In the ongoing fight against cancer, honey and other bee products could be the next weapons added to the natural health arsenal. Researchers from the University of Zagreb, Croatia, recently found that mice injected with a variety of honey-related products showed either decreased tumor growth or a decrease in metastasis (tumor spread), as well as increased survival time (Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, 2005, vol. 85, no. 3). Besides honey itself, mice were injected with propolis, a resinous substance used in the construction of beehives; caffeic acid, a chemical found in propolis; royal jelly, the food for young bee larvae; and bee venom. The researchers do not fully understand how these products shrink tumors and help the mice live longer, but they hope future studies on humans will shed light on their findings.
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