How we rate
“Strong” = several concordant meta-analyses or systematic reviews. “Moderate” = one synthesis, or several controlled trials. “Limited” = early trials only. The rating is about the quality of the studies, not about how useful the supplement is.
Honey
A dose of honey at bedtime somewhat eases the cough of children over 1 year old, without always doing better than a placebo. During exercise, it performs just as well as another source of sugar, no better. Never before 12 months: risk of botulism.
Benefits
- Child cough: across six trials (899 children aged 1 to 18 years), honey probably reduces cough frequency more than no treatment or a placebo.
- ENT infections: across 14 studies, it improves cough frequency (standardized mean difference of −0.36) and severity (−0.44) better than usual care.
- Sleep: a single 10 g dose at bedtime better relieved nocturnal cough and the nights of 300 children aged 1 to 5 years than a placebo.
- Compared to syrups: in 134 children, honey milk three evenings in a row succeeded in 80% of them, against 87% with two common antitussives, a non-significant difference.
- Endurance fuel: at 90 g of carbohydrates per hour during 3 hours of cycling, honey was burned like a classic sports product, with the same endurance afterwards, in 12 trained men.
- After exercise: in 10 runners, a honey drink consumed after an hour of running in the heat made them run further afterwards than with water alone (3,420 m in 20 minutes).
- Muscle soreness: 70 g of honey in water before 200 jumps reduced muscle soreness and better preserved maximal strength 48 hours later, in 16 strength athletes.
- Blood glucose and lipids: across 18 trials (1,105 people), honey slightly lowers fasting blood glucose (−0.20 mmol/L), LDL (−0.16 mmol/L) and triglycerides (−0.13 mmol/L), with low-certainty evidence.
Precautions
Never before 12 months: honey is the only confirmed dietary source of infant botulism, and health authorities advise against it before the age of 1 year. It is a sugar: in 55 adults, 50 g of carbohydrates per day in the form of honey, sugar or high-fructose corn syrup for 2 weeks had the same effects, and all increased triglycerides. Diabetes: in 48 type 2 diabetics, 8 weeks of honey increased glycated hemoglobin, and the authors recommend caution. Limits: cough: in 161 children aged 1 to 5 years, honey did not do better than a honey-flavored placebo syrup, and a review of 10 studies rates the evidence as low to very low quality. Lipids: a meta-analysis of 23 trials finds no effect on blood lipids, and a review of 69 trials associates 10 g per day with higher systolic blood pressure, triglycerides and fasting blood glucose. Performance: across 9 studies, honey is worth other carbohydrate sources around a training session, and only does better than a carbohydrate-free drink.
Recommended dosage
Cough: 10 g at bedtime, after 1 year. Exercise: 1 g of carbohydrates per kg before and during a match, or 90 g per hour on a bike.
How to take it
- For whom: against cough, the trials involve children of at least 1 year, with an upper respiratory tract infection lasting for 7 days at most.
- Timing: a single dose 30 minutes before bedtime in nocturnal cough trials, or three evenings in a row.
- Cough dose: 10 g of honey in the study on 300 children; 10 ml of honey in 90 ml of milk in another.
- During exercise: 90 g of carbohydrates per hour provided by honey, over 3 hours of cycling, with few digestive disorders.
- What does not work: a protein-enriched honey powder did not improve a 20-minute time trial in 12 cyclists, nor did a honey drink improve the performance of 10 soccer players.
- Varieties: the glycemic index changes depending on the honey, from 59 (fir) and 66 (chestnut) to over 70 (citrus, heather, pine, thyme).
Did you know?
In a trial conducted in 161 children aged 1 to 5 years who were coughing at night, a honey-flavored placebo syrup calmed the cough and improved sleep just as well as real honey.
What the studies say
This systematic review and meta-analysis compares honey with pharmacological treatments for acute cough in children, including seven studies. Initial analysis showed comparable efficacy, except for the improvement of child sleep where honey was superior. Post-hoc sensitivity analyses suggested a potential superiority of honey on all symptoms, positioning honey as a promising and low-risk alternative to pediatric antitussives.
Timm Brun M, Abreu Vianna Braga MC, Teixeira Ferraz Grunewald S. — European journal of pediatrics (2026) — View the source study
For information only: not a substitute for medical advice. Dietary supplements are not a replacement for a varied, balanced diet. Learn more