Does eating local honey help prevent seasonal allergies? Knowledge is sweet.

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TRANSCRIPT:
Wouldn't it be sweet if simply eating locally-produced honey could help prevent seasonal allergies? The thinking behind this is that bees make honey from pollen and it's pollen to which many people are allergic. So consuming honey ought to build up our tolerance to the allergen, kind of like allergy immunotherapy, right? Well, no. The reasoning falls apart because the kind of pollen in honey is different from the kind of pollen that people are generally allergic to. Bees collect a sticky, heavy pollen that is found in flowers. The kind of pollen that people are often allergic to is a light, fluffy kind produced by trees that blows in the wind. It's a myth that flowers are the worst offenders in terms of allergens. People generally don't react to insect-pollinated plants like flowers. They react most to wind-pollinated plants like trees and grass. That's the stuff we inhale that triggers our immune systems to overreact. And voila! Seasonal allergies in full bloom. [off camera sneeze or cough]. But a little honey could help with that congestion and scratchy throat....if you put it in some hot tea.

Sources:
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