Honey vs Sugar: How Each Affects Blood Sugar

What honey and table sugar are made of

Table sugar is sucrose, a molecule made of one glucose and one fructose joined together. During digestion, the body splits that bond, so sucrose ends up as roughly half glucose and half fructose. Honey contains those same two sugars, but mostly already separated, with a little more fructose than glucose, plus water and small amounts of other sugars, acids, minerals and plant compounds.

Medical News Today notes that a tablespoon of honey has about 64 calories compared with about 50 for a tablespoon of sugar. Part of the reason is density: a spoonful of honey weighs more than a spoonful of granulated sugar. Because honey tastes sweeter, many people find they can use a bit less to get the same effect.

The extra compounds in honey are real but present in small amounts. WebMD points out that honey's vitamins and minerals are too sparse to count as a meaningful nutrient source.

How each affects blood sugar

Both sweeteners raise blood glucose. The glycemic index, a measure of how quickly a food raises blood sugar compared with pure glucose, tends to be somewhat lower for many honeys than for table sugar, partly because fructose has a smaller direct effect on blood glucose. WebMD lists honey at a lower glycemic index than sugar, but values vary considerably between honey types and studies.

A lower glycemic index does not make honey a low-sugar food. What matters most for blood sugar is the total amount of carbohydrate you eat, what you eat it with and your own metabolism. A tablespoon of honey has around 17 grams of carbohydrate, and that counts fully toward your daily total.

Mayo Clinic's guidance is direct: there is generally no advantage to substituting honey for sugar in a diabetes eating plan, because both will affect your blood sugar level.

What newer research is exploring

A 2022 meta-analysis of 18 controlled feeding trials, published in Nutrition Reviews, reported that honey was associated with modest improvements in fasting blood glucose and some cholesterol measures, particularly raw honey and certain single-flower honeys such as clover. Medical News Today's coverage highlights important caveats: participants were mostly healthy adults, the benefits were seen when total added sugar stayed within recommended limits, and the authors framed honey as a replacement for other sugars, not an addition.

That research is interesting, but it does not mean honey lowers blood sugar or that people with diabetes should add honey to their diet. It mainly suggests that, if you are going to use some sweetener, honey may be a reasonable choice within an overall low-sugar pattern.

Honey counts as added sugar

The CDC includes honey in its definition of added sugars, alongside table sugar and syrups, and notes that no amount of added sugar is recommended as part of a healthy diet. That does not mean honey must be avoided, but it does mean the same moderation applies to honey as to any sweetener.

• Measure honey instead of pouring freely; a teaspoon is a good default
• Use honey with protein, fat or fiber, such as yogurt, nuts or oats, rather than alone
• Count honey in carbohydrate totals if you track carbs
• Replace other sweeteners with honey rather than adding it on top

If you have diabetes or prediabetes

Talk to your doctor, diabetes educator or registered dietitian before changing your sweeteners. Mayo Clinic notes that people with diabetes can use honey in moderation if they prefer its taste, as long as they count its carbohydrates. WebMD adds that anyone taking insulin should be especially careful to account for it.

Never use honey as a way to manage blood sugar, and do not change any medication based on a food. If you notice unusual highs or lows after eating honey, share your glucose readings with your care team.

For everyone else, Al Safa honeys are raw, unpasteurized and strained of wax only, and a little goes a long way thanks to their full flavor. And as with any honey, never give it to babies under 12 months old.