Bee Pollen Extends Lifespan of Inbred Mice

More positive proof of the importance in eating fresh, bee pollen!!

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

In Possible Experimental Model for Nutrigenomics, Bee Pollen Extends Lifespan of Inbred Mice

Inbred Mice Fed Only Bee Pollen
Journal of ApiProduct & ApiMedical Science, Vol. 2 (4) pp. 156 - 160

We previously reported that three different inbred strains of mice (CBA/Ki, C3H/f/Ki and C57BI/Ki) survived in a healthy condition when fed only a bee pollen granules diet and drinking water for 365 days.

Similarly, Sprague-Dawley rats showed comparable skeletal and organ growth and development when fed a similar bee pollen diet during a twelve-week period as compared to control animals fed a standard laboratory diet.

It was the purpose of this study to determine how long the survival time of CBA/Ki mice could be extended beyond 365 days when fed only bee pollen granules and water as compared to controls.

Control mice survived a mean of 477 days (389-548) with 100% diagnosed with renal amyloidosis at autopsy which characterized this strain of mice in our laboratory. All pollen fed mice appeared healthy when euthanized at 600 days of age. Survival times were compared with a log rank test. Also, there was no evidence of pathology particularly in the kidneys.

These unexpected findings could be interpreted as being consistent with the genetotrophic disease concept proposed more than fifty years ago, namely, that bee pollen contains either a unique nutrient or a higher level of one or more nutrients that may be lacking or at a lower concentration in the standard diet which will then circumvent partial genetic blocks in the metabolic assembly line.

If correct, this finding could provide an experimental model for study in the emerging field of nutrigenomics.

Effect of bee pollen levels on productive, reproductive and blood traits of NZW rabbits

unfortunately, they don't mention type of pollen or state of freshness... 

J Anim Physiol Anim Nutr (Berl), 2010 Sep 29

Summary

Forty New Zealand White (NZW) rabbit does were equally divided among four groups feeding the same commercial diet and receiving a water solution containing, respectively, 0 (control), 100, 200 and 300 mg bee pollen/kg body weight (BW), 1 week before and after mating during moderate (October–February) and hot seasons (May–September) for three consecutive mating in each season.

Does were mated with non-treated adult NZW male rabbits 11 days after kindling. Body weight of does, number of service per conception, conception rate, feed intake, litter size, milk production, blood constituents, weight of kits from birth up to weaning and survival rate were determined. For each season, 80 weaned rabbits originated from the does of the control group (untreated does) were equally divided into four groups (0, 100, 200 and 300 mg/kg BW) of bee pollen, given as a water solution twice per week from 4 to 12 weeks of age. The kit of the does given 100, 200 and 300 mg/kg BW did not receive bee pollen during the growing period (4–12 weeks of age).

The effect of bee pollen on growing rabbit’s performance was studied from 4 to 12 week of age. Bee pollen at 200 mg significantly (p < 0.01) increased body weight of does, conception rate, milk yield, litter size; improved biochemical profiles of blood and helps outstanding of does during both seasons. The same dose of bee pollen significantly increased kit growth and their survival rate until weaning. Growth and feed conversion ratio (FCR) of kits from the treated does during 4–8 weeks of age were significantly better than growth of kits from the untreated does that administrated bee pollen during 4–12 weeks of age.

Meanwhile, during the following period (8–12 weeks of age) growth and FCR of kits given bee pollen from the untreated does were significantly better than that of treated does...