Properties & Effects of Royal Jelly
Royal jelly is the substance secreted by honeybees used to feed larvae when the hive needs a new queen. The diet of royal jelly contributes to the queen bee's fertility so she can populate the hive, as well as to her longevity, letting her live about 10 times longer than the other bees. Royal jelly also appears in many dietary supplements and products, with the manufacturers claiming that the benefits to the queen bee also translate to humans. While royal jelly does contain some vital nutrients, many manufacturer claims are exaggerated and not backed by valid research.
Composition
Royal jelly is more than 60 percent water by composition, according to a study by the University of Sao Paolo. It's about 20 percent carbohydrates and about 13 percent proteins. Lipids make up a little more than 3 percent of royal jelly's composition. About 1 percent of royal jelly is ash.
Physical Properties
Royal jelly in its pure form, when secreted by worker bees, appears as a syrupy, milky-white substance, according to Australia's Therapeutic Goods Administration. It's a highly perishable item and requires instant refrigeration when harvested from hives. Producers sometimes add honey or beeswax to royal jelly to aid in its preservation.
Nutritional Properties
The primary nutrients in royal jelly are Vitamin B6 and pantothenic acid. It also contains a trace amount of minerals, enzymes and Vitamin C. Contrary to the claims of some royal jelly product manufacturers, it does not contain the other vitamins, such as A, D, E or K.
Beneficial Effects
The high content of Vitamin B6 and pantothenic acid make it nutritious as a food, although those nutrients are readily available in many other foods that do not carry the high cost of some royal jelly supplements, according to New York University's Langone Medical Center. Royal jelly also has demonstrated antimicrobial properties, although those have not yet been proven to translate to antibiotic capabilities after consumption. Several skin care products also contain royal jelly.
Claimed Effects
Many of the healing properties claimed by producers of royal jelly products remain unproven by solid research. Some research, such as a 1995 study by J. Vittek at the New York Medical College's Department of Medicine, confirmed that consuming royal jelly can help lower cholesterol, but much of that research does not hold up under modern standards, according to the Langone Medical Center. There also is no substantial research to back up claims that royal jelly helps to ease menopause symptoms. Claims that it can shrink malignant tumors, lower blood pressure and prevent osteoporosis also are not backed up by scientific research.
Dangerous Effects
While it is generally harmless, royal jelly can pose a danger to certain people when consumed. In particular, people who are allergic to bee stings or bee products can have a serious and potentially deadly reaction to the product. Other allergic reactions have included asthma and bleeding in the colon, according to the Langone Medical Center. A 2006 case study by N.J. Lee and J.D. Fermo at the South Carolina College of Pharmacy also has indicated that royal jelly can compound the effects of some blood thinners, causing internal bleeding.
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