Effect of Processed Honey and Royal Jelly on Cancer-Related Fatigue: A Double-Blind Randomized Clinical Trial

Abstract

BackgroundCancer-related fatigue (CRF) is experienced by 50% to 90% of cancer patients and can severely affect their quality of life and functional capacity. Several randomized trials have recommended various ways to alleviate the symptoms of CRF with or without recourse to medications.ObjectiveThe aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of processed honey and royal jelly on the symptoms of CRF in cancer patients who are undergoing hormone therapy, chemotherapy, chemo-radiation, or radiotherapy.MethodsFifty-two participants from the patients who visited the oncology clinic of Shohada-e-Tajrish hospital in Tehran (Iran) between May 2013 and August 2014 were selected and divided into two groups. The study group (26 patients) received processed honey and royal jelly, while the control group received pure honey. Both groups were instructed to consume their 5mL supplement twice daily for 4 weeks. Both groups were assessed at the beginning of the study, after 2 weeks, and then at the end of 4 weeks of treatment. Fatigue was measured using a visual analogue fatigue scale (VAFS) and fatigue severity scale (FSS). The results were compared between the two arms of study, and equality of probability distributions was assessed using a Kolmogorov–Smirnov test.ResultsThe mean age of the 52 patients was 54.84. After two and four weeks of treatment with processed honey and royal jelly, VAFS and FSS due to treatment was better in the study group than in the control group, and the differences were statistically significant (p<0.001, p<0.001, respectively).ConclusionTo the best of our knowledge, our study provided support for the use of processed honey and royal jelly to ameliorate CRF. The positive results of this study warrant further studies in this field.Clinical Trial RegistrationThe study was registered in the Iranian Clinical Trial Registry Center (http://www.irct.ir) with the registration code: IRCT2015081423426N1.FundingThe authors received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Anti-Cancer and Protective Effects of Royal Jelly for Therapy-Induced Toxicities in Malignancies

“…A double-blind randomized clinical trial was performed to evaluate the effectiveness RJ on the symptoms of cancer-related fatigue in patients administered anti-cancer therapies [ 63 ]. In this trial, 52 patients were invited into two groups: the study group was treated with processed honey and RJ ( n = 26) and the control group was treated with pure honey ( n = 26); supplements of 5 mL were administered twice per day for 4 weeks.…”

“…In this trial, 52 patients were invited into two groups: the study group was treated with processed honey and RJ ( n = 26) and the control group was treated with pure honey ( n = 26); supplements of 5 mL were administered twice per day for 4 weeks. All three scores of fatigue and performance status in the study group were significantly better than those in control group [ 63 ]; however, the authors indicated that further clinical trials with a larger number of patients and a longer duration of intervention are necessary to clarify the role of RJ in managing cancer-related fatigue, because their study populations included a variety of malignancies and treatments. In addition, we should note that honey and RJ but not only RJ, was used in this clinical trial.…”

Effects of royal jelly on energy status and expression of apoptosis and biotransformation genes in normal fibroblast and colon cancer cells

“…Composition of RJ includes many important compounds such as proteins, lipids, essential amino acids, minerals, vitamins, sugars, nucleic acids, enzymes, hormones, phenols (SUZUKI et al, 2008;KARADENIZ et al, 2011;ORŠOLIĆ, 2013). Due to its complex composition, RJ has demonstrated various pharmacological activities: antitumor, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antibiotic, immunomodulatory, hypotensive, antihypercholesterolemic, hypoglycemic, antiallergic, antiaging, hepatoprotective, and many other (IZUTA et al, 2009;PAVEL et al, 2011;SUGIYAMA et al, 2012;SUPABPHOL and SUPABPHOL, 2013;MOFID et al, 2016).…”

Royal Jelly—A Traditional and Natural Remedy for Postmenopausal Symptoms and Aging-Related Pathologies

“…In these cases, complementary medicine can be a valuable choice in order to ameliorate the symptoms with a minimum of side effects. According to Mofid et al [ 53 ], up to 50% of cancer patients experience cancer-related fatigue, and the administration of both royal jelly and processed honey can alleviate the symptomatology. They administered 5mL of royal jelly and processed honey twice daily to 26 patients, and compared the results with those obtained by 26 patients, which received only 5 mL of honey, under the same scheme, for one month.…”