Is Royal Jelly Paleo?


Royal jelly is secreted by bees out of glands in their heads. Sounds tasty, right?

A Natural, Nutrient-Dense Food

It’s actually a nutrient-dense food and it contains a special growth-promoting hormone called royalactin. It’s meant to extend the lives of queen bees and has been shown to do the same in fruitflies, but the effects it has on humans are not as clear.

Possible Health Effects

It has been shown to promote neurogenesis and possibly improve cognitive abilities in rodents. One study showed it might be able to help with male infertility, while another study showed it might actually have a negative effect on fertility.


It’s a natural, nutrient-dense food, so it can definitely be included as a part of a healthy Paleo lifestyle, but we recommend moderation and some N=1 experimenting to determine its effect on you.

Mark Sisson discussed royal jelly in this post.