This pollen is then dried, cleaned, and packaged up for human consumption.
The most recent claim in popular media regarding bee pollen is that it can cause breast growth. However, there seem to be many controversial anecdotes with regard to its efficacy. Some individuals claim to have seen a difference after several weeks, others claim that their money might have been wasted, and a few unfortunate individuals with pollen allergies have suffered severe allergic reactions. Enthusiasts of this trend speculate that the phytoestrogens in bee pollen interact with estrogen receptors to promote breast growth. However, up until now, that is all this appears to be – speculation. There have yet to be proper scientific studies and there is a myriad of other factors that can cause fluctuations in breast size such as hormone changes throughout the , weight changes, birth control, and age.
Interestingly, breast growth is only one of the endless claims surrounding bee pollen. Bee pollen has often been promoted as a superfood due to its nutritional components. It contains a wide variety of bioactive components such as proteins, dietary fibers, lipids, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals. This has led to the investigation of bee pollen’s such as it’s antioxidant, hypoglycemic, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and anticancer properties. While many studies in animals have shown promising results, research on the impacts of bee pollen on human health is significantly limited. Furthermore, outline several important aspects in the research of pollen for phytomedicine including consideration of differences in nutrition among different types of pollens, greater quality control to encourage the production of clean and safe pollen, understanding of the interaction of pollen with the human digestive system, and conducting more clinical human trials to better understand the implications, if any, of bee pollen on human health.
Bee pollen has the potential to be a nutritional gold mine, but there is still a lot of digging to be done. On the other hand, it’s proclaimed role as a breast enhancer is most likely fool’s gold.
Daniela is a recent B.Sc. graduate from the program of Physiology at 91ÉçÇř.ĚýShe is very passionate about understanding the human body and how we can all individually adapt our daily lifestyles to improve its functioning.
Part of the OSS mandate is to foster science communication and critical thinking in our students and the public. We hope you enjoy these pieces from ourĚýStudent ContributorsĚýand welcome any feedback you may have!
