Paul: Manuka Health Never Claimed Cancer-Curing Properties

By Kerry Paul, Chief Executive, Manuka Health New Zealand Limited

(May 19, 2008) - AMHA is making yet another false statement about Manuka Health. There has been no release of promotional materials claiming methylglyoxal in manuka honey has cancer-curing properties. To our knowledge there has never been any research showing manuka honey has cancer curing properties.

[Editor’s Note: See "New Zealand Manuka Honey Group Discounts Cancer Claims"]

What is AMHA’s motivation in this exercise? Simply it is to attempt to dis-credit Manuka Health. AMHA is extremely bitter at Manuka Health for launching its MGOTM manuka honey testing system in January 2008.

Ever since the launch there has been attacks from AMHA including allegations of fraud, product misrepresentation and misleading advertising. None of these are true.

The issue is really about science. The discovery by Professor Henle’s research group at the University of Dresden published in the Journal of Molecular Nutrition and Food Research, January 2008 that the active ingredient in manuka honey is dietary methylglyoxal. This has removed all the mystery from what was responsible for the reliable anti-bacterial activity only found in manuka honey. Previously this was called UMF or Unique Manuka Factor and now this concept has been made redundant by Manuka Health.

Manuka Health has adopted the latest scientific discovery and now markets and tests its products based on the methylglyoxal content. For instance MGOTM 100 manuka honey represents 100mg methylglyoxal in 1 kilogram of manuka honey being the minimum required to get any health benefit. Manuka Health markets products up to MGOTM 550.

The MGOTM manuka honey test method is precise and repeatable. In contrast, the UMF test is not repeatable and can vary by between 25 to 50% when re-testing the same sample.

AMHA is managed by five of Manuka Health’s competitors who have seen the threat created by the MGOTM manuka honey system and their only response has been to make false allegations.

For more information on the MGOTM manuka honey system please visit us at http://www.manukahealth.co.nz/ or contact the writer at kerry@manukahealth.co.nz