It's commonly accepted that honey is better for us, but is that really the case? The short answer is because it is made of 55 per cent fructose (fruit sugar), eating honey is little more beneficial for our bodies than eating granulated sugar. And here's why.

大家普遍认为蜂蜜对我们的身体更有益。但事实确实如此吗？简单来说，由于蜂蜜中含有55%的果糖，所以吃蜂蜜一点也不比吃白砂糖健康到哪里去。

Refined table sugar (sucrose) is processed in our bodies by insulin, which is produced by the pancreas. Honey is about 55 per cent fructose, a fruit sugar that's processed by the liver. Despite the chemical difference, our bodies still react to honey in much same way as it reacts to refined sugar - with a blood-sugar spike².

在我们体内的蔗糖是由胰腺分泌的胰岛素来分解的。而蜂蜜中包含的55%的果糖，是通过我们的肝脏来分解的。虽然在体内发生的化学变化不同，但人体对蜂蜜和对糖分的反应是一样的，都会造成血糖迅速升高。

This encourages the pancreas to produce insulin, which leads the body to store fat and gain weight. When eaten to excess, products containing fructose contribute to obesity³, heart problems and liver disease, just like products with granulated sugar. Other research has shown fructose drains minerals from your body.

这会刺激胰腺分泌胰岛素，进而导致身体储备更多脂肪和体重上升。如果过量食用包含果糖的制品，那么就和食用含砂糖的制品一样，会导致肥胖、心脏病、肝病等问题。还有研究显示果糖还会消耗体内的矿物质。

'There's an idea that sugar is a pantomime villain⁴ and honey is the pantomime hero,' says nutritional⁵ therapist Ian Marber. 'It's not accurate. Loading honey onto a bowl of porridge or breakfast cereal isn't much better for our bodies than layering that cereal up with granulated sugar.

“有人认为糖分就像是坏蛋，而蜂蜜像是大英雄。”营养治疗师伊恩·马伯说：“这种观点是不正确的。早上喝粥或麦片时加入蜂蜜和加白砂糖是一样不健康的。”

Honey is also high in calories - more than table sugar. A teaspoon⁶ of commercial natural honey contains about 22 calories, a teaspoon of sugar around 16 calories. Many people who swapped⁷ honey for sugar found they liberally poured it into yoghurts, herbal teas and the like imagining honey to be superior to other sugars. 'When people think something is low fat, they eat more,' says Ian Marber.

另外，蜂蜜的卡路里含量也高于蔗糖。同样一小茶匙的量，蜂蜜含有22卡路里，而蔗糖含有16卡路里。许多用蜂蜜来替代蔗糖的人会随意地、不计量地在酸奶、凉茶中加入蜂蜜，认为蜂蜜比蔗糖健康得多。伊恩说：“当人们认为某种食物脂肪含量低就会大量食用。”

'Companies use the word 'honey' instead of saying something is 'sweet' because they know it has an implied health benefit,' says Ian Marber.

伊恩还说：“很多生产商都会用‘蜂蜜’这个词来代替‘甜’这个词，因为他们觉得这样会显得更健康。”

While raw, unrefined varieties of honey - from farms and health food stores - do contain trace vitamins and minerals; niacin, riboflavin, thiamine and vitamin B6, they only make up about two per cent of honey's total content.

实际上，养蜂场里的和健康食品店中的未经加工的生蜂蜜确实含有多种维生素和矿物质，如烟酸、核黄素、维生素B1、B6等，但它们的总量也只占到2%。

Many big-brand honeys and other 'natural' sweeteners in supermarkets have been processed - heated and filtered - to rid them of pollen⁸ and naturally-occurring bacteria in raw, varieties. But it also removes these vitamins and minerals.

而那些超市里售卖的大品牌蜂蜜以及其他号称“天然”甜味剂的蜂蜜是经过加工的蜂蜜，它们被加热或被过滤，这样花粉和细菌被除掉了，但同时同时除掉的还有蜂蜜里的维他命和矿物质。

Dr Mica¹ Engel, aesthetic⁹ doctor at London's Waterhouse Young Clinic says glucose¹⁰, fructose and carbs in honey will cause collagen damage - just like sugar. 'Benefits from the few extra vitamins some honey contains won't help to repair damage done to your collagen.'

伦敦沃特豪斯诊所的美学医生迈卡·恩格尔说，蜂蜜中所含的葡萄糖、果糖以及碳水化合物等会和蔗糖一样损害皮肤的胶原蛋白。“蜂蜜中所含有的那点微量维生素无法帮你修复损害掉的胶原蛋白。”

Added sugar (refined white sugar or honey) has no nutritional benefit. The NHS says added sugar can safely make up 10 per cent of a daily calorie intake¹¹.

另外，添加糖（无论是精制白砂糖还是蜂蜜）都没有任何营养价值。英国国民保健服务称添加糖在日常卡路里增加值中占10%。

But earlier this year I spoke¹² to cardiologist Dr Aseem Malhotra, who is also science director of Action On Sugar, a body campaigning to reduce levels of sugar in our foods, who said the World Health Organisation¹³ recommends limiting all added sugars (including honey) to six teaspoons¹⁴ a day.

今年年初在同心脏病专家、“对糖分采取行动”（一个旨在减少我们日常食品糖分摄入量的组织）的科学顾问阿西姆·马尔霍特拉博士交谈的时候，他说道，世界卫生组织建议每天摄入添加糖（包括蜂蜜）的量最好不要超过6茶匙（30克）。

'Contrary to what the food industry wants you to believe, the body doesn't need any carbohydrate¹⁵ from added sugar,' he said.

“和食品生产商所希望的不同，我们的身体其实不需要从添加糖中获取任何糖分。”