A honey bee collects pollen from the Manuka bush flower. Courtesy of Shutterstock/M Rutherford
THE MANUKA HONEY STORY
The Manuka honey story begins in 1839 when missionaries first brought honey bees to New Zealand. Māori people already treasured the native Mānuka plant for its medicinal properties. But until then, it had not been used to make honey.
What makes Manuka honey special is its high concentrations of methylglyoxal (MGO), which creates powerful antibacterial effects up to 100 times stronger than other honey varieties.
The History of NZ Manuka Honey
Unlike regular honey, Manuka honey contains stable non-peroxide antibacterial activity. Scientist Peter Molan actually discovered this in the 1980s (40 or so years ago).
Scientific research has validated Manuka honey’s special properties for treating wounds, infections, and supporting wellness (among many other uses), making it a valuable natural therapeutic option.
Strict government regulations protect the authenticity of New Zealand Manuka honey. The UMF™ grading system, ensures consumers get a genuine product with verified levels of beneficial compounds.
Map of Australia and New Zealand from Alamy
ORIGIN OF MANUKA HONEY
A small amount of honey from the Manuka tree is produced in Australia. But technically, it is proper to brand this type of honey as ‘Manuka honey’ only when it is produced in New Zealand.
UMF and MGO Ratings of New Zealand Honey Co. honey. UMF 10+ to 30+ and MGO 263+ to 1620+
Not only is Manuka Honey unique to the world of honey but there is a whole world within this type of honey, itself. Actually, Manuka honey comes in specific antibacterial strengths (MGO) with various certification levels (UMF).
“Mānuka honey contains 3x the natural antioxidants vs regular honey, many that you can’t find elsewhere. Antioxidants have been studied to help balance the body’s inflammatory response.” Manukora Honey Manukora Honey 50+ to 1000+
MANUKA HONEY RATING SYSTEMS
MGO 263+ to 1620+ “More MGO = more of the good stuff!
MGO, is a unique antibacterial compound naturally found in the nectar of the Mānuka tea tree flower. A higher MGO number means higher antibacterial activity and also higher concentrations of other key bioactives.” Manukora Honey
UMF 10+ to 30+ This is the official rating system, known as the Unique Manuka Factor, with a minimum is 30+, and a maximum is 60+. It is independent of any single brand, trusted by premium Manuka honey producers that test genuine, fresh, pure, raw, and monofloral Manuka honey produced and packaged in New Zealand. The gold standard of Manuka honey is UMF™ 1620+. At this rating, one is covering all your bases and getting the best possible product straight from the wilds of New Zealand.
“KFactor™ is a Manuka honey rating system created by a honey brand. It verifies five key factors which indicate genuine Manuka honey: traceability, raw and unpasteurized, non-GMO, made in New Zealand, and free from antibiotics, glyphosate, and pesticides. KFactor™ can be multifloral or monofloral.
“KFactor™ leaves out one of the most critical measures that most Manuka honey customers look for – its antibacterial potency. Methylglyoxal (MGO) content is not included in the KFactor™ rating. Instead, we recommend the UMF™ rating for Manuka honey.” New Zealand Honey Co.
TOP BRANDS OF MANUKA HONEY
Below is a suggested listing of the 10 best Manuka honeys. Top ten suggested brands of Manuka Honey (1-5)Top 10 brands of Manuka honey (6-10)
Definition Global Blue zones are regions in the world where people are anticipated to live longer than the average lifespan. In fact, Gianni Pes, Michel Poulain and Dan Buettner did a study that specifically identified five such global zones within the last few decades.
Within the identified areas, there are actually greater than normal numbers of people living healthfully to over 100. Initially each person who qualified became identified by a blue marks on a world map. As a result these accumulated blue marks became solid blue areas. Consequently they were named blue zones.
Locations In other words, the study identified five Global Blue Zones in 2004. They are Okinawa, Japan; Sardinia, Italy; Nicoya, Costa Rica; Icaria, Greece; and Loma Linda, California, United States.
A map of the 5 documented world blue zones published on WisdomofHeart.com
Barbagia region of Sardinia – Mountainous highlands of inner Sardinia with the world’s highest concentration of male centenarians.
Ikaria, Greece – Aegean Island with one of the world’s lowest rates of middle age mortality and the lowest rates of dementia.
Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica – World’s lowest rates of middle age mortality, second highest concentration of male centenarians.
Seventh Day Adventists – Highest concentration is around Loma Linda, California. They live 10 years longer than their North American counterparts.
Okinawa, Japan – Females over 70 are the longest-lived population in the world. Power 9® – Reverse Engineering Longevity By Dan Buettner
OVERALL COMMON DENOMINATORS
“We then assembled a team of medical researchers, anthropologists, demographers, and epidemiologists to search for evidence-based common denominators among all places. We found nine.” Power 9 – Blue Zones. They are displayed by the above infographic and the table below.
For clarification, here is a verbal translation of Power 9® – Reverse Engineering Longevity By Dan Buettner. Power 9® – Reverse Engineering Longevity By Dan Buettner transformed into a table format by Alison D. Gilbert
Blue zone community certification
Are the number of blue zones increasing? Yes. In fact, these two articles reveal how things are in the works to increase the number of blue zones as well as work towards more blue zones.
Why Are The Numbers Increasing? Two possibilities factor into the current situation. For example, we are identifying more existing blue zones because we have the criteria. Secondly, we are creating more blue zones because we have the knowledge. As the consciousness continues to increase about what contributes to an area becoming a blue zones, the more the number of zones can increase.
In Conclusion There is no question that we clearly have a long way to go. But at least we are learning what we need to do to improve. Perhaps one day the entire planet will be covered in blue (zones). Wouldn’t that be amazing?!
