Keep your immune system in tip-top condition. Find out how the ingredients in Manuka Plus High Strength Vitamin C can help:
Manuka honey (MGO 300)
This high-strength honey – made by bees collecting nectar from New Zealand Manuka bushes – contains the active ingredient methylglyoxal (MGO), which has an antimicrobial [1] and also anti-bacterial effect on the body, according to a 2018 study by Ulster University [2].
Our Manuka honey is harvested from Manuka Doctor hives high in the New Zealand mountains, and then freeze-dried into powder.
Vitamin C
According to the European Commission, this nutrient is important for normal immune system function in the general population [3]. According to the USA’s renowned Linus Pauling Institute, vitamin C is needed not only to produce the immune system’s front-line fighters, white blood cells, but it also stimulates their activity [4].
Vitamin C is found in fruit and vegetables, in particular citrus fruits, tomatoes, potatoes, melon, berries, kiwi fruit and green leafy vegetables [5].
Zinc
Just like vitamin C, this mineral is needed for normal immune system function [6]. A 2008 study by Wayne State University, USA reported that zinc is critical for the normal development and function of immune cells, including certain types of white blood cell called neutrophils and natural killer cells. An enzyme that helps gear up T-cells, another type of white blood cell, is also needed by zinc [7].
Foods rich in this mineral include oysters, beef, seafood, pork, pulses, nuts and seeds, dairy food and wholegrains [8].
Sources
1. Alvarez-Suarez JM, et al. The Composition and Biological Activity of Honey: A Focus on Manuka Honey. Foods. 2014 Sep;3(3):420-432. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5302252/
2. Johnston M, et al. Antibacterial activity of Manuka honey and its components: An overview. AIMS Microbiology. 2018. 4(4):665-664. https://www.aimspress.com/fileOther/PDF/microbiology/microbiol-04-04-655.pdf
3. European Commission. EU Register on nutrition and health claims. http://ec.europa.eu/food/safety/labelling_nutrition/claims/register/public/?event=search
4. Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University. Immunity In Depth: Overview of the Immune System. https://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/health-disease/immunity
5. National Institutes of Health. Vitamin C: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminC-HealthProfessional/
6. As Source 3
7. Prasad AS. Zinc in Human Health: Effect of Zinc on Immune Cells. Mol Med. 2008 May-Jun; 14(5-6):353-357. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2277319/
8. National Institutes for Health. Zinc: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Zinc-HealthProfessional/#en3