Royal Jelly: The 5 Amazing Health Benefits Of This Functional Superfood

Royal jelly is a gelatinous “goo” like substance and one of the many compounds produced by bees and may serve as a nutritionally dense dietary superfood with a wealth of health benefits.

Commonly found in dietary supplement forms such as CATALO 100% Royal Jelly Softgels, Royal Jelly is the perfect way to support your health naturally using the power of bee products.

What is Royal Jelly?

As mentioned earlier, Royal Jelly is a goo-like substance produced by bees and is fed to larvae worker bees to provide nutrients and promote growth.

Royal jelly is secreted by the glands of worker bees, and most larvae that are fed this nutrient-rich substance across a period may grow up to be Queen bees.

Funnily enough, the Queen bee exclusively eats royal jelly during her lifetime, which may be why it’s called royal jelly.

What Are The Benefits of Royal Jelly?

Royal jelly is dense in nutrients, compromising a range of carbs, proteins, fats, and several B Vitamins and trace minerals.

Although the full chemical makeup is still relatively unknown, its health benefits are thought to derive from a range of unique proteins and fatty acids (Cornara et al., 2017).

One major fatty acid that often governs the quality and efficaciousness of all Royal Jelly products is 10-Hydroxydecanoic Acid (10-HDA).

This is why I often recommend CATALO 100% Royal Jelly, as it’s Standardised to 1.1% Active 10-HDA using Australian Natural Royal Jelly.

Anyway, let’s dive into some of the health benefits.

May Promote Good Skin Health

The unique 2-HDA compound found in Royal Jelly is thought to stimulate fibroblast production, which can help the body naturally produce collagen, something important for skin health (Sugiyama et al., 2012).

Royal jelly is also extremely moisturising, helping the skin maintain better elasticity and improve overall skin appearance.

Lastly, Royal Jelly’s anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties may be beneficial in treating conditions such as dermatitis or reducing visible skin inflammation and redness (Kurek-Górecka et al., 2020).

May Support Immune Function

Royal Jelly contains strong antimicrobial properties that may boost the body’s natural immune response to foreign bacteria and other external pathogens.

This is due to special proteins known as major royal jelly proteins (MRJPs) and the presence of 2-HDA, which are thought to contain such antimicrobial activities (Fontana et al., 2004).

Certain MRJPs may also help modulate a healthy immune response, which governs how our body responds to certain allergic, cancerous or inflammatory compounds (Labro, 2012).

Energy and Physical Fatigue

Royal Jelly may assist in some situations to improve fatigue-like symptoms.

In a study done on patients with cancer-related fatigue, Royal Jelly had a positive effect in improving symptoms of low energy and physical fatigue (Mofid et al., 2016).

This may be due to various anti-oxidant, immune-modulating, anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory benefits that may be working collectively, which results in a fatigue reduction.

May Lower Cholesterol Levels

Studies have shown Royal Jelly to positively impact cholesterol levels, which may improve cardiovascular health.

This impact is said to be due to specific proteins found in Royal Jelly, which have been shown to help lower cholesterol (Kashima et al., 2014).

In addition to this, it’s also thought that Royal Jelly may possess antiatherogenic properties, which may also improve vascular function, further supporting the cardiovascular system (Fujisue et al., 2021). 

May Support Brain Health

Long-term oral administration of Royal Jelly in animal models has shown to promote beneficial effects on cognitive function, including neuroprotective and working spatial memory (Guardia de Souza e Silva et al., 2020).

These effects are thought to be due to small peptides found in MRJPs that are thought to exert strong anti-oxidant activities (Guo et al., 2009).

5-HDA is also thought to participate in the production of various endogenous compounds required for brain function and the formation of new neurons.

Royal Jelly Supplementation

There are many brands on the market for Royal Jelly, so the biggest question is, which product do I buy to get the best benefits?

One thing you must look for is the disclosure of active 10-Hydroxydecanoic Acid (10-HDA), which will be printed on the label.

10-HDA is the measure of quality, efficacious Royal Jelly, and without it, it’s unknown how many therapeutic health benefits you will get from it.

CATALO Naturals has an amazing range of Bee products, and their Royal Jelly is Australian sourced and contains active 10-HDA.

If you’re looking for something delicious and also equally beneficial for your health, I recommend CATALO Ultra Clear Propolis Extract as well!

Frequently Asked Questions about Royal Jelly

Can Royal Jelly Improve Skin Health?

There is some evidence suggesting that royal jelly may help in enhancing collagen production and protecting against skin aging.

Is Royal Jelly Safe to Use for Everyone?

No, Royal jelly may cause allergic reactions, especially in people allergic to bees or bee products. It is also advised that pregnant and breastfeeding women, small children, and individuals with compromised immune systems should avoid royal jelly. Additionally, it might interact with certain medications like blood thinners.

Can Royal Jelly Help Regulate Blood Sugar Levels?

Some studies indicate that royal jelly may play a role in improving blood sugar levels and insulin sensitivity. However, the research is not conclusive, and more studies are needed to confirm these effects.

Summary

Royal Jelly has an extensive range of health benefits, including its ability to support skin, immune, cognition and overall health.

This article is just the tip of the iceberg of what Royal Jelly can do, and I encourage you to do your own research or even try it out to see how it makes you feel.

Clarity is here to help, so please use the resources we offer, and if you have any questions, do reach out.

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References

• Cornara, L., Biagi, M., Xiao, J., & Burlando, B. (2017). Therapeutic Properties of Bioactive Compounds from Different Honeybee Products. Frontiers in Pharmacology, 8. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2017.00412
• Fontana, R., Mendes, M. A., Souza, B. M. de, Konno, K., CésarL. M. M., Malaspina, O., & Palma, M. S. (2004). Jelleines: a family of antimicrobial peptides from the Royal Jelly of honeybees (Apis mellifera). Peptides, 25(6), 919–928. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.peptides.2004.03.016
• Fujisue, K., Yamamoto, E., Sueta, D., Arima, Y., Hirakawa, K., Tabata, N., Ishii, M., Ito, M., Yamanaga, K., Hanatani, S., Hoshiyama, T., Kanazawa, H., Takashio, S., Araki, S., Usuku, H., Nakamura, T., Soejima, H., Kaikita, K., Kawano, H., & Matsushita, K. (2021). A Randomized, Double-Blind Comparison Study of Royal Jelly to Augment Vascular Endothelial Function in Healthy Volunteers. Journal of Atherosclerosis and Thrombosis. https://doi.org/10.5551/jat.63044
• Guardia de Souza e Silva, T., do Val de Paulo, M. E. F., da Silva, J. R. M., da Silva Alves, A., Britto, L. R. G., Xavier, G. F., & Lopes Sandoval, M. R. (2020). Oral treatment with royal jelly improves memory and presents neuroprotective effects on icv-STZ rat model of sporadic Alzheimer’s disease. Heliyon, 6(2), e03281. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e03281
• Guo, H., Kouzuma, Y., & Yonekura, M. (2009). Structures and properties of antioxidative peptides derived from royal jelly protein. Food Chemistry, 113(1), 238–245. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2008.06.081
• Kashima, Y., Kanematsu, S., Asai, S., Kusada, M., Watanabe, S., Kawashima, T., Nakamura, T., Shimada, M., Goto, T., & Nagaoka, S. (2014). Identification of a Novel Hypocholesterolemic Protein, Major Royal Jelly Protein 1, Derived from Royal Jelly. PLoS ONE, 9(8), e105073. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0105073
• Kurek-Górecka, A., Górecki, M., Rzepecka-Stojko, A., Balwierz, R., & Stojko, J. (2020). Bee Products in Dermatology and Skin Care. Molecules, 25(3), 556. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules25030556
• Labro, M.-T. (2012). Immunomodulatory effects of antimicrobial agents. Part I: antibacterial and antiviral agents. Expert Review of Anti-Infective Therapy, 10(3), 319–340. https://doi.org/10.1586/eri.12.11
• Mofid, B., Rezaeizadeh, H., Termos, A., Rakhsha, A., Rezazadeh Mafi, A., & Taheripanah, T. (2016). Effect of Processed Honey and Royal Jelly on Cancer-Related Fatigue: A Double-Blind Randomized Clinical Trial. Electronic Physician, 8(6), 2475–2482. https://doi.org/10.19082/2475
• Sugiyama, T., Takahashi, K., & Mori, H. (2012). Royal Jelly Acid, 10-Hydroxy-trans-2-Decenoic Acid, as a Modulator of the Innate Immune Responses. Endocrine, Metabolic & Immune Disorders-Drug Targets, 12(4), 368–376. https://doi.org/10.2174/187153012803832530

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Stephen Brumwell

Former drinker, Nutritionist, Biohacking enthusiast, self-experimenter, research fanatic, and self-taught writer, Stephen immerses himself deep into the literature of human optimisation and better understand the nature of addiction. His goal is to help people take control of their addiction, reset their cravings, unscramble their broken brain circuitry and use actionable strategies that work ten times better than anything else.