Can I eat honey if I have diabetes?
Key Takeaways
Honey is a natural sweetener created by bees from the nectar of flowers.
Some studies have shown that consuming honey causes a smaller spike in blood sugar, compared with consuming other sugars like sucrose (white sugar) or glucose.
There have been some studies indicating potential health benefits of honey consumption, including improvements in allergy symptoms as well as a lower risk of heart disease.
Studies on honey’s potential health benefits are small, and we need more research to be sure that consuming honey causes a benefit to health. However, replacing white sugar with honey may be a healthy choice.
It’s important to remember that honey does contain sugar, so it can raise blood glucose levels. It should be consumed in moderation.
What is honey?
Honey is a sweet liquid created by bees, and is used as a natural sweetener. Bees generally make honey from nectar, which is a sugary substance present in flowers. The bees concentrate sugar and other substances from the nectar over a long period of time in order to create honey.
Many people like to use honey to add sweetness to foods and beverages. It can be stirred into coffee or tea, spread on toast, drizzled over yogurt or cereal, or used in baking. Some people with diabetes wonder whether honey would be a better choice of sweetener than other options, such as sucrose (white sugar).
In fact, there is some research demonstrating some potential benefits of choosing honey as a sweetener. While we will need a lot more research to be certain about the health effects of honey, it can be a good option for people with diabetes.
Honey and Blood Sugar
One reason that honey may be a good sweetener is that it has a relatively low glycemic index compared with some other sweeteners. Glycemic index, or GI, is a measure of how much a particular food causes blood sugar to rise. In people with diabetes, consuming a food with a high glycemic index can lead to a spike in blood sugar levels. Most sugars have a relatively high GI.
For reference, the glycemic index of sucrose, which is common white table sugar, is around 65. Honey has a slightly lower GI of around 55. Specific types of honey may vary in their glycemic index, with values from 44 to 69. Still, it appears that honey has a somewhat lower GI overall than white sugar does. This means that it should produce a somewhat smaller spike in blood glucose levels after consumption.
In fact, some studies have shown that honey causes less of a rise in blood glucose than some other forms of sugar do. In one study, participants took either honey or glucose. After two hours, those who had taken the glucose experienced about double the rise in blood glucose levels, compared with those who had taken the same amount of honey. The subsequent decline in blood glucose levels was also more rapid in those who had taken the honey. Although honey did still increase blood sugar, it produced a much smaller spike.
Honey also tastes sweeter than white sugar, so people tend to use less of it to achieve the same level of sweetness. This could help to further reduce the rise in blood sugar levels after using honey as a sweetener, because most people will use less of it.
There have also been some studies that have shown that honey increases the body’s production of insulin, compared with consuming other sweeteners (such as sucrose). This would be another way that honey helps to keep blood sugar from rising too high. Similarly, a few studies have indicated that regular consumption of honey may improve insulin sensitivity and reduce fasting blood sugar in people with diabetes or prediabetes. However, while these findings are promising, it’s important to note that these are small studies, and more research will be needed to be sure about honey’s impact on insulin secretion and insulin resistance.
Although a food’s glycemic index can help you to determine whether it’s likely to raise your blood glucose levels, it’s important to consider this information in context. Specific foods are rarely consumed in isolation, but rather as part of a meal or snack. How the body processes one food can depend on which other foods are consumed along with it. For example, spreading honey on toast made with white bread would likely produce a larger blood glucose spike than drizzling honey over plain yogurt with fruit. The protein and fiber in the yogurt and fruit would help to slow down the absorption of the sugars in the honey. It’s important to think about the overall effect of a meal, rather than just one particular food.
Health benefits of honey
Some studies have indicated that consuming honey may have health benefits, beyond its effects on blood sugar.
Honey contains relatively high levels of a type of antioxidants known as polyphenols. These compounds have been shown to help maintain a healthy balance of bacteria in the gut. They also reduce chronic inflammation throughout the body, which in turn reduces the risk of many chronic diseases, including heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Darker honey generally contains higher levels of polyphenols.
Honey may also help to protect heart health by improving the levels of fats in the blood. Honey consumption has been found to be associated with lower levels of LDL cholesterol and triglycerides, which in turn reduces the risk of cardiovascular issues like heart attack and stroke.
Many people experience allergic rhinitis, which causes symptoms like runny nose and watery eyes in response to pollen in the air. There is some evidence that consuming honey may help to reduce these symptoms. Locally produced raw honey is believed to work best, because it contains the same types of pollen that you normally encounter in your environment. (Raw honey is not filtered or processed to remove pollen, as other types of honey are.) It’s thought that consuming trace amounts of pollen may help to train your immune system to be less reactive to them.
It’s important to note that there are very few long-term studies on the health effects of consuming honey. While we have some research indicating potential health benefits, more research is needed to be sure.
Importance of eating in moderation
While honey may be a healthier choice for people with diabetes than white sugar is, keep in mind that it does still contain sugar. This means that it’s capable of raising your blood sugar levels. If you choose to consume honey for its potential health benefits, make sure to take this into account, and take it in moderation. Small amounts of honey may be okay for people with diabetes, but eating a lot of honey is likely to increase blood sugar levels.
In Singapore, we have a law specifying that all products labeled as “honey” must contain 100% true honey. However, there are some products that may look very similar, but are not 100% honey. They may contain added sweeteners, like corn syrup or sugar. When you’re purchasing honey, check to make sure that the label only says “honey” (not something like “honey blend”), and check the ingredients list to make sure that honey is the only ingredient, with nothing else added.
It’s also important to take other aspects of your diet into account. You’ll want to prioritize eating plenty of protein and healthy fats, along with minimally refined carbohydrates like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. This type of eating plan helps to keep blood glucose levels under control, which in turn reduces the risk of diabetes complications like vision loss and kidney disease.
It can be helpful to have the support of a health coach in developing a healthy eating and exercise plan that will work for you, and sticking to that plan. Our NOVI Magnum program can help get your blood sugar under control, with the help of your very own healthcare team.
You will get glucose levels reading in real-time to see the immediate impact of what you eat so you and your care team will understand your body better. In addition, your doctor and your dietitian will create a holistic treatment plan covering medication, nutrition and fitness that best suits your unique health goals.
Whether you want to eat better or exercise more, your coach will create an evidence-based, step-by-step program based on your preferences. Through continuous messaging support and reviews by your coach and doctor, you will be forming healthier habits before you know it!