Honey Vs Sugar: Sweetness Matters
Although we each have a different taste experience,most people consider the honey in honeycomb to be far sweeter than sugar. In fact, before the agricultural means of mass-producing sugar became available, honey was the only sweetener. The first known beekeepers of ancient Greece were the first to understand the cultivation of the sweet nectar.
What do the Greeks have to teach us today? That if you want to add something sweet to your favorite salad, sandwich, or dessert, you dont have to use much of a honeycomb. In fact, you can use a lot less than you would cane sugar. This is a huge win for people with diabetesless sweetener with a lower GI means less insulin is needed to balance blood sugar.
Honey Helps Control Blood Sugar In Study
In another study, honey improved glycemic control in diabetics.
Glycemic control is ‘the control of your blood sugar .’ Controlling blood sugar, especially in diabetics is a very good thing.
Besides its blood sugar lowering effect, studies also indicate that honey reduces lipid abnormalities in rats and humans with diabetes.
So what is the cause of this? Recently available data suggests that the “good bacteria” in our guts has something to do with how conditions such as obesity, insulin resistance, and diabetes manifest.
Recent findings are indeed linking gut flora as a potential contributor of obesity, insulin resistance, and diabetes. These findings also underline data that demonstrate the beneficial effects of oligosaccharides on various abnormalities commonly associated with these conditions.
Based on the similarities of some of these findings with those of honey, together with the evidence that honey contains oligosaccharides, scientists hypothesize that oligosaccharides present in honey might contribute to the antidiabetic and other health-related beneficial effects of honey.
So, if you suffer from diabetes or insulin resistance, consuming raw honey might just be of benefit to you.
Fructose And The Hypoglycemic Effect Of Honey
Fructose content of honey varies from 21 to 43% and the fructose/glucose ratio from 0.4 to 1.6 or even higher . Although fructose is the sweetest naturally occurring sweetener, it has a glycemic index of 19, compared to glucose which has 100 or sucrose with 60 . Different studies reveal the hypoglycemic effect of honey, but the mechanism of this effect remains unclear. It was suggested that fructose, selective mineral ions , phenolic acids, and flavonoids might have a role in the process .
There is evidence that fructose tends to lower blood glucose in animal models of diabetes . Mechanisms involved in this process may include reduced rate of intestinal absorption , prolongation of gastric emptying time , and reduced food intake . Fructose stimulates glucokinase in hepatocytes, which plays an important role in the uptake and storage of glucose as glycogen by the liver. Glucose on the other hand, which is present beside fructose in honey, enhances the absorption of fructose and promotes its hepatic actions through its enhanced delivery to the liver .
The pancreas is an important organ in diabetes, because it secrets two glucose-regulating hormonesinsulin and glucagonand honey might protect this organ against oxidative stress and damage with its antioxidant molecules, this being another potential mechanism of hypoglycemic effect of honey .
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How Does Honey Affect Blood Sugar
Because honey is a natural sugar and a carbohydrate, its only natural for it to affect your blood sugar in some way. When compared to table sugar, however, it appears that honey has a smaller effect.
A 2004 study evaluated the effects of honey and table sugar on blood sugar levels. This study involved individuals with and without type 1 diabetes.
Researchers found that in the group of people with diabetes, honey caused an initial increase in blood sugar 30 minutes after consumption. However, participants blood sugar levels later decreased and remained at lower levels for two hours.
This leads researchers to believe that honey, unlike table sugar, may cause an increase in insulin, which is an important hormone for controlling blood sugar. More research is needed.
Even though honey may increase insulin levels and help people with diabetes control their blood sugar, there doesnt appear to be any conclusive research supporting honey as a preventive factor for diabetes. This might be plausible, however.
Researchers have found a possible connection between honey and a lower glycemic index.
In a study of 50 people with type 1 diabetes and 30 people without type 1 diabetes, researchers found that, compared to sugar, honey had a lower glycemic effect on all participants.
It also raised their levels of C-peptide, a substance released into the bloodstream when the body produces insulin.
Is Raw Honey Good For Diabetics
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Honeycomb Has A Low Glycemic Index
Honey is made up of mostly simple sugars, which is why the golden nectar is so sweet. But when you eat honeycomb, youre also eating water, bits of bee pollen, propolis, and royal jelly. These add-ins from the bees bring balance to the glucose and fructose, giving honeycomb a low glycemic index of 35-55. In comparison, processed sugars can have a GI of up to 110.Yikes!
As a low GI food, honeycomb wont spike blood sugar levels as sharply as many other sweeteners. It will boost your blood glucose, but the ups and downs arent as dramatic as with sugar.
Anyone can use honeycomb to replace other sweeteners in drinks and recipes. Diabetics can keep pre-portioned honeycomb on hand as a snack for when their blood sugar goes low.
Honey Basil Neem & Turmeric
This mixture may taste a little bitter but the health benefits it comes packed with can help you stabilize your blood sugar levels.
Ingredients:
Method:
suitable for people suffering with high levels of blood sugar.
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Can Diabetics Eat Honey As You May Know From Reading Our Blog On Why Bees Make Honey Honey Is Essentially Sugar And So It Is Understandably An Important Question To Answer Can People With Diabetes Eat Honey The Answer Is The Same As Most Things
Pure Honey is 100% sugar and will affect your blood sugar levels, but that doesnt mean you cant eat it. If you have diabetes/are diabetic you will have discovered over time what and how much your bodies can and cant take.
Often diabetics substitute honey for sugar. There are also some nutritional benefits to having honey over sugar, especially heather honey , with its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and antibacterial qualities. However if you do substitute honey for sugar, it is important to bear in mind that honey has more carbohydrates than pure sugar , and must be taken into consideration in your eating plan. It is best to speak to your doctor or dietitian if you are unsure of what you are and arent allowed.
It’s often a good idea to check the companies honey certificate to see what is inside. To see our honey certificate, click here.
What are diabetes and why does sugar levels affect diabetics?
If someone has diabetes it means their blood sugar get too high. Usually this is to do with a lack of insulin in the blood , often due to problems with the pancreas which creates insulin. It is a chronic condition and a serious disease that, if not monitored carefully, can be fatal.
To read more about the make-up of our honey,
Honey Helps Type 1 Diabetics
A study in the Journal of Medical Food has gone even further, measuring the effect of honey on blood sugar, cholesterol and even body fat levels.
The aim of this study was to evaluate the metabolic effects of 12-week honey consumption on patients suffering from type 1 diabetes. What happens to the blood sugar, body fat and cholesterol levels of diabetics when they eat honey for 12 weeks.
This was a randomized crossover clinical trial done at the National Institute for Diabetes and Endocrinology in Cairo, Egypt.
Twenty patients of both sexes aged 4 -18 years with type 1 diabetes participated in the study. The participants were given honey in a dose of 0.5mL/kg body weight per day for 12 weeks. This would equate to less than a quarter cup of honey per day in a 150 pound person.
During the study, the main measurements taken were serum glucose , lipids , and C-peptide .
The intervention resulted in several very interesting health benefits. Significant decreases in body fat levels , fasting blood sugar, total cholesterol, serum triglycerides, and low-density lipoprotein resulted from the 12 weeks of honey consumption.
The authors went on to say that this small clinical trial suggests that long-term consumption of honey might have positive effects on the metabolic derangements of type 1 diabetes.
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Review Of 35 Studies On Honey In Diabetics
Middle Eastern researchers set out to conduct a comprehensive review of all of the research done on honey in diabetics. This study investigated the preclinical, clinical, human and animal model studies on honey and diabetes.
The 35 studies that met the strict criteria of the researchers found that honey decreases fasting serum glucose , increases fasting C-peptide and 2-hour postprandial C-peptide. Honey has a low glycemic index and peak incremental index in diabetic patients.
Where To Find And How To Use
Looking at honey consumption, 50 percent of the population directly purchases honey, 35 percent never eats honey, and the remaining 15 percent consumes honey in products made with honey, like honey-roasted peanuts. Raw honey might be available at your nearest grocery store, but it should be available at your local health food store or, even better, your local beekeeper. Its also available online.
Expect raw honey to be opaque rather than that sparkling, clear, golden color thats achieved through heating.
Never cook with raw honey because that will destroy its good properties. Also, do not store it near a heat source. If you enjoy honey in your tea or coffee, wait until the drink is just tepid enough to sip comfortably, and then add honey to taste.
Drizzle it on breakfast cereals, over your sprouted grain toast or on yogurt. Its also a great addition to smoothies and salad dressings, plus it pairs well with fruits like honeydew and apples. Raw honey can be a healthy alternative to highly processed sugar in recipes that doesnt require heat. For every one tablespoon of sugar in a recipe , you can typically use two teaspoons of honey instead.
Need more ideas for how to incorporate raw honey into your daily life? Then check out this article on20 Raw Honey Usesthat will surprise you.
There are many recipes available from the National Honey Board, and I have some of my favorites as well:
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What Is The Difference Between Organic Honey And Natural Honey
Organic raw honey is not pasteurized or heated and beneficial due to the naturally occurring enzymes and nutrients. Also, the flowers from which the bees have collected the nectar are all organic flowers, free of any chemicals.
Think of a forest where you dont spray any chemicals to maintain that forest therefore, you get organic flowers there. Hence the production of organic honey by the bees in the woods.
On the other hand, natural honey is similar to raw honey but not necessarily honey from the forest region. In general, natural honey can be any honey from the beehives you find naturally built in the environment. Apart from forests, flowers may contain chemicals or pesticides.
Bees collecting pollen or nectar from such flowers tend to make honey, which is not organic but naturally occurring.
Beehives from apiaries also do not produce organic honey. An apiary is an artificial beehive or man-made beehive.
Can A Diabetic Eat Honey Yes They Can And They Should
Many doctors will be quick to dismiss honey as a viable sweet option for diabetics. Hold on a sec, Doc! Yes, honey is sweet, but its not the same thing as sugar. Unfortunately, most physicians actually have very little training in nutrition. If youve been told that its a no-no, ask your doctor if fruits are permitted. He or she will probably give the thumbs up. If so, let them know that a tablespoon of raw honey contains about the same amount of carbs as a cup of raw apple. Raw honey is actually kind of a cool mystery in how it breaks down in the body. It is directly converted to liver glycogen and doesnt raise blood sugar levels like sucrose or high fructose corn syrup does even though it contains the same simple sugars. This fact alone should be reason enough to recommend it over synthetic sweeteners such as Aspartame. When consumed regularly over weeks or months, raw honey will actually LOWER and help balance a persons blood sugar and HbA1c levels. Research has shown that human consumption of raw honey will result in lower blood sugar levels by as much as 60 to 100 mg/dl at 60 and 90 minutes following consumption compared to a similar amount of sucrose. Due to this, there should be no big surprise that HbA1c levels will be lowered by as much as 2-4%. This factor alone should trigger huge variances in the treatment guidelines recommended by most docs, which means fewer drugs. Actually the worse a persons glucose iContinue reading > >
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Promotes Wound And Burn Healing
The topical use of honey has been a common medicinal practice since ancient Egypt. One meta-analysis found that honey is extremely effective at healing partial-thickness burns and infected wounds after surgery.
Honey is also an effective topical treatment for diabetic foot ulcers. Another study found that the topical treatment of honey on diabetic foot ulcers was a curative treatment in 97% of patients!
Honey can also treat everything from common skin rashes to psoriasis and even herpes. This is due to honeys natural antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties.
What You Should Do
As a diabetic, if you want to improve your blood glucose levels and lower bad cholesterol as well as body fats, then you need to determine how much honey you should consume in a day for the next 12 weeks. You will first need to determine your weight in kilograms.
After knowing your kgs multiply the figure with 0.5 to determine how much honey you should consume in a day. The results will be in milliliters and you can convert it to ounces bearing in mind that 1 ounce equals 29.57 milliliters.
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Honeycomb: A Sweetener With Benefits
Whereas sugars main job is to make something taste sweet, honeycomb has a wide range of compounds. Here are some of its components.
- Honey polyphenols Polyphenol is a generic term for plant-based antioxidants. These antioxidants protect cells, helping to prevent health challenges such as cardiovascular disease, neurodegenerative disease, and diabetes. Antioxidants in beeswax have also been found to help improve insulin resistance in people with fatty liver disease, which is closely linked to prediabetes.
- B-vitamins Vitamin B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7, B8, and B9 are all found in pollen and royal jelly, which is a source of food for adult queen bees and their larvae. Pollen and royal jelly are found packed between the cells walls in honeycomb.
- Amino acids and digestive enzymes Amino acids and digestive enzymes slow the speed of sugar digestion. This keeps the blood glucose levels from spiking as sharply.
- Fiber and vitamin A Also included in the honeycomb is the edible beeswax that makes up the hexagons. While very low in nutrients, it does come with trace amounts of fiber and vitamin A.
In comparison to sugar, which contains nothing but itself, honeycomb brings more to the table.
Can Diabetic Eat Honey
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. Then, is raw honey good for diabetics?
Because honey can affect blood sugar, avoid it and other sweeteners until your diabetes is under control. Honey should be consumed in moderation. If your diabetes is well-controlled and you want to add honey to your diet, choose pure, organic, or raw natural honey.
Similarly, does honey spike insulin? Research. Several studies have found that eating honey may increase insulin levels and decrease levels of blood sugar.
Also know, can diabetics eat honey and cinnamon?
Honey and Cinnamon May Be Good for DiabeticsIt is well documented that consuming cinnamon on a regular basis is good for diabetics. It may also help prevent diabetes .
What is the best sweetener for diabetics?
In this article, we look at seven of the best low-calorie sweeteners for people with diabetes.
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