Australian honey brand, Capilano, has launched the world’s first clinically tested prebiotic honey, Beeotic.
Beeotic, which is listed with the Therapeutic Goods Administration as a therapeutic good, is the result of extensive research and a clinical study conducted through the University of New South Wales (UNSW) to identify the widely recognised, but until now unproven, prebiotic health potential of select Australian honeys.
Capilano’s managing director Dr Ben McKee said this “health and wellness innovation” has been a long time in the making.
“We know that our consumers care about their health and well being, and we are immensely proud to be able to deliver an industry-first product that gives people the option to improve their overall digestive health whilst enjoying their favourite great tasting honey,” he said.
Microbiology and Immunology specialist at UNSW Professor Patricia Conway explained that until now, there have never been any human clinical studies to support the fact that honey was a good source of prebiotics.
“Honey has been used to help normalise digestive balance for many years. The focus of the clinical study was to scientifically validate the specifications of a prebiotic honey to deliver consumers certainty around its potential health and wellness benefits,” Conway said.
She said that eating prebiotic rich foods can help increase the good bacteria in the stomach, improving the good to bad bacteria ratio and therefore it helps improve digestion.
“The results of the clinical study found that at a dose of 14ml, approximately one tablespoon per day, certain honeys significantly raised the levels of good bacteria and suppressed potentially harmful bacteria in the digestive tract. Furthermore, levels of good bacteria decreased once the participants stopped taking the honey for a period of time,” Conway further explained.
Beeotic is available from all major supermarkets and select pharmacies and health food stores, priced from $7.99.
