Honey could help fight bacterial resistance to antibiotics.
"The unique property of honey lies in its ability to fight infection on multiple levels, making it more difficult for bacteria to develop resistance," study leader Susan M. Meschwitz, Ph.D. said in an American Chemical Society news release.
The combination of "hydrogen peroxide, acidity, osmotic effect, high sugar concentration and polyphenols" help kill bacteria cells, the news release reported.
The researchers found honey also helps to keep biofilms (" slimy disease-causing bacteria") from forming.
"Honey may also disrupt quorum sensing, which weakens bacterial virulence, rendering the bacteria more susceptible to conventional antibiotics," Meschwitz said.
Quorum sensing is how bacteria communicate with each other. This communication system can control the release of toxins that cause disease.
Unlike modern antibiotics, honey does not target the "essential growth process" of the bacteria, which can lead to drug resistance.
Honey is stocked full of polyphenols, or antioxidants which includes "phenolic acids, caffeic acid, p-coumaric acid and ellagic acid, as well as many flavonoids," the news release reported.
"Several studies have demonstrated a correlation between the non-peroxide antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of honey and the presence of honey phenolics," Meschwitz. said.
The study confirmed that honey has a wide range of " antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral properties."
"We have run standard antioxidant tests on honey to measure the level of antioxidant activity," she explained. "We have separated and identified the various antioxidant polyphenol compounds. In our antibacterial studies, we have been testing honey's activity against E. coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, among others," Meschwitz said.
The study was part of the 247th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS), which is "the world's largest scientific society." Thousands of scientists attended the meeting, which featured over 10,000 reports on new scientific advances.
