VERIFIED CONTENTAuthor: Dominika Wilk

Bee pollen is a natural product processed by bees, which has a number of nutritional and immune-supporting properties. In addition, it is able to reduce the risk of many serious diseases and reduce the symptoms of existing diseases. It is worth consuming it regularly to strengthen the immune system and not to give in to viruses and bacteria in the period of severe colds.

Bee pollenis pollen collected by bees, then balled with honey and placed in honeycombs in the hive, where it can be extracted by beekeepers. It is food for the larvae, although it is also an extremely valuable nutritional product for humans. An interesting fact is that in order for a bee to produce 15 mg of pollen, it must visit as many as 80 flowers.

Properties and composition of bee pollen

There are as many as 250 valuable substances in bee pollen, which both strengthen immunity and improve the overall condition of the body. Pollen is a valuable source of protein and exogenous amino acids (such that the human body is unable to produce itself), including:

  • lysine,
  • methionine,
  • valines,
  • threonines,
  • histidine,
  • phenylalanine,
  • arginine,
  • tryptophan,
  • isoleucin,

as well as endogenous amino acids, e.g.

  • alanine,
  • cysteines,
  • priony,
  • glycine,
  • serine,
  • aspartic acid,
  • glutamic acid.

The consumption of 30 g of this bee product is already able to provide an adequate supply of basic amino acids necessary for the proper functioning of the human body.

Besides, bee pollen is a good source of easily digestible carbohydrates. It includes, among others such sugars as:

  • glucose,
  • fructose,
  • starch,
  • cellulose,
  • xylose,
  • arabinose.

We can also find there as many as 14 essential unsaturated fatty acids (EFAs), e.g. linoleic acid or linoleic acid.

Linoleic acid, for example, has a very beneficial effect on the skin, as it prevents keratosis and excessive dryness, and also restores properfunctioning of the sebaceous glands, which is of great importance, e.g. in the case of problems with excessively oily skin. In turn, linolenic acid is a great antioxidant that destroys free radicals.

Bee pollen and immunity

Bee pollen is a product that can be successfully used to increase immunity in both children and adults. First of all, because it causes an increase in lymphocytes, monocytes, and eosinophils, which are responsible for the immune system's response to an attack by viruses or bacteria.

When we have a reduced number of white blood cells, we suffer from colds more quickly, we go through diseases more easily, and we regenerate less after them. Appropriate increase in leukocytes at the time of infection protects us against further development of the disease and more severe complications, such as pneumonia.

Bee pollen is particularly beneficial in inhibiting the infection of the upper respiratory tract. It also supports the regeneration of the body in oncological diseases where it is necessary to turn on the irradiation.

Research shows that those people who underwent radiation therapy and consumed pollen had better hemoglobin parameters and lower effects of radiation sickness. In addition, compared to the group of patients who did not consume pollen, they had a greater increase in albumin, gamma globulin and total protein and higher levels of vitamin E.

The fact that pollen stimulates the immune system is evidenced by the fact that after its regular consumption, the growth of phagocytes and macrophages, i.e. food cells, destroying pathogens entering the body.

In addition, it positively affects the work of the spleen, which is an important organ in the immune system, as it is involved in the production of lymphocytes.

Bee pollen - protective effect on the liver

The liver is the organ responsible for detoxification. So all kinds of poisonous substances, toxins, chemicals contained in food go to her, and she has to deal with them.

As long as there are not too many of these substances, the liver is doing great. But if there is a sudden rush of too many toxins, and the organ fails due to our lifestyle and becomes, for example, fatty, then liver cells can no longer cope with detoxification so easily.

Bee pollen may be helpful, which supports, for example, the removal of heavy metals from the body. Of course, not everyone, but as shown by the research of Kormienko and Zdanowicz, which they performed with poultry, this bee product can lower the level of heavy metals in the body from 7.6 to32.3%.

Bee pollen is able not only to protect the liver against harmful substances, but also to heal damaged tissue. As the research of Kędzis shows, pollen reduces the harmfulness of, for example, carbon tetrachloride - which already a few minutes after entering the body destroys the cytoplasmic reticulum, and in the following hours damages the mitochondria.

A single dose of carbon tetrachloride can already lead to fatty liver degeneration.

Usually, after getting this substance into the body, there is an increase in liver tests, bilirubin, and alkaline phosphatase, however, as studies conducted on rats show, prior administration of water extract from bee pollen can lower these parameters. The lipid extract from pollen has a similar effect and it has even better effect than the water extract.

Other studies, such as those carried out on rats, show that pollen has a strong protective effect against liver cells. These rats, which had only received harmful ethionine, had degenerative features in the liver, damaged hepatocytes, an increase in fat droplets between cells, dilation of the sinus vessels, as well as an increase in the number of Browicz-Kupffer cells.

On the other hand, in rats that received ethionine but also received pollen water extract or those that received pollen lipid extract, no liver changes were observed, apart from an occasional increase in the number of Browicz-Kupffer cells.

Positive effect of bee pollen on the circulatory system

All muscles, including the heart muscle, age. When this happens, a brown pigment called lipofuscin accumulates in it.

According to research by Liu and Li on mice, consumption of bee pollen significantly lowers the concentration of this nutrient in the heart. Since it was also decreased in the brain, liver, and adrenal glands in mice, pollen was found to have anti-aging effects.

The beneficial effect of bee pollen on the circulatory system is also due to the fact that it prevents platelets from sticking together. Although platelet aggregation is beneficial in injuries as it facilitates the healing of wounds, when this phenomenon occurs excessively in the body, the free flow of blood is inhibited. The plaques then settle inside the blood vessels, which can lead to blood clots.

Atherosclerosis is the most common of the cardiovascular diseases, mainly caused by inflammation and oxidative stress. In reducing the risk of its occurrence, pollen is extremely helpful.

And this is because it has in its compositionflavonoids that act as an antioxidant, preventing the formation of atherosclerotic plaque. In addition, animal studies show that pollen is able to lower total cholesterol, triglycerides, and the unfavorable LDL fraction, which leads to a reduction in inflammation - the source of atherosclerosis.

In turn, studies on patients show that in the group of people who had atherosclerosis and hypercholesterolaemia, and who took pollen, the level of lipids decreased by 20 to 30%.

Bee pollen and anti-inflammatory effects

The anti-inflammatory effect of pollen results from the content of antioxidants and EFAs, which, when delivered through the alimentary tract, are able to inhibit or reduce the inflammatory process in the body. Flavonoids and quercetin also play an important role here.

In addition, pollen has an anti-inflammatory effect when applied externally, e.g. on the skin. This is evidenced by the Kędzis studies carried out on rats with deliberately induced hindpaw swelling. After administering the pollen extract mixed with petroleum jelly, the swelling of the smeared paw decreased significantly.

In addition, bee pollen supports wound healing, because ointments with its addition have an antibacterial effect, and the presence of bacteria is the most common cause of the inability to heal tissues.

Bee pollen - effect on the skin

Flower pollen can be successfully used to improve the appearance of the skin. The methionine contained in it has a positive effect on the process of keratinization of the epidermis, and at the same time inhibits the secretion of sebum and has anti-inflammatory properties, which is very desirable in the treatment of acne skin. In turn, the vitamin A contained in pollen supports skin regeneration and delays the process of the appearance of wrinkles, so it is extremely useful for mature skin.

Creams with the addition of pollen may be helpful in relieving atopic lesions, where there is a strong tendency to itching and excessive dryness of the skin. Vitamin B2 contained in the bee product has an anti-itching effect, while the natural sugars in it moisturize and prevent TEWL (excessive evaporation of water from the top layer of the epidermis).

In addition, gamma-linoleic acid in pollen has anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic properties, which helps not only in the treatment of atopic skin, but also seborrheic diseases. In people with a tendency to bursting blood vessels, a cream with pollen, thanks to the content of vitamin C, helps to seal the walls of blood vessels, and zinc - cell regeneration.

As shown by the research conducted among cosmetology students, where a group of 21 women was examined, divided into people using the creammoisturizing with and without pollen, those who used the cosmetic with pollen had both objective and subjective better results in terms of the degree of hydration than the group with the cosmetic without bee pollen.

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