Demystifying the Use of Honey in Diabetes Management: A Case of Type 2 Diabetes Patients at Kenyatta National Hospital, Nairobi, Kenya

Objective: The socio-economic burden of diabetes is of increasing public health concern in Kenya and the world over. There have been unmet expectations with the current management of diabetes, which has led some to turn to honey for its therapeutic benefits. Honey is valuable in management of various infections, and has been associated with management of type 2 diabetes and related complications. This study sought to establish the knowledge and practices of people living with diabetes on the use of honey, and find any possible associations in management of diabetes and/or its complications. Methods: A cross-sectional study with a retrospective component was conducted on 139 respondents living with type 2 diabetes. This was done through a semi-structured interviewer-administered questionnaire to determine the respondents’ socio-economic status, their knowledge and attitude and how these influenced their use of honey, and the correlations to the disease management. Consecutive blood sugar readings recorded over three months prior to the study were obtained from the respondents’ hospital records. Health care providers were interviewed using a key informants guide to corroborate information obtained from respondents. Results: Knowledge on or perceived benefits of honey did not translate to its actual use (r=-0.064). The longer respondents consumed honey the more likely they were to have elevated blood glucose levels (>7.8 mmol/L). There were double the number of respondents using honey with elevated blood sugar levels than there were whose levels were within normal range (4.4-<7.8 mmol/L). However, only a third of the respondents using honey had associated complications of nephropathy, ketoacidosis and diabetic foot. Generally, the number of respondents   ot using honey and experiencing any of the diabetes complications was at least two times more the number of those using honey. Conclusion:  With continued use of prescription drugs, controlled use of honey could be associated with positive disease outcomes, for either diabetes and/or complications related to diabetes. However, further scientific studies on the topic may be warranted for stronger evidence to support the use of honey as a food intervention in the actual management of type 2 diabetes.