When several years ago Manuka honey was first introduced to the health food industry customers would inquire what I thought about it. I had brought to the store a small quantity if only to serve the curious. Historically honey has always been prized for its wound healing and antibiotic activity. However Manuka created a sensation for its higher antibiotic activity, and marketing competition was intensified when an activity number was ascribed to Manuka that sort of blew off regular honeys because of their lower activity number. This activity rating number identified as UMF which stands for Unique Manuka Factor “measures” the levels of methyglyoxal (MGO), dihydroxyacetone (DHA) and leptosperin (presence of leptosporin validates Manuka authenticity).
It was in 2011 when I introduced the Manuka honey to my customers. The UMF rating was 7. I quickly found out that my customers were buying Manuka honey on the internet with UMF numbers in the 12-27 range, and they were not interested in the low UMF(7) honey I was offering. Back then the Manuka honey was rated by simply labeling “Activity 7 or Activity 26+“. I made inquiries of bee keepers and producers about how this activity had been derived, and I never received a satisfactory answer so I resisted the temptation to join the then “high activity” chorus.
Today, a cursory examination of Manuka honey sold on the internet is in the activity range of 40+UMF. Also, another activity number MGO is utilized. MGO measures the methylglyoxal content of Manuka honeys. The MGO is ascribed to be the predominant factor contributing to the antibacterial properties of the Manuka honey. The presence of MGO is found in the other honeys, but at lower concentrations that of Manuka honey. This relationship between UMF and MGO appears to be linear, that is the higher the UMF number corresponds to a higher MGO number and if plotted the graph fits a straight line. The UMF number measures purity and potency. The MGO number is a chemical marker as it measures the amount of methylglyoxal. This measurement is not direct and is obtained via a comparative method utilizing another chemical agent of known antibiotic activity and then comparing it to Manuka honey – It is as best and simplest way I can explain this UMF/MGO relationship within the constraints of this writing.
Being a natural product there can be many factors that can effect the antibiotic activity of Manuka honeys. Hence, one needs to be careful in the interpretation and methodology in the derivation of these numbers. There is medical grade Manuka honey which is produced under controlled conditions and can be more consistent in its effectiveness against bacteria. All honeys exhibit microbiotic activity. Commercial Manuka honey also has shown some effectiveness, however researchers did not find that Manuka honey’s performance in killing or inhibiting the growth of bacteria was consistently better as the advertised UMF or GMO numbers grew larger.
In a recent article in the Epic Times that was published August 1st 2024, the author Jennifer Sweeney commented that recent research has seen a link between methylgyoxal and cancer and suggests that Manuka honey may take on a tumor promoting role in cancer. The drive for higher MGO/UMF factors must be viewed with caution.
Hence, less is more healthy and more is less safe. In future blogs I will address the potential folly of isolating a single plant/herb component and magnifying it’s concentration thinking, in the absences of good science it will yield better performance.
