Written by Greg Arnold, DC, CSCS. Of the 338 patients with diabetic foot ulcers, those who had their foot ulcers dressed with honey experienced a significant 38% faster healing than the 169 patients that had normal saline dressings. There were also significantly more patients with complete healing in the honey dressing group. 
According to the World Health Organization, diabetes affected 422 million people worldwide in 2014 and is “a major cause” of blindness, kidney failure, heart attacks, stroke and lower limb amputation (1). A precursor to lower limb amputation is often the presence of foot ulcers, which account for half of non-traumatic amputation among diabetics (2). As a result, finding effective ways to treat foot ulcers in diabetics is a priority.
Now a new study (3) suggests that honey may be an effective dressing for foot ulcers in diabetics. The study involved 338 patients (188 men, 150 women) aged 47 to 64 with ulcers graded on the Wagner’s scale as either grade 1 or 2 (4). They had their foot ulcers dressed with either honey (179 subjects) or a normal saline dressing (169 subjects) over a maximum of 120 days. Wounds were treated and addressed according to methods used in previous research (5).
The researchers found two significant benefits of honey dressings over the saline dressing. Not only did the honey group have significantly more patients with complete wound healing compared to the saline group (75.97% versus 57.39%, p = 0.001), but the wounds healed 38% faster than the saline group (18 versus 29 days, p < 0.001). When suggesting how honey elicited these benefits for wound dressing, the researchers cited the “bioactive compounds” found in honey (6) as well as anti-inflammatory and immune system-stimulating properties (7, 8).
For the researchers, “The present results showed that honey is an effective dressing agent instead of conventional dressings, in treating patients of diabetic foot ulcer” but that “there is still a need for more well-designed, large and double blinded RCTs for corroborating the findings of the present study.”
Source: Imram et al 2016. A Randomized, Controlled Clinical Trial of Honey-Impregnated Dressing for Treating Diabetic Foot Ulcer. Journal of the College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan 2015, Vol. 25 (10): 721-725
Click here to read the full text study.
Posted June 14, 2016.
Greg Arnold is a Chiropractic Physician practicing in Hauppauge, NY. You can contact Dr. Arnold directly by emailing him at PitchingDoc@msn.com or visiting his web site at www.PitchingDoc.com.
References:
- “Diabetes” posted on the World Health Organization website
- Burns S, Jan YK. Diabetic foot ulceration and amputation. Rehabil Med 2012; 1-20
- Imran M. A Randomized, Controlled Clinical Trial of Honey-Impregnated Dressing for Treating Diabetic Foot Ulcer. J Coll Physicians Surg Pak 2015 Oct;25(10):721-5. doi: 10.2015/JCPSP.721725
- Wagner FW Jr. The diabetic foot. Orthopedics. 1987;10:163–72
- Shaw J, Hughes CM, Lagan KM, Bell PM, Stevenson MR. An evaluation of three wound measurement techniques in diabetic foot wounds. Diabetes Care 2007; 30:2641-2
- Molan PC. The evidence and the rationale for the use of honey as wound dressing. Wound Pract Res 2011; 19:204-20
- Carville K. Expert commentary: understanding how honey impacts on wounds: an update on recent research findings. Wounds Int 2013; 4:25
- Seckam R, Cooper R. Understanding how honey impacts on wounds: an update on recent research findings. Wounds Int 2013; 4:20-4.
