Men and women go to great lengths to keep their brain in tip top shape. From games of chess to games of sudoku, crossword puzzles to jigsaw puzzles, it’s all done in an effort to have fun but also stave off the irresistible force of the aging process that all of us endure. But a recent study conducted in New Zealand may have the results that signal the sweet scent of victory in the quest to stay as sharp as a tack for as long as possible.

According to researchers from the University of Waikato in Hamilton, New Zealand, honey reduces anxiety, which adversely affects the brain; improves spatial memory (the ability to recognize areas or situations that you’ve seen before) and is particularly beneficial to aging men and women in their ability to memorize.

Over the course of a year, scientists fed two-month-old rats a diet that included 10 percent honey, eight percent sucrose or no sugar at all in three month intervals. After conducting tests that included releasing the rats through model mazes which tested their ability to recognize new situations and to see if they could escape the maze, they found that the rats that consumed honey spent more time in open sections of the mazes, which the doctors believe shows they were less anxious than the rats that did not consume honey; and entered new areas of a maze more frequently than the non-honey consuming rats, suggesting they knew where they came from, thus were able to get to the next area of the maze more readily.

Although the doctors aren’t certain what it is about honey that positively affects memory, they believe that the abundance of antioxidants found in honey has something to do with it.

So, does this mean that Honey Bunches of Oats and Honey Comb cereal qualifies as great buys as breakfast brain food? Not exactly. Though honey does indeed have great antioxidant properties, all honey isn’t built the same. As Dr. Mercola reports on his natural health website and in his book Sweet Deception, many bees are “force fed” large doses of high fructose corn syrup, which allows the honey they produce to have a longer shelf life when it reaches stores. Further, as Dr. Mercola points out, many honey products are already pasteurized, which saps out the natural antioxidants that are so prevalent in honey.

The solution? Search for a beekeeper and ask him or her about the bees’ diets. If you’re unaware of any local beekeepers who sell honey, look online at some natural health websites who sell raw honey.

But just because raw honey is good for you doesn’t mean that honey should be used liberally. Honey is another form of sugar and as such it ought to be used in moderation. But it sure does feel good to know that the next time I put some raw honey on my oatmeal, I’m doing my brain a whole lot of good.

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