Honey has antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, and anti-inflammatory properties.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8] Specifically, honey may work through a variety of factors, such as hydrogen peroxide, non-peroxides, nitric oxide, polyphenols, a high osmolality (strongly drawing water out of the cells of bacteria), and its acidity.[9][10]
Honey contains less-commonly found sugars, such as allulose, tagatose, and isomaltulose, which have been associated with improvements in cardiometabolic risk factors.[11][12]