Bees, one of the species most at risk of extinction due to the widespread use of pesticides and herbicides on agricultural land, are our greatest allies in protecting us from those very same substances. This is the claim of a study coordinated by Dr Renata Alleva and supported by Conapi, the consortium that brings together more than 600 beekeepers across Italy.

Honey, already known as an energising superfood rich in vital substances and health-giving properties, thus turns out to be the ideal food for defending us against exposure to pesticides — a condition associated with metabolic, endocrine and neurodegenerative diseases, as well as cancer. In France, where the issue is keenly felt, a decree has come into force granting Parkinson's disease the status of an occupational illness for farmers, following confirmation of a causal link between the disease and the use of pesticides.

The richness of polyphenols in honey varies according to the type of flowers from which it derives. The research assessed the polyphenol content and profile, and the corresponding antioxidant power, of four varieties of honey: acacia, chestnut, wildflower and orange blossom, finding that the variety richest in beneficial antioxidant substances is wildflower honey. The study then verified how exposing cells to two pesticides widely used in conventional agriculture and green-space maintenance (chlorpyrifos and glyphosate) induces the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and a reduction in repair activity, resulting in DNA lesions. The addition of polyphenols extracted from honey to the cellular system inhibited the formation of ROS, activated the repair systems and repaired the DNA damage.

"Although wildflower honey, like other dark honeys, proved to be particularly rich in polyphenols and therefore highly effective, all the other honeys, once added to the cells, also showed — to varying degrees — the ability to repair DNA," explained Dr Alleva.

Once this result was obtained, the study was conducted in vivo on a population particularly exposed to pesticides: the residents of Val di Non, where intensive apple cultivation is practised.

The volunteers, monitored during different periods of the year (zero, low and high exposure) showed high levels of chlorpyrifos residues in their urine and reduced DNA repair activity. The accumulation of DNA damage was visible during both the low and high exposure periods. The analyses were carried out solely to test for the presence of chlorpyrifos because, at present, there are no laboratories in Italy capable of measuring glyphosate levels in human urine.

Chlorpyrifos is considered an endocrine disruptor linked to numerous serious conditions, particularly damage to the brain development of foetuses, newborns and children exposed even to very low doses. One of its characteristics is its tendency to accumulate in fat, which is why the Ministry of Health banned its use on olive trees from June 2012. Its use is still authorised for several fruit and vegetable crops, including apples.

The sample group was then asked to consume 50 grams of organic wildflower honey (2mg of polyphenol extract) for 10 days. Subsequent analyses detected an increase in DNA repair activity with a consequent reduction in damage, thus demonstrating that honey can act as a shield against this type of environmentally-driven threat. The study was carried out by offering a calibrated dose of honey designed to function almost as a kind of medicine suited to an already compromised model (inhabitants of areas heavily exposed to pesticides), but according to the study's author, anyone can benefit from consuming honey, even in smaller quantities, since polyphenols act at a preventive level and not only a curative one.

"This study confirms that foods have a nutraceutical role and that, even in unfavourable environmental conditions, they can help counter environmentally-induced damage. We know that a proper diet is an important tool for prevention, given that two thirds of cancers could be avoided simply by following a healthier diet and a more active lifestyle. The appropriate attention that specialists pay to the sugar content of the diet, given its implications for the rise in diabetes and cancer, should guide people towards more mindful consumption and the choice of healthier sugars. This study confirms that, in adequate quantities, honey — thanks to its polyphenol content — is a natural sweetener that can offer genuine health benefits compared to other sugars, and can therefore be included in the daily diet of both children and adults," Dr Alleva noted.

"We are pleased to have supported this research, as it represents further evidence of the importance of bees to our lives and to our planet. Not only because they are responsible for at least 70 of the 100 main agricultural crops and are therefore fundamental to the maintenance of biodiversity and, consequently, of food richness, but also because their primary product, honey, is confirmed to be a truly excellent element for our wellbeing," said Diego Pagani, President of Conapi.