Honey While Pregnant: Is It Safe?

You may have heard that children under 1 year old should not eat honey. That's true: Experts recommend holding off on introducing honey to babies because it can carry a bacteria that is especially dangerous for infants.

However, honey is generally OK to eat during pregnancy, and safe for you and your unborn baby. Learn why you can enjoy this sweet and sticky treat while expecting but should take precautions for your baby once they're born.

Is Honey Safe During Pregnancy?

The reason some people question the safety of honey is that it sometimes contains bacterial spores called Clostridium botulinum. This bacteria may grow quickly in your gut and produce neurotoxins that lead to botulism. Botulism is a rare but serious disease that can cause weakness and paralysis in the arms, legs, abdominal area, and respiratory system. It's worth mentioning that infant botulism from honey (spores) is different from foodborne botulism (toxin).

However, this risk is not a concern for most kids and grown-ups. Sandy Procter, PhD, a professor of nutrition at Kansas State University, says children over age 1 and healthy adults—including those who are pregnant—can safely consume honey because their immune systems protect against any bacteria the honey might contain.  

Precautions for Eating Honey While Pregnant

You should feel free to enjoy honey while you are pregnant. But for some people, it's best to follow a few precautions.

Gastrointestinal conditions

If you experience gastrointestinal abnormalities, you may need to take precautions. For example, people who've had bowel or gastric surgery or have Crohn's disease may have a harder time processing everyday bacterial spores, which could exist in raw, unfiltered honey.

Antibiotics

Heavy-duty antibiotics can wipe out the "good" bugs in your gut that normally fight off bacterial spores. If you are taking or coming off a course of antibiotics, check in with a health care provider to see if it's a good idea to limit honey in your diet temporarily.

Gestational diabetes

"In pregnancies complicated by gestational diabetes, it's best to minimize any added sweeteners, including honey, as it may drive up your blood glucose level," says Andrea Chisholm, MD, an OB-GYN at Cody Regional Health in Cody, Wyoming.

Still, Dr. Chisholm prefers honey to table sugar on an occasional basis for those with gestational diabetes. "Honey has a slightly lower glycemic index and additional vitamins and antioxidant properties, making it a better choice as your go-to sweetener," she says.

Is Honey Safe for Babies? 

Honey is safe for your fetus. Even in isolated cases when pregnant people contracted botulism, researchers have found no evidence that their babies were born with the condition. Expectant parents' botulism infection wasn't linked to pregnancy problems or birth anomalies either.

For something in your system to harm your unborn baby, it has to enter through the placenta. The botulinum spores are too big and are unlikely to pass through your placenta and reach your baby. That means that even if you eat honey that contains botulism spores, your baby should be protected.

Dangers for newborn babies

However, once your baby is born and no longer protected in your womb, they are vulnerable to that bacteria—at least for a little while. "Honey is a concern for young infants due to their underdeveloped immune systems—they are unable to combat the botulism spores that are sometimes present in honey," says Dr. Procter.

Infants who get botulism are typically between 6 weeks and 6 months old, but it's safest to keep honey out of your baby's food (and reach) before their first birthday.

Benefits of Honey During Pregnancy 

Since ancient times, honey has been enjoyed as a tasty food and home remedy for certain ailments. Before, during, and after pregnancy, you might have a taste for this natural sweetener, whether spooned into tea or drizzled over toast or yogurt.

In general, honey isn't considered to be an especially vitamin- or mineral-rich food source. But it is still thought to have some possible health benefits.

• Fertility: There is some thought that the use of honey before conception may help improve your ability to become pregnant, says Dr. Chisholm.
• Respiratory health: Some studies have found that eating honey may help with asthma, but only when combined with Nigella sativa (black caraway) or celery seeds. Honey alone isn't an effective asthma treatment in humans.
• Antioxidant protection: Honey, especially dark-colored varieties, contains antioxidants that may boost health by combating molecules in our bodies that damage healthy cells.