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Culture > News

Is Eating Bee Pollen Really A Scam? We Wanted To Know What The Buzz Was All About

Carissa Dunlap

If there was anything to know about me, it’s that I am completely terrified of bees. If I see one nearby, I will immediately bolt down the street to get away as far as possible. That’s why it is so hard to image people eating bee pollen on top of a smoothie, especially if you are allergic to pollen. I don’t know about you, but it doesn’t seem like a good idea. 

So many health blogs, Instagram pages, and celebrities like Victoria Beckham or Gwyneth Paltrow  swear by bee pollens supposed benefits. But what actually is bee pollen? Bee pollen is completely different from regular pollen from a plant. Pollen is collected by the bees from the plant and is mixed with honey and other items from the hive. It’s basically bee food. Bees carry the mixed ingredients on their legs flower to flower. Once enough pollen has been collected, the mixture condenses into a “pollen load” or a small compact particle. Beekeepers will tend to remove the pollen so it can be sold commercially for us to consume.

 

 

Many describe it as a small, crunchy, yellow nugget similar to a chia seed; this is why some people like to add a handful to their oatmeal, yogurt, or smoothies. Other people will take it as a supplement or capsule. Bee pollen has been given some pretty super qualities. People who swear by it claim that it boosts your health, reduces risk of cancer, cures colds, helps with weight loss, minimizes aging affects, and detoxifies the body. A small study even claims that a small amount honey mixed with bee pollen can help your pollen allergies. 

“There is no doubt that bee pollen contains many biologically active chemicals, and it is not implausible that one or more of these chemicals might have a medically useful property,” said Dr. Steven Novella of Yale University School of Medicine in the study’s article. 

A lot of these claims though aren’t entirely supported by science and research. There is evidence for nutritional benefits of the pollen.

The crunchy grains are known for having vitamins and nutrients that contain beneficial antioxidants. As Victoria Beckham’s tweet about Bee Pollen says,  “Bee Pollen contains about 22 amino acids, 18 vitamins, 25 minerals, 59 trace elements, 11 enzymes or co-enzymes, 14 fatty acids, 11 carbohydrates, and approximately 25% protein. It is extremely rich in carotenes and is high in B complex vitamins and Lecithin.” All of that sounds pretty beneficial to me. 

So who is really to say if you should stop eating it or not? If it tastes good to you, sure keep using it. If you have an allergy to bees, I would advise against consuming bee pollen. People with bee allergies can go into anaphylactic shock from ingesting it. Bee pollen isn’t vegan friendly as well. PETA notes on their website that vegans can use alternative, bee-free products instead. 

Carissa Dunlap is a Her Campus News X Social Intern for Summer 2018. She is a current Publishing major and Journalism minor at Emerson College (Class of 2020). When she isn't perusing the YA bookshelf at the bookstore, she can be found watching dog videos on Facebook, at her favorite coffee shops, or relaxing on the beach. Follow her on Instagram @dunlapcarissa or Twitter @Caridunlap.