Manuka honey at war with bacteria

A study conducted in Australia provides new information in this regard.

The growing resistance of bacteria to antibiotics has made honey a cheap and natural solution to prevent infections in open wounds. Compared to expensive antibiotic treatments that can last weeks, a study by the I3 Institute and the University of Technology Sydney in Australia has shown that it is just as effective to use medicinal honey to disinfect chronic wounds.

“Evolution has created an alternative to antibiotics that also prevents bacteria from becoming resistant.”

“Honey never spoils and that is because bacteria cannot grow in it,” says the person responsible for the study, Elizabeth Harry.

Study on two kinds of honey

However, ordinary honey is not suitable for medical use because it does not have a sufficient proportion of antibacterial components. For this reason, the study focuses on two types of honey originating in New Zealand, manuka and kanuka .

Harry explains that “both have high proportions of hydrogen peroxide and metagloxil, which are antibacterial components, although manuka is more effective for medical treatment.” The study also shows that manuka honey does not have a single antibacterial component and it is likely that other types of honey with different levels of hydrogen peroxide and metagloxil have similar properties.

“Many researchers are trying to identify the component of honey that prevents bacteria from reproducing, but in fact there are more than one, perhaps hundreds, that cause this effect ,” the expert stresses.

Resistance to bacteria worries WHO

The growing resistance of bacteria to antibiotics has become one of the greatest concerns in the medical sector and the World Health Organization has classified it as one of the three most serious health problems worldwide.

On the other hand, the use of honey for medical purposes represents a minimal cost compared to the research and testing expenses required to develop an antibiotic.

According to Elisabeth Harry, producing an antibiotic requires an average of ten years of research and a cost of millions of euros: “In the last twenty years only two antibiotics have been approved , ” she explains.

The debate about the high cost of antibiotics compared to other natural treatments has become more important as the proportion of elderly people in developed countries increases.

The most common medical treatment for such cases is a combination of several antibiotics to prevent the bacteria from developing resistance to the medicine. But the study on the healing properties of honey also concludes that, in extreme cases, adding honey to medical treatment gives positive results.

The combination allows the antibiotic dosage to be reduced and the honey acts as double protection, according to Harry.

“A chronic wound is one that remains open for three months or more, which is very common among older people or people who suffer from diabetes,” says the researcher. From research to commercialization

From research to commercialization

After making the study's findings public, a New Zealand firm has already developed and marketed a gel, various types of bandages and lozenges with honey as the main component, and some medical centres in New Zealand and Australia have begun to use them.

Although research has shown that honey is a disinfectant and can complement or even replace antibiotic treatment, the researcher reminds us that it is necessary to take into account the patient's medical history.

Today, Harry points out, researchers have still not answered many of the questions surrounding honey: “It is one of the oldest natural products used by man, but we only know a small part of its components and we do not know exactly what makes it such a powerful antibacterial solution.”

Sitting next to her microscope, surrounded by laboratory dishes and honey-flavored candies, Harry says she will continue investigating to explain the mystery that makes honey the ideal adversary in the war against bacteria.

Source: efesalud.com