Manuka honey. Arthritis and diabetes.

[Loobyloo]

I have terrible arthritis and have bee informed that people find some relief from taking Manuka honey. Being diabetic i am wondering if anyone else here has tried and found any benefit and what are the effects on BG levels? I generally control my levels from below or just above pre diabetes levels with diet alone.

 

[Anna DUK]

Hi. The honey (any type) will spike/raise your sugars since it is a carbohydrate. My understanding is that Manuka honey has been marketed as being effective in treating many conditions including wound healing and diabetes but there is limited evidence on this.

 

[rebrascora]

As a beekeeper myself you might think that I would support the use of honey, but actually I agree with @Anna DUK that there is a lot of hype in the marketing of Manuka honey particularly and its exorbitant price, plus there is a lot of fake honey on the market, because it is so expensive and therefore worth counterfeiting..... usually selling cheaply produced generic honey perhaps with a bit of Manuka mixed in or even a mixture of honey and syrup etc.

My thoughts are that arthritis may be aggravated by elevated blood glucose levels so I would be wary of using anything to treat it which may have a detrimental effect both to your diabetes and potentially your arthritis and worse still if it parts you with hard earned cash as Manuka usually does.

 

[s'nic]

I would add - in addition to comments above I once looked at this.
The grading of Manuka is based on one of three things (depending on producer or country I guess) - they are MGO Level / UMF number / NPA grade.
Someone hoping for a health benefit would need to buy a higher grade. Bearing in mind it's an expensive product anyhow, the higher grades are even more expensive.
So the bottom line is you would spend a lot of cash, potentially impact your blood sugar, and in the end have no guarantee that you would get any benefit.

 

[Loobyloo]

Thanks everyone i was just hoping for something to help my arthritis as i have friends who swear by it but they arent diabetics

 

[Leadinglights]

My experience is that Makuka honey is very antibacterial and can be effective against infections that are resistant to antibiotics when applied directly to wounds or in impregnated dressings.
Ordinary honey in this context can also be effective but it is due to the hydrogen peroxide content which is also antibacterial.
It is a bit like all these other so called magic cures, they may work, they may not but most of the evidence is anecdotal rather than scientifically proven.