Honey Can Obviate Heavy Metal Toxicity: A Review

Abstract

Toxicity caused by heavy metals inflicts a grave global menace to the habitat and inhabitants. Arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), and mercury (Hg) are the non-essential yet harmful heavy metals commonly associated with pollution and resultant health complications. Typical chelating/complexing agents are not worthy of com-bating heavy metal-induced sub-chronic and chronic toxicities. It transpires from scientific data mining that, honey obviates investigational heavy metal toxicity. This review aims to collate such investigations conducted against As, Cd, and Pb toxicity. There is a total of 19 pre-clinical works demonstrating the ameliorative effect of honey against empirical As, Cd, and Pb toxicity. Pre-clinical reports against Hg and clinical study against these heavy metals could not found. From the outcome of the current literature investigation, it seems that honey has a marked heavy metal toxicity meliorative effect which is chiefly ascribed to its innate antioxidant effect due to its diverse polyphenol content.