The darker the honey, the higher number of disease-preventing antioxidants, researchers say.
Writing in the Journal of Apicultural Research, scientists at the University of Illinois-Urbana say not all honeys are the same, but all contain some level of antioxidants such as vitamins C and E that are believed to help prevent cancer, heart disease and other ailments.
And the darker the better. Bees fed on California sage were beat out by bees feeding on Illinois buckwheat. Those had 20 times the antioxidant levels of the Pacific coast buzzers.
The researchers say the Illinois buckwheat variety is comparable, "bite for bite," with the ascorbic acid (vitamin C) related antioxidant content of tomatoes.
