The Glycemic Index Of Honey And Diabetes

Diabetics often wonder about honey’s glycemic index and whether they can use it as a natural sweetener. They want to know if they can benefit from its medicinal properties.

For example, does this substance raise blood sugar levels? Can diabetics use it instead of sugar? Today’s article answers some of these questions, so keep reading.

The concept of the glycemic index (GI) appeared about 30 years ago. Science uses it to classify foods containing carbohydrates based on the rate at which they raise blood glucose.

Scientists put the values ​​of each food in a table to compare them. They use glucose as a reference for this. This is because it has a glycemic index of 100. The rest they classify in a range between 0 and 100.

• The low glycemic index (below 55) is the value of a significant range of dairy products, fruits, vegetables, legumes and certain types of pasta.
• The average glycemic index (between 55 and 69) is the value for rice, bread and certain breakfast cereals.
• The high glycemic index (over 70) is for white flour and potatoes, this is the value for most bakery products.

The glycemic index of honey

Honey consists for the most part of carbohydrates (80%) and water. These contain glucose and fructose in higher amounts. The ratio of one type of sugar to another depends on the variety of honey we measure.

In general, flower varieties are more often present in fructose and thus have a lower GI. The glycemic index of honey is around 61, although it can fluctuate about 3 points – up or down.

As you can see, the type of honey and the glucose-fructose percentage make a difference in the value. Therefore, this index places honey in the middle group of foods.

Health and Diet

Many experts and nutritionists have long advocated a diet based on the glycemic index of foods. The foods in the lowest GI group should be plentiful. The foods in the highest group should be avoided or limited.

Nutritionists advocate these types of diets because humans can only slowly digest and absorb those with a lower GI. These lead to lower or longer glucose peaks.

Why is this desirable? This is because people with diabetes, for example, have difficulty processing sugars effectively. In these cases, good glycemic control helps delay the onset of complications related to the disease, such as:

• kidney damage
• nerve damage
• increased risk of cardiovascular disease

In addition, there is scientific evidence that diets containing foods with a low glycemic index are linked to the following benefits:

• LDL cholesterol reduction
• weight loss
• reduced risk of certain cancers
• reduces the risk of heart disease

The glycemic index has some drawbacks

Looking at just one nutrient (eg the glycemic index) is usually not a good strategy in nutritional science. This is because focusing on just some of the attributes leads us to ignore the value in its entirety.

Here are some things to consider when it comes to the glycemic index:

• The values ​​of each food are different according to the studies you consult.
• Not all people react the same way to all foods, because insulin sensitivity varies from person to person.
• We rarely eat isolated food. We usually mix it in the same meal, and the glycemic index that appears when analyzing the isolated food is changed. Thus, the presence of fats or proteins regulates the absorption of glucose and its subsequent rise in the blood.

• Finally, if we only look at this indicator, to include or eliminate food, we no longer take into account other important aspects such as nutrient density, possible probiotic effects and satiety.

What does the glycemic index of honey indicate?

The nutritional and therapeutic value of honey has been known for thousands of years. Its nutritional composition includes antioxidants, phenols, organic acids and trace amounts of vitamins and minerals.

Currently, honey is used as a natural sweetener for remedies associated with natural medicine.

There is scientific evidence (link in English) that suggests that a small amount of honey can be good for a person’s health. Without going into detail, we can summarize its properties as follows:

• Honey has an antioxidant capacity.
• It leads to a reduction in the analytical indicators of inflammation.
• It promotes cardiovascular health by improving blood cholesterol levels, reducing triglycerides and slightly reducing body fat.
• Some antibacterial effects can be positive, in cases of gastroenteritis or Helicobacter pylori.

However, you should not eat too much honey on a daily basis just because of its properties and the fact that it is in the medium glycemic index.

It’s certainly a better option than refined sugar and artificial sweeteners, but keep in mind that excess sugars can also lead to long-term health problems. So do not exceed the recommended amount of 30 ml per day.

Other Benefit Indicators

Finally, a glycemic index is a measurement tool to classify the response of blood glucose levels after eating carbohydrate-rich foods. Honey is one of them and basically consists of two types of sugars:

• glucose
• fructose

Finally, honey has a medium glycemic index, which could represent a better alternative for sweetening your favorite foods and drinks. However, you should consider the issues associated with high sugar intake in addition to using this index as an indicator.