Abstract

Honey is a natural product that has been used as medication since the ancient times for its nutritive and therapeutic value. Despite these properties, honey use has been limited in evidence-based medicine due to the lack of evidence in clinical settings, particularly in paediatric population. An increasing interest has grown towards honey during the last years. The aim of this article is to examine the possible role of honey as a therapeutic tool in paediatrics. We performed a literature search to summarise the highest quality evidences, analysed articles regarding honey’s nutritional properties and therapeutic value. The state of the art is represented by evidences related to beneficiary effects of honey on respiratory, gastroenterological and oncohaematologic diseases. Many other uses could promisingly come from in vitro studies or clinical trial based on adult samples. Honey shows an excellent risk-benefit profile and can be safely administrated in children older than 12 months. In conclusion, honey does not only represent a grandma’s remedy, but is a real useful tool in different clinical settings, including paediatrics practice. However, there is a need for high-quality, large randomised controlled trials confirming effectiveness and practical application of honey in paediatric population.

摘要

蜂蜜是一种天然产品，自古以来就因其营养和治疗价值而被用作药物。尽管有这些特性，但由于临床环境中缺乏证据，特别是在儿科人群中，蜂蜜的使用在循证医学中受到限制。在过去的几年中，人们对蜂蜜越来越感兴趣。本文的目的是研究蜂蜜作为儿科治疗工具的可能作用。我们进行了文献检索以总结最高质量的证据，分析有关蜂蜜营养特性和治疗价值的文章。与蜂蜜对呼吸系统、胃肠病学和血液病学疾病的有益作用相关的证据代表了现有技术。许多其他用途有望来自体外基于成人样本的研究或临床试验。蜂蜜显示出极好的风险收益特征，可以安全地用于 12 个月以上的儿童。总之，蜂蜜不仅代表了祖母的治疗方法，而且在不同的临床环境中是一种真正有用的工具，包括儿科实践。然而，需要高质量的大型随机对照试验来证实蜂蜜在儿科人群中的有效性和实际应用。