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Frozen honey might be the hot new food trend for summer, but experts say people need to be mindful of their sweet tooth.
Participants of the trend either freeze honey overnight or blend the gelatinous sweetener with corn syrup or another syrup of their choice, according to the thousands of videos shared under the #FrozenHoney hashtag on TikTok.
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According to the USDA’s online nutrition database, FoodData Central, a single tablespoon of honey contains around 63.8 calories and 17.2 grams of sugar by itself while a single tablespoon of corn syrup contains around 60 calories and 9 grams of sugar.
Combined together, a tablespoon of honey and corn syrup contains roughly 123.8 calories and 26.2 grams of sugar.
TikTok users have been uploading videos of themselves making bottles and containers full of frozen honey and consuming large globs of the sweet snack, which has sparked health experts to speak about the risks that come with eating excess honey or sugar. (iStock) (iStock)
Social media users who are jumping on the trend aren’t stopping at a tablespoon, however, which has sparked concern among nutrition and healthcare professionals.
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Eating "vast quantities" of honey can cause undesirable results, including an upset stomach or diarrhea, according to Sarah Rueven, who is a registered dietician and founder of Rooted Wellness, a wellness counseling company.
"As for blood sugar, what is likely to happen is that as an abnormally high level of sugar rushes into your bloodstream, your pancreas releases a larger than normal level of insulin to help store or utilize those sugars, which is that sugar ‘high’ and then ‘crash,’" Rueven told Fox News.
She went on to explain that energy crashes generally happen when people consume "a lot of sugar in one sitting."
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Aside from being wary of a potential energy crash from sugar, dentists have been warning clients to not let honey stay on their teeth.
"Frozen honey has a high level of sugar, which leads to cavities," Leonard Umanoff, a New York-based dentistry practitioner at LuxDen, told Fox News. "I would recommend if you are going to eat frozen honey, rinse your mouth with water right after eating it to remove excess sugar on the teeth. Brush and floss if the situation allows."
He added, "Biting into anything hard may also cause teeth to fracture, that's why you should be extra careful while eating frozen honey."
TikTok's frozen honey trend could have negative results like energy crashes or cavities, experts warn. (iStock)
Jackie Newgent, a registered dietician and plant-based culinary nutritionist told Fox News that honey is safe to drizzle onto food in small amounts.
"But eating too much of anything, including frozen honey, can have negative health consequences," she warned. "If you have prediabetes or diabetes, it’s not advisable to have large quantities of honey since it can increase blood glucose and, over time, increase A1C levels."
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The American Heart Association recommends limiting daily sugar intake to 36 grams for men and 25 grams for women and children between the ages of two and 18.
Consuming excess sugar for prolonged periods of time can raise a person’s risk of developing a cardiovascular disease, according to the AHA.
So far, the frozen honey hashtag on TikTok has racked up more than 825.9 million views. The trend has also spread to other social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
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Interest in the trend peaked in early August, according to search engine data on Google Trends. Frozen honey has become a top Google search in Alaska followed by New Hampshire, South Dakota, Montana and Nebraska.
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