Is honey good or bad for kidney disease?

I often get asked by my kidney patients “is honey good or bad for kidney disease?”. When it comes to kidney disease, it is hard to give generalized advice about a particular food item. This is why I will explain the effects of honey on different conditions for a kidney disease patient.

Honey has commonly been used in India for centuries. The sweet taste that honey provides makes it a popular ingredient for usage in baking desserts or sweetening a drink. Honey is made up of a combination of glucose and fructose and is also rich in its nutritional properties.

Honey is also used as a natural remedy to treat certain illnesses and could be consumed by kidney disease patients in order to get the benefits of its rich nutritional content.

Is eating honey good for your kidneys?

Honey has excellent nutritional properties that can help a kidney disease patient. Even though honey is sweet in taste, it does not cause a big spike in blood sugar and can be eaten by a diabetic person in moderation.

The key word there is “moderation.” Honey is sweeter than sugar and must be consumed in small quantities. Also, many processed honey brands contain added sugars and one needs to be careful.

Diabetes is one of the leading causes of nephropathy (kidney disease). Honey is known to have a positive effect on blood glucose levels and also helps in insulin sensitivity. 

Hence, a person eating honey in his diet will be contributing towards protecting the kidneys from the future occurrence of diabetic kidney disease.

Honey is rich in antioxidants. Antioxidants protect the cells of the kidneys against oxidative stress. 

Eating honey makes sure you get an adequate amount of antioxidants, ultimately playing a protective role in preventing kidney disease.

Since honey is also known for its antibacterial property, it can be used as a natural remedy to prevent kidney infections. Kidney infections are a common occurrence among kidney disease patients.

Is honey good for kidney infection?

Kidney infection is one of the biggest risk factors for a kidney disease patient.

Many people with catheters can develop urinary infections that can be dangerous if not treated right away.

In a kidney disease patient, prevention of any such kidney infection is of utmost importance. 

Kidney infections are generally treated with antibiotics. However, since honey contains antimicrobial and antibacterial properties, there were studies conducted over the effectiveness of honey on kidney infections.

The study concluded that the effect of honey on infections was not any different than the antibiotics on infection prevention.

When it comes to treating an individual with a kidney infection with honey, a lot more research is needed on this topic to say anything definitively.

Honey in its raw form has been used for many centuries as a natural remedy for cuts and wounds. However, most of the benefits from honey are limited to its raw and unpasteurized form.

The honey that is commonly bought by people from the market is different from raw honey because it gets pasteurized before storing them in the bottles and being sent to the grocery stores.

When the honey is pasteurized many of its rich nutrients are also lost in that process, ultimately changing its texture and color as well.

Therefore, studies show that honey in its raw form is effective against certain bacteria. But the effectiveness of honey towards kidney infection is not yet known definitively. 

Can eating honey be bad for your kidneys?

Honey is safe to consume in general and even for people with kidney disease. Although, there could be certain risks in eating raw honey.

Raw honey may contain bacteria which might cause a disease known as botulism. Especially children, who don’t have natural immunity against many germs could potentially get sick.

Honey for high creatinine?

Honey has been shown to be effective in reducing high levels of creatinine in kidney patients.

According to a study, Many individuals were fed honey and their creatinine clearance by the kidneys was observed.

It was noted that the kidneys cleared the excess creatine faster after the honey was consumed as compared to without honey.

Even though the above study shows the beneficial impact of honey on high creatine levels for a kidney patient, a lot of research needs to be done before a definitive answer can be given.

Till we have more information, excessive intake of honey with the aim of lowering creatinine should be avoided.

Is honey good for kidney stones?

Kidney stones are formed through various minerals such as calcium, uric acid, or struvite.

A kidney stone might get big enough in size and be unable to pass through the ureter (the tubes that pass the urine through to the bladder from the kidneys).

A person suffering from a kidney stone might experience immense pain as it blocks the smooth flow of urine to the bladder.

Honey by itself does not possess any benefits for people suffering from kidney stones nor is it harmful.

Since honey is a natural and organic substance, its consumption is safe even for kidney stone patients. However, for a person with diabetic nephropathy, the consumption of honey should be moderated. 

A combination of honey and lemon might be helpful for kidney stone patients as lemon is high in its citrate content that may help the body in dissolving kidney stones and also prevent them.

Hence, consuming honey in combination with lemon might be a healthy natural remedy against kidney stones.

Conclusion

Honey has a wide array of health benefits in general and can be part of a healthy kidney diet.

Honey is easy to use and can be added to many food items. Honey can also be used as an alternative natural sweetener to use while making tea.

However, it’s important to keep in mind that eating honey alone will not alleviate symptoms of kidney disease. It is essential that your overall diet consists of whole and unprocessed foods that promote optimal kidney functioning.