Honey and Diabetes
If you have type 2 diabetes or are at high risk for it, you may have heard that honey is better for you than other sweeteners. While honey may have some health benefits, it’s still a source of simple sugars and carbohydrates. And if you have diabetes, you need to count your carbohydrates throughout the day, especially if you’re using medications such as insulin.
Here’s what you need to know before adding honey to your diet.
Honey Nutritional Value
Honey is a sweetener made by honeybees and some bumblebees when they gather nectar from flowers. The bees store the nectar in the hive, where it breaks down into simple sugars and turns into honey.
Honey is considered an “added sugar” on Nutritional Facts labels by the FDA because it's not naturally part of foods or drinks. Instead, it's added during processing to sweeten them.
Honey is also a source of carbohydrates, which are mainly in the form of simple sugars — glucose and fructose.
One tablespoon of honey has:
- 61 calories
- 17 grams of sugar
- 17 grams of carbohydrates
- 0.06 grams of protein
- 0.04 grams of fiber
It also contains vitamins and minerals, such as potassium, calcium, zinc, and vitamin C, as well as antioxidants. However, these are not present in significant amounts, so don’t look to honey as a major source of these nutrients.
Honey vs. Sugar
Honey is different from white (or table) sugar as it contains vitamins and minerals, whereas sugar lacks these. Honey also has a lower glycemic index (GI) than table sugar. The GI measures how quickly a carbohydrate raises your blood sugar levels. Honey has a GI score of 50, while sugar has a GI value of 80. That means honey (like all carbohydrates) raises blood sugar quickly, but not quite as fast as white sugar.
There’s no likely benefit to swapping sugar for honey if you have diabetes since both affect your blood sugar in similar ways. If you do choose to eat honey, make sure you know how much you’re getting. Foods containing honey may have more honey and carbohydrates than you realize. That can negatively affect your blood sugar and your ability to take the right amount of insulin.
Glycemic Index of Sweeteners
The glycemic index (GI) measures how much foods raise your blood sugar. The higher the GI, the more it affects your blood sugar.
- Low GI (55 or less): Some fruits, vegetables, beans, grains, pasta, low-fat dairy foods, and nuts
- Moderate GI (56 to 69): White and sweet potatoes, corn, white rice, and couscous
- High GI (70 or higher): White bread, bagels, croissants, cakes, doughnuts, and most crackers and breakfast cereals
| Common Sweeteners | Glycemic Index |
|---|---|
| Maltodextrin | 110 |
| Glucose | 100 |
| High fructose corn syrup | 87 |
| Table sugar | 80 |
| Corn syrup | 75 |
| Sucrose | 65 |
| Molasses | 55 |
| Maple syrup | 54 |
| Honey | 50 |
| Sorghum | 50 |
| Lactose | 45 |
| Brown rice syrup | 25 |
| Xylitol | 12 |
| Agave syrup | 11 |
| Mannitol | 2 |
| Stevia | < 1 |
Can People With Diabetes Eat Honey?
In general, it's OK to consume honey when you have diabetes. While honey does have a lower GI than white sugar, it still contains carbs such as fructose and glucose. These carbs are easier for you to digest and have less impact on your blood sugar than white sugar.
So, if you use insulin to manage your type 2 diabetes, it’s very important to track your sugar intake because all types, including honey, will raise your blood glucose. So, talk to your diabetes educator, doctor, or dietitian to figure out how much is safe for you.
Is Honey Good for Diabetes?
Experts don’t all agree on whether honey is a good choice for people with diabetes. Research shows that honey has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant qualities. That may be important for people with diabetes, who often have higher levels of inflammation in their bodies. But many foods deliver antioxidants without raising your blood sugar. So, you definitely don’t need honey to get those nutrients.
Much of the research on diabetes and honey has used lab animals, but some studies have been done on people too.
A 2022 meta-analysis of 18 small studies found that some types of honey slightly lowered participants' fasting blood sugar. However, a 2021 systemic review of clinical trials found that getting too much honey actually can increase the glucose levels of people with type 2 diabetes.
The authors of both reviews say we need more research to know how honey affects people with diabetes.
Another small study from Turkish researchers found that people with type 2 diabetes who ate 5-25 grams of honey daily for four months reduced their hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), which is a measure of blood sugar control over recent months. But those who had higher amounts of honey daily saw their A1c level rise. With only 64 people in the study — half of whom got honey doses daily — it’s unclear whether the results would apply broadly.
Most published studies on honey and diabetes have had mixed results at best and include small study groups. So, more research is needed to understand if honey has beneficial effects on people with diabetes.
Which Honey Is Best for People With Diabetes?
There are about 300 different types of honey worldwide, including popular ones such as clover, wildflower, and acacia. They're all sweet but have slightly different flavors and colors based on where the bees source the nectar.
Honey is typically available either raw or filtered. Both are about 95% carbohydrates, but regular honey is pasteurized and filtered to remove and kill potential microorganisms that could spoil it. Some filtered honey may also have added sugars.
Raw honey, on the other hand, skips these steps and is strained from the hive to the bottle. This preserves many nutrients, such as polyphenols and antioxidants, that are usually killed during pasteurization. It also retains the bee pollen, which processing can remove.
Both raw and filtered honey can spike your glucose levels if you have diabetes, but honey still has a lower GI than white sugar. So raw honey, without added sugar, is the best option for people with diabetes.
Takeaways
Honey is a natural sweetener that has a lower glycemic index than other sweeteners, such as white sugar. But it can still spike your blood glucose if you have diabetes, so talk to your doctor before you decide to add honey to your diet. For people with diabetes, raw honey is a better option than filtered honey, as it doesn't have added sugars.
Honey and Diabetes FAQs
What are the safest sweeteners for diabetics?
Try sweeteners that come from natural sources like monk fruit extract or stevia. Neither are high in calories or sugar, and they both are lower on the glycemic index than table sugar so they're unlikely to cause spikes in blood sugar. They're also less processed than artificial sweeteners, such as Aspartame and Saccharin.
Can honey cause diabetes?
No. Eating too much honey, or any type of sugar, won't cause diabetes. But it can spike your blood sugar, so you should always eat honey and all sugars in moderation.
