Can a spoonful of local honey a day help you build an immunity to seasonal allergies? The philosophy behind this belief is that bees collect pollen from sources to which you may be allergic, then transfer the pollen to honey. When you eat the honey, it supposedly helps you tolerate pollen and build up an immunity over time. To set the record straight, seasonal allergies are usually triggered by windborne pollen, not the pollen collected by bees.

“There is no evidence honey of any type can help alter your sensitivities to allergens,” says David Tanner, M.D., an allergist at Piedmont. “Honey is theoretically a better source of sweetener, but that is a personal preference.”

If you suffer from seasonal allergies, talk to your doctor about treatment options.

So while honey may taste great and offer some health benefits, unfortunately it won’t banish the seasonal sniffles.

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Note: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warns that honey should never be fed to children under 1 year old because it may contain bacteria that leads to infant botulism. 

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