Is Honey Bad for People With Diabetes?

Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsAffects on Blood SugarBenefits of HoneyHealthiest HoneysHoney vs. SugarRisks of Honey

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Table of Contents

Affects on Blood Sugar

Benefits of Honey

Healthiest Honeys

Honey vs. Sugar

Risks of Honey

When used in moderation,honeyis generally safe for people withdiabeteswho have well-controlled blood sugar (glucose) levels. Compared to sugar, which has aglycemic indexof 80, honey has a glycemic index of 50, meaning that it does not cause your glucose to rise as fast as white sugar.With that being said, honey is still a natural sugar andcarbohydratethat can raise glucose levels. So, while it may be slightly safer than white sugar for people with diabetes, it still should not be eaten frequently or in excess. Not to mention, some honeys on the market contain added sugars and should be avoided.

This article covers whether honey is bad for people with diabetes as well as how honey affects blood sugar. It discusses the potential benefits of honey for those with diabetes, the healthiest forms of honey to shop for, and more.

How Does Honey Affect Blood Sugar?

Being acarbohydrate, it is expected that honey is going to impact blood sugar levels when consumed. However, when compared to other sugars, it may have less of an impact.

Two hours after ingestion of honey, blood sugar levels were lower than at the first hour. On the other hand, blood sugar levels with glucose ingestion were higher than with honey in the first hour and continued to rise even in the second hour.

Because honey exhibited a shorter peak in blood sugar levels, it can be suggested that honey has a lower glycemic effect than glucose. However, more research is needed to verify this claim.

How Much Sugar Should People With Diabetes Have Per Day?The American Heart Association suggests limiting added sugar intake to about 9 teaspoons for most adult men, and 6 teaspoons for most adult women and children ages 2 and up.For people with diabetes, a sweet treat every once in a while is fine, although it’s best to avoid added sugars as much as possible.

How Much Sugar Should People With Diabetes Have Per Day?

The American Heart Association suggests limiting added sugar intake to about 9 teaspoons for most adult men, and 6 teaspoons for most adult women and children ages 2 and up.For people with diabetes, a sweet treat every once in a while is fine, although it’s best to avoid added sugars as much as possible.

What About Sugar-Free Honey?

There is no such thing as sugar-free honey. There are honeys that contain added sugars, and honeys that are pure, raw, and unfiltered. However, even pure honey contains natural sugars.

Although pure honey has a lower glycemic index than white sugar, it can still cause your glucose levels to spike if you consume too much or your blood sugar is not well-controlled.

If you have diabetes, choosingraw honeythat does not contain added sugars is the way to go. But even though raw honey does not contain added sugar, it should still be treated like table sugar and eaten in moderation.

Is Imitation Honey Safe for People With Diabetes?Despite being marketed as low-calorie, sugar-free, and safe for people with diabetes, imitation honey tends to be highly processed and contains sugar alcohols like sorbitol that can raise glucose levels.If you must reach for a sweetener, raw honey without added sugar is still the better option.

Is Imitation Honey Safe for People With Diabetes?

Despite being marketed as low-calorie, sugar-free, and safe for people with diabetes, imitation honey tends to be highly processed and contains sugar alcohols like sorbitol that can raise glucose levels.If you must reach for a sweetener, raw honey without added sugar is still the better option.

Are There Benefits to Eating Honey If You Have Diabetes?

A few small studies show that eating honey in moderation may actually have some benefits for people with diabetes. The evidence is promising, but researchers need to conduct more long-term, large studies on humans before any certain conclusions can be made.

Honey May Elevate Insulin

Some studies show that honey stimulates a greater insulin response than other sugars.Because of this, some people have speculated that honey is actually good for people with diabetes.

Overall research on this topic has been conflicting, and more research with larger, long-term clinical trials are needed.Nevertheless, some studies do show promise.

What Is Insulin?Insulinis a hormone made in the pancreas that helps regulate blood sugar levels. When blood sugar levels start to rise, a signal is sent to the pancreas to release insulin. Insulin then acts like a key and opens up cells to let glucose move from the bloodstream and into cells to be used for energy. In the process, blood sugar levels are lowered.

What Is Insulin?

Insulinis a hormone made in the pancreas that helps regulate blood sugar levels. When blood sugar levels start to rise, a signal is sent to the pancreas to release insulin. Insulin then acts like a key and opens up cells to let glucose move from the bloodstream and into cells to be used for energy. In the process, blood sugar levels are lowered.

Honey May Increase C-Peptide Levels

In a small study of both people with type 1 diabetes and without diabetes, researchers found that honey had less of an effect on blood sugars in all participants compared to sucrose. Honey also raised participants’ levels of C-peptide.

Additionally, after reviewing 66 studies on the effects of honey in people with diabetes, researchers concluded that honey supplementation effectively increases levels of C-peptide, including C-peptide levels two hours after eating.

Honey May Improve Cholesterol

Researchers at the University of Toronto found that consuming daily doses of raw, unprocessed honey may lower cholesterol and triglycerides in addition to stabilizing blood sugar.

People with diabetes are more likely to have or develop high cholesterol, also known as diabetic dyslipidemia, which further increases their risk of heart disease.

Keep in mind that consuming any kind of sugar—including honey—can raise your glucose levels. You should not consume honey to treat any health conditions (or as a supplement) without discussing with your healthcare provider first.

Honey Is Rich in Antioxidants

Hyperglycemia (high glucose) triggers oxidative stress, in which there are too many damaging free radicals in the body and not enough antioxidants to fight them.

Diabetes is linked to several long-term complications, including cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, and vascular (blood vessels) and neural (nervous system) disorders. Oxidative stress has been identified as a key player in their development.

Antioxidants are compounds found in food that protect the body against oxidative stress. Honey happens to be a rich source of antioxidants. In fact, researchers have found that the antioxidant properties in honey can prevent oxidative damage to the brain, heart, and various other organs.

Despite these findings, there are no official recommendations regarding the use of honey for preventing oxidative stress and diabetic complications. Larger human studies are needed before any official recommendations can be made.

What Are the Healthiest Forms of Honey?

Over 300 varieties of honey collected from honeybees have been identified.

Some varieties have received more praise from the medical community than others. One such variety isManuka honey, derived from the Manuka trees of New Zealand. Manuka honey is known for its impressive antimicrobial and antioxidant properties.

Other varieties of honey may be particularly beneficial for controlling glucose levels and blood pressure.Robinia honey(from black locust trees),clover honey(from clover flowers), andunprocessed raw honeyare standouts for these purposes.

You will likely come across honeys that are labeled as pure, raw, or unfiltered, as well as honeys that contain added sugars. Truly raw honey is a single-ingredient product, and therefore it is not required to have an ingredients list.

Raw honey may contain tiny amounts of pollen, while pollen and other solids are removed from filtered honey. Some people prefer unfiltered honey because its bee pollen offers numerous vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that can protect against disease and promote overall health.

Is Honey a Good Substitute for Sugar?

But despite its potential benefits for people with diabetes, honey should still be treated like any other sugar and eaten in moderation. While it is a good substitute for sugar, it still becomes unhealthy if eating it puts you over your recommended daily intake of sugar.

Therefore, if you choose to substitute honey for sugar, continue to track how much honey you consume and make sure that it fits into a healthy diet plan.

Honey can be two to three times sweeter than sugar, so you don’t need to use as much. Keep this in mind when substituting it for sugar. As a general rule, it’s best to start with a small amount of honey and then add a little more as needed.

How Does Honey Compare to Other Sweeteners?

If you are trying to get your diabetes under control and need to limit your intake of added sugar, consider using asugar substitutesuch as stevia, mannitol, agave syrup, or xylitol; these sweeteners rank much lower on the glycemic index compared to honey and sugar.

Although the stevia plant naturally contains vitamins and minerals, most of them are lost during processing. While Stevia is a great alternative to table sugar and honey for people with diabetes, more research is needed to see if its potential benefits for those with diabetes outshine those of honey.

Are There Risks to Eating Honey If You Have Diabetes?

Like any other sweetener, honey needs to be consumed in moderation due to its ability to increase blood sugar levels. If your diabetes is not well managed, it might be best to limit your consumption of honey.

While honey contains some beneficial nutrients, you would need to consume more than is recommended for good health to get any significant amount from it. Do not consume large amounts of honey solely to get additional vitamins and minerals, as other sources of these nutrients will have much less impact on blood sugar levels.

Summary

In its raw, unprocessed form, honey is rich in antioxidants and other plant compounds that may help stabilize blood sugar and protect against heart disease. If your blood sugar is well-controlled, you can safely enjoy honey in moderation as a substitute for sugar.

Although honey has a lower glycemic index compared to sugar, it can still cause your blood sugar to spike if you consume it frequently or in large quantities. If you’re looking for a sugar- and calorie-free alternative to sugar that does not increase glucose levels, Stevia may be a great option.

18 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.US Veteran Affairs.Understanding sweeteners.Nazir L, Samad F, Haroon W, Kidwai SS, Siddiqi S, Zehravi M.Comparison of glycaemic response to honey and glucose in type 2 diabetes.J Pak Med Assoc. 2014 Jan;64(1):1-6.American Heart Association.Sugar.University of California, San Francisco.Counting sugar alcohols.Akhbari M, Jabbari M, Ayati MH, Namazi N.The effects of oral consumption of honey on key metabolic profiles in adult patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and nondiabetic individuals: a systematic review of clinical trials.Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2021;2021:6666832. doi:10.1155/2021/6666832Bobiş O, Dezmirean DS, Moise AR.Honey and diabetes: the importance of natural simple sugars in diet for preventing and treating different type of diabetes.Oxid Med Cell Longev. 2018;2018:4757893. doi:10.1155/2018/4757893Abdulrhman M, El Hefnawy M, Ali R, Abdel Hamid I, Abou El-Goud A, Refai D.Effects of honey, sucrose and glucose on blood glucose and C-peptide in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus.Complement Ther Clin Pract. 2013;19(1):15-19. doi:10.1016/j.ctcp.2012.08.002Meo S, Ansari M, Sattar K, Chaudhary H, Hajjar W, Alasiri S.Honey and diabetes mellitus: Obstacles and challenges—road to be repaired.Saudi J Biol Sci. 2017 Jul;24(5):1030-1033. doi:10.1016/j.sjbs.2016.12.020Maddaloni E, Bolli G, Frier B, Little R, Leslie R, Buzzetti R.C-peptide determination in the diagnosis of diabetes and its management: A clinical perspective.DOM. 2022 Oct;24(10):1912-1926. doi:10.1111/dom.14785Ahmed A, Tul-Noor Z, Lee D, et al.Effect of honey on cardiometabolic risk factors: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Nutr Rev. 2022 Nov;81(7):758-774. doi:10.1093/nutrit/nuac086Jialal I, Singh G.Management of diabetic dyslipidemia: An update.World J Diabetes. 2019 May;10(5):280-290. doi:10.4239/wjd.v10.i5.280Pasupuleti V, Rahman N.A review on oxidative stress, diabetic complications, and the roles of honey polyphenols.OMCL. 2020 Nov;2020(1):1-16. doi:10.1155/2020/8878172Samarghandian A, Farkhondeh T, Samini F.Honey and health: A review of recent clinical research.Pharmacognosy Res. 2017 Jun;9(2):121-127. doi:10.4103/0974-8490.204647Alvarez-Suarez J, Gasparrini M, Forbes-Hernández T, Mazzoni L, Giampieri F.The composition and biological activity of honey: A focus on manuka honey.Foods. 2014 Jul;3(3):420-432. doi:10.3390/foods3030420Khalifa S, Elashal M, Yosri N, et al.Bee pollen: Current status and therapeutic potential.Nutrients. 2021 Jun;13(6):1876. doi:10.3390/nu13061876Ajami M, Seyfi M, Hosseini F, et al.Effects of stevia on glycemic and lipid profile of type 2 diabetic patients: A randomized controlled trial.Avicenna J Phytomed. 2020 Apr;10(2):118-127.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Botulism prevention.Harris RA, Anniballi F, Austin JW.Adult intestinal toxemia botulism.Toxins (Basel). 2020;12(2):81. doi:10.3390/toxins12020081

18 Sources

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.US Veteran Affairs.Understanding sweeteners.Nazir L, Samad F, Haroon W, Kidwai SS, Siddiqi S, Zehravi M.Comparison of glycaemic response to honey and glucose in type 2 diabetes.J Pak Med Assoc. 2014 Jan;64(1):1-6.American Heart Association.Sugar.University of California, San Francisco.Counting sugar alcohols.Akhbari M, Jabbari M, Ayati MH, Namazi N.The effects of oral consumption of honey on key metabolic profiles in adult patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and nondiabetic individuals: a systematic review of clinical trials.Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2021;2021:6666832. doi:10.1155/2021/6666832Bobiş O, Dezmirean DS, Moise AR.Honey and diabetes: the importance of natural simple sugars in diet for preventing and treating different type of diabetes.Oxid Med Cell Longev. 2018;2018:4757893. doi:10.1155/2018/4757893Abdulrhman M, El Hefnawy M, Ali R, Abdel Hamid I, Abou El-Goud A, Refai D.Effects of honey, sucrose and glucose on blood glucose and C-peptide in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus.Complement Ther Clin Pract. 2013;19(1):15-19. doi:10.1016/j.ctcp.2012.08.002Meo S, Ansari M, Sattar K, Chaudhary H, Hajjar W, Alasiri S.Honey and diabetes mellitus: Obstacles and challenges—road to be repaired.Saudi J Biol Sci. 2017 Jul;24(5):1030-1033. doi:10.1016/j.sjbs.2016.12.020Maddaloni E, Bolli G, Frier B, Little R, Leslie R, Buzzetti R.C-peptide determination in the diagnosis of diabetes and its management: A clinical perspective.DOM. 2022 Oct;24(10):1912-1926. doi:10.1111/dom.14785Ahmed A, Tul-Noor Z, Lee D, et al.Effect of honey on cardiometabolic risk factors: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Nutr Rev. 2022 Nov;81(7):758-774. doi:10.1093/nutrit/nuac086Jialal I, Singh G.Management of diabetic dyslipidemia: An update.World J Diabetes. 2019 May;10(5):280-290. doi:10.4239/wjd.v10.i5.280Pasupuleti V, Rahman N.A review on oxidative stress, diabetic complications, and the roles of honey polyphenols.OMCL. 2020 Nov;2020(1):1-16. doi:10.1155/2020/8878172Samarghandian A, Farkhondeh T, Samini F.Honey and health: A review of recent clinical research.Pharmacognosy Res. 2017 Jun;9(2):121-127. doi:10.4103/0974-8490.204647Alvarez-Suarez J, Gasparrini M, Forbes-Hernández T, Mazzoni L, Giampieri F.The composition and biological activity of honey: A focus on manuka honey.Foods. 2014 Jul;3(3):420-432. doi:10.3390/foods3030420Khalifa S, Elashal M, Yosri N, et al.Bee pollen: Current status and therapeutic potential.Nutrients. 2021 Jun;13(6):1876. doi:10.3390/nu13061876Ajami M, Seyfi M, Hosseini F, et al.Effects of stevia on glycemic and lipid profile of type 2 diabetic patients: A randomized controlled trial.Avicenna J Phytomed. 2020 Apr;10(2):118-127.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Botulism prevention.Harris RA, Anniballi F, Austin JW.Adult intestinal toxemia botulism.Toxins (Basel). 2020;12(2):81. doi:10.3390/toxins12020081

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

US Veteran Affairs.Understanding sweeteners.Nazir L, Samad F, Haroon W, Kidwai SS, Siddiqi S, Zehravi M.Comparison of glycaemic response to honey and glucose in type 2 diabetes.J Pak Med Assoc. 2014 Jan;64(1):1-6.American Heart Association.Sugar.University of California, San Francisco.Counting sugar alcohols.Akhbari M, Jabbari M, Ayati MH, Namazi N.The effects of oral consumption of honey on key metabolic profiles in adult patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and nondiabetic individuals: a systematic review of clinical trials.Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2021;2021:6666832. doi:10.1155/2021/6666832Bobiş O, Dezmirean DS, Moise AR.Honey and diabetes: the importance of natural simple sugars in diet for preventing and treating different type of diabetes.Oxid Med Cell Longev. 2018;2018:4757893. doi:10.1155/2018/4757893Abdulrhman M, El Hefnawy M, Ali R, Abdel Hamid I, Abou El-Goud A, Refai D.Effects of honey, sucrose and glucose on blood glucose and C-peptide in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus.Complement Ther Clin Pract. 2013;19(1):15-19. doi:10.1016/j.ctcp.2012.08.002Meo S, Ansari M, Sattar K, Chaudhary H, Hajjar W, Alasiri S.Honey and diabetes mellitus: Obstacles and challenges—road to be repaired.Saudi J Biol Sci. 2017 Jul;24(5):1030-1033. doi:10.1016/j.sjbs.2016.12.020Maddaloni E, Bolli G, Frier B, Little R, Leslie R, Buzzetti R.C-peptide determination in the diagnosis of diabetes and its management: A clinical perspective.DOM. 2022 Oct;24(10):1912-1926. doi:10.1111/dom.14785Ahmed A, Tul-Noor Z, Lee D, et al.Effect of honey on cardiometabolic risk factors: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Nutr Rev. 2022 Nov;81(7):758-774. doi:10.1093/nutrit/nuac086Jialal I, Singh G.Management of diabetic dyslipidemia: An update.World J Diabetes. 2019 May;10(5):280-290. doi:10.4239/wjd.v10.i5.280Pasupuleti V, Rahman N.A review on oxidative stress, diabetic complications, and the roles of honey polyphenols.OMCL. 2020 Nov;2020(1):1-16. doi:10.1155/2020/8878172Samarghandian A, Farkhondeh T, Samini F.Honey and health: A review of recent clinical research.Pharmacognosy Res. 2017 Jun;9(2):121-127. doi:10.4103/0974-8490.204647Alvarez-Suarez J, Gasparrini M, Forbes-Hernández T, Mazzoni L, Giampieri F.The composition and biological activity of honey: A focus on manuka honey.Foods. 2014 Jul;3(3):420-432. doi:10.3390/foods3030420Khalifa S, Elashal M, Yosri N, et al.Bee pollen: Current status and therapeutic potential.Nutrients. 2021 Jun;13(6):1876. doi:10.3390/nu13061876Ajami M, Seyfi M, Hosseini F, et al.Effects of stevia on glycemic and lipid profile of type 2 diabetic patients: A randomized controlled trial.Avicenna J Phytomed. 2020 Apr;10(2):118-127.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Botulism prevention.Harris RA, Anniballi F, Austin JW.Adult intestinal toxemia botulism.Toxins (Basel). 2020;12(2):81. doi:10.3390/toxins12020081

US Veteran Affairs.Understanding sweeteners.

Nazir L, Samad F, Haroon W, Kidwai SS, Siddiqi S, Zehravi M.Comparison of glycaemic response to honey and glucose in type 2 diabetes.J Pak Med Assoc. 2014 Jan;64(1):1-6.

American Heart Association.Sugar.

University of California, San Francisco.Counting sugar alcohols.

Akhbari M, Jabbari M, Ayati MH, Namazi N.The effects of oral consumption of honey on key metabolic profiles in adult patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and nondiabetic individuals: a systematic review of clinical trials.Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2021;2021:6666832. doi:10.1155/2021/6666832

Bobiş O, Dezmirean DS, Moise AR.Honey and diabetes: the importance of natural simple sugars in diet for preventing and treating different type of diabetes.Oxid Med Cell Longev. 2018;2018:4757893. doi:10.1155/2018/4757893

Abdulrhman M, El Hefnawy M, Ali R, Abdel Hamid I, Abou El-Goud A, Refai D.Effects of honey, sucrose and glucose on blood glucose and C-peptide in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus.Complement Ther Clin Pract. 2013;19(1):15-19. doi:10.1016/j.ctcp.2012.08.002

Meo S, Ansari M, Sattar K, Chaudhary H, Hajjar W, Alasiri S.Honey and diabetes mellitus: Obstacles and challenges—road to be repaired.Saudi J Biol Sci. 2017 Jul;24(5):1030-1033. doi:10.1016/j.sjbs.2016.12.020

Maddaloni E, Bolli G, Frier B, Little R, Leslie R, Buzzetti R.C-peptide determination in the diagnosis of diabetes and its management: A clinical perspective.DOM. 2022 Oct;24(10):1912-1926. doi:10.1111/dom.14785

Ahmed A, Tul-Noor Z, Lee D, et al.Effect of honey on cardiometabolic risk factors: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Nutr Rev. 2022 Nov;81(7):758-774. doi:10.1093/nutrit/nuac086

Jialal I, Singh G.Management of diabetic dyslipidemia: An update.World J Diabetes. 2019 May;10(5):280-290. doi:10.4239/wjd.v10.i5.280

Pasupuleti V, Rahman N.A review on oxidative stress, diabetic complications, and the roles of honey polyphenols.OMCL. 2020 Nov;2020(1):1-16. doi:10.1155/2020/8878172

Samarghandian A, Farkhondeh T, Samini F.Honey and health: A review of recent clinical research.Pharmacognosy Res. 2017 Jun;9(2):121-127. doi:10.4103/0974-8490.204647

Alvarez-Suarez J, Gasparrini M, Forbes-Hernández T, Mazzoni L, Giampieri F.The composition and biological activity of honey: A focus on manuka honey.Foods. 2014 Jul;3(3):420-432. doi:10.3390/foods3030420

Khalifa S, Elashal M, Yosri N, et al.Bee pollen: Current status and therapeutic potential.Nutrients. 2021 Jun;13(6):1876. doi:10.3390/nu13061876

Ajami M, Seyfi M, Hosseini F, et al.Effects of stevia on glycemic and lipid profile of type 2 diabetic patients: A randomized controlled trial.Avicenna J Phytomed. 2020 Apr;10(2):118-127.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Botulism prevention.

Harris RA, Anniballi F, Austin JW.Adult intestinal toxemia botulism.Toxins (Basel). 2020;12(2):81. doi:10.3390/toxins12020081

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