Latest estimates indicate that India boasts of more than 101 million diabetics and is second only to China when it comes to patients of the disease. More troubling, however, is that nearly 136 million Indians are pre-diabetic, i.e., at a high risk of getting the disease in the next couple of years unless preventive measures are initiated. These increasing figures are a cause for alarm, particularly in a nation where every second person has a sweet tooth. With this shared love of sweets, diabetes is rapidly emerging as one of the most prevalent but difficult-to-manage diseases of our times.
As is too often the case with diabetes, assumptions and myths only complicate the task of divining fact from fiction, and most especially with food. One of the issues that diabetics must continually contend with is: honey or sugar. Some suggest wild forest honey based on its antioxidant content, and others are worried about its sugar level. The reality begins with having an awareness of honey's nutritional content, its glycemic rating, and its metabolic impact.
Here is a step-by-step, fact-based guide to help you make a well-informed decision about what's best for your health, based on science and readable to you.
1. Composition and Glycemic Impact
Sugar (Table Sugar/Sucrose):
Sucrose is a disaccharide composed of 50 glucose and 50 fructose. Glucose alone is 100 on the GI scale. Sucrose is split in the intestine into glucose and fructose. Glucose enters the bloodstream very quickly, producing very fast rises in blood sugar, making it hard to manage diabetes. Fructose is metabolized by the liver and affects blood glucose less directly. Both contain empty calories (4 kcal/g) with no vitamins, minerals, or antioxidants.
Honey:
Honey contains mainly fructose (~38%) and glucose (~31%), water, and trace constituents such as enzymes, amino acids, and polyphenols. Composition depends on the floral source. Glycemic Index of Honey From 35–87, with an average of ~55–60 (moderate). Honey's Greater Fructose Content Tends to make it more likely to produce a relatively slower rise in blood sugar than sugar, since fructose does not increase blood glucose per se. But it still affects blood glucose, and its effect is determined by the GI and the dose of honey consumed. Honey Bears trace but quantifiable advantages over sugar, such as minute amounts of antioxidants, enzymes, and minerals.
Both honey and sugar elevate blood glucose levels and need to be handled with utmost caution in diabetics. Honey's relatively lower GI can cause a little delayed elevation in glucose, but insufficient to make it a "safe" substitute for inadequately managed diabetes.
2. Scientific Evidence on Diabetes
Blood Glucose Control:
Research indicates honey can be less effective on blood glucose in certain instances compared to sucrose because it is composed of fructose and has a lower GI. As an illustration, a Nutrients study in 2018 showed that the consumption of honey in small quantities (e.g., 1–2 tsp) resulted in reduced postprandial increases in glucose compared to sucrose in healthy adults.
Yet, in diabetics, both honey and sugar raise blood glucose levels, and neither should be consumed in large quantities. A
Potential Benefits of Honey:
Small trials indicate that unprocessed, pure honeys can benefit lipid profiles and decrease markers of inflammation in type 2 diabetic patients, when consumed in moderation, perhaps through antioxidants. Honey's antimicrobial action is diabetes-independent but might be useful to apply in wound healing, which is used in diabetic foot ulcers.
Risk
Both sugar and honey can worsen hyperglycemia if not adjusted in a diabetic regimen. A 2019 meta-analysis in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology confirmed that all added sugars, including honey, need to be minimized in diabetes care. Honey is calorie-dense as it contains calories, and when measured incorrectly, it could contribute to high calorie consumption.
3. Nutritional and Health Considerations
Antioxidants in Honey: Honey has antioxidants that can decrease oxidative stress, one of the reasons for diabetes complications. Honey's polyphenols have been suggested by some studies to be beneficial for insulin sensitivity or to decrease inflammation, but these are reported only with unprocessed, raw honey and at doses unrealistic for practical use.
Sugar's Nutritional Deficit: Sugar has no nutrients, and thus it is an "empty calorie" food.
Fructose Issues: Honey contains more fructose than other sweeteners, and excessive consumption overloads the liver metabolism, worsening insulin resistance or leading to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, an issue in diabetic patients.
Honey's trace minor nutrients and antioxidants are of theoretical value, but in minute amounts are negligible. Honey and sugar are not "health foods" for diabetes.
