Royal Jelly is a specialized secretion produced by honeybees and used as food for the Queen Honeybee and young larvae bees. Royal Jelly is made of water, protein, sugars and lipids. These specialized lipids, such as 10-hydroxy-2-decenoic acid (10-HDA) are what are considered the bioactive and important research-based components of Royal Jelly. 10-HDA has been studied by researchers for decades now and studies suggest it has anti inflammatory, antitumor, antibacterial properties while also promoting neurogenesis (stem cell growth).
Royal Jelly is already thought to be the reason why the Queen Bee can live up to 4 years while other genetically identical worker bees only live on average 6 weeks. A 2018 research review looked at the anti-cancer effects of Royal Jelly and 10-HDA. (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6214034/)
Results from this research review indicated that 10-HDA is able to inhibit tumor growth and cancer cell spread. Animal studies have indicated that Royal Jelly can lead to better survival rates for many different types of malignancies. Studies went on to indicate that Royal Jelly can lower oxidative stress, improve cell survival, and reduce inflammation. While these studies do need further larger populations and continued human studies, it is a clear indication for a possible adjunctive therapy to traditional cancer treatment and prevention.
