Honey & manuka

Honey is concentrated floral nectar transformed by bees. Beyond sugars, it contains hydrogen-peroxide-producing enzymes, organic acids and polyphenol antioxidants — the basis of its mild antibacterial and soothing effects.

Honey is a “free sugar,” so you would expect it to behave like table sugar. A 2023 systematic review and meta-analysis (18 controlled trials, ~1,100 people, a median of ~40 g/day for 8 weeks) found close to the opposite: honey slightly lowered fasting glucose, total and LDL cholesterol, triglycerides and a liver-fat marker (ALT), and nudged HDL (“good”) cholesterol up.³

The benefit hinged on the type of honey. Raw, unprocessed monofloral honeys — especially clover and acacia (robinia) — drove the glucose and cholesterol effects, while processed, pasteurised honey largely lost them. Raw honey’s enzymes, rare oligosaccharides and polyphenols are the likely reason.

Keep it in perspective: the changes were small, and the certainty of evidence was low for most markers (only the modest HDL rise was rated high-certainty). This is not a reason to eat more honey. The realistic takeaway: swapping table sugar or syrup for a modest amount of raw honey, within an already-healthy diet, appears to be slightly better than the sugar it replaces. Some research in this field is industry-funded, so treat the signal as promising rather than settled.

A Cochrane review found honey relieves cough in children better than no treatment or placebo, and comparably to dextromethorphan.¹ A spoon of honey (or in warm water/tea) is a reasonable, cheap soother for coughs and sore throats in anyone over one year.

Manuka honey, from the New Zealand mānuka bush, is unusually high in methylglyoxal (MGO) — a stable antibacterial compound. Its potency is labelled as MGO (mg/kg) or UMF grade, which correlate with antibacterial activity.² Medical-grade manuka is used in wound and burn dressings, including against resistant bacteria like MRSA. For everyday use, higher MGO/UMF costs more; modest grades suffice for a sore throat.

Infants under 12 months must not have honey (botulism risk).¹ For everyone else, remember it is sugar — mind teeth, calories and blood sugar. Eating manuka doesn’t “disinfect” your insides; its proven antibacterial use is topical/wound care.

For soothing, any real honey works. For wounds, use a sterile medical-grade manuka dressing, not a kitchen jar. If buying manuka to eat, check a genuine MGO/UMF rating from a reputable source.