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Does eating local honey help prevent seasonal allergies? Knowledge is sweet. Related Videos: What are Food Allergies? | HealthiNation http://youtu.be/Yydbjsia2Yg Food Allergy Substitutes | HealthiNation http://youtu.be/nVPaa5zMC90 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: 1. Is It A Cold or Is It An Allergy?. Bethesda, MD: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (Accessed June 6, 2011, at http://www.niaid.nih.gov/topics/allergicDiseases/Documents/coldallergy.pdf .) 2. Allergies. Atlanta, GA: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Accessed June 6, 2011, at http://www.cdc.gov/HealthMarketing/entertainment_education/tips/allergies.htm .) 3. Immunotherapy can provide lasting relief. Milwaukee, WI: American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (Accessed June 6, 2011, at http://www.aaaai.org/patients/resources/allergen_immunotherapy.pdf .) 4. WAO White Book on Allergies. Milwaukee, WI: World Allergy Organization, 2011 (Accessed June 6, 2011, at http://www.worldallergy.org/UserFiles/file/WAO-White-Book-on-Allergy_FINAL.pdf .) 5. Anaphylaxis. Milwaukee, WI: World Allergy Organization, 2011 (Accessed June 6, 2011, at http://www.worldallergy.org/public/allergic_diseases_center/anaphylaxis/anaphylaxis.php .) 6. Allergy Overview. Landover, MD: Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (Accessed June 6, 2011, at http://www.aafa.org/display.cfm?id=9 .)