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Misleading Claims
Promoters call bee pollen \"the perfect food\" and stress that it contains all of the essential amino acids and many vitamins and minerals ]. However, none of these nutrients offers any magic, and all are obtained easily and less expensively from conventional foods. The CC Pollen Company of Phoenix, Arizona, has also claimed:
It has been estimated that honeybee pollen contains over 5,000 enzymes and coenzymes, many times more than any other food. . . . Enzymes in the body are not only necessary for perpetual healing and digestion but for life itself. Without enzymes, life is impossible. Also, enzymes protect against premature aging. It has been reliably stated that only honeybee pollen contains all known enzymes in perfect proportion and perfect balance.
The above statement is erroneous. Pollen does not contain all known enzymes, and even if it did, that would not contribute to human health. The enzymes in plants and other species of animals help regulate the metabolic functions of their respective species. When ingested, they do not act as enzymes within the human body, because they are digested rather than absorbed intact into the body.
Bee pollen has also been claimed to improve athletic and sexual performance; slow the aging process; promote both weight loss and weight gain; prevent infection, allergy, and cancer; and alleviate more than 60 other health problems.
No scientific study supports any claim that bee pollen is effective against any human disease. The few studies that have been done to test its effect on athletic performance have shown no benefit . In the mid-1970s, for example, tests conducted on swimmers and cross-country runners found no difference in performance between those who took bee pollen and those who took a placebo . A six-week study of 20 swimmers published in 1982 found no performance difference |
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发表于 2007-6-2 14:42:35