The Benefits and Risks of Honey for People with Diabetes

Honey is a good substitute for sugar as a sweetener for adding to tea or coffee, sometimes when baking. The question is whether honey can be good for diabetes. This article looks at the different aspects of this question.

Honey and Diabetes

Having diabetes can put severe restrictions on what one can or can not eat. People must watch their calories and they must also only try to eat healthy carbohydrates and that too in good amounts. The body creates glucose when digesting food. Glucose is a source of energy when consumed well. However, the bodies of people with diabetes are unable to break down glucose to produce energy or are not well enough. That leads to high glucose levels which have dire health consequences.

This is why people must be careful about what they eat. The next question is what about honey? Is It good for people with diabetes? The short answer is yes but with some conditions.

1. Carbohydrates

Honey has more calories than sugar and thus might not be healthy when consumed in more than very moderate quantities.

2. Health benefits for people with diabetes

Honey has several anti-inflammatory properties which can help reduce the effects of diabetes but only in reasonable amounts. Moderation is necessary if one is to get the benefits of honey and avoid bad effects. Honey is also known to reduce blood pressure.

Its antioxidants also assist in improving heart health. Another reason is that it assists in digestion as well as weight loss which is crucial as obesity is a condition that worsens heart health, blood pressure, and diabetes.

Honey can also be a booster of immunity. Some other health benefits are listed below:

• Boosts immunity
• Betters skin health
• Reduces respiratory disorders
• A great antibiotic
• Reducing tooth decay
• Might reduce triglycerides
• Helps treat wounds and burns
• Fights cough and sore throat
• Assist in avoiding asthma attacks

3. Unprocessed versus processed honey

Not all honey is the same. Honey comes from honeybees who collect a liquid from the nectar of flowers and refine it further till it is almost all calories. Honey collected from bees is not as clean as processed honey. The processed and filtered honey sold in the market has undergone a further filtration process for increasing its shelf life but that can remove its anti-inflammatory properties.

4. Benefits for prediabetic condition

Prediabetes is a medical condition where one’s glucose levels are higher than normal but are not high enough to be considered diabetic. Prediabetes people are very likely to develop diabetes. One in every ten people might be prediabetic according to some studies and this situation might worsen due to the impact of modern lifestyle.

Honey might be a good sugar substitute when consumed moderately for people with prediabetes as it is known to keep diabetes at bay according to some studies. Honey’s benefits in weight loss, heart length, and blood pressure might also help in avoiding prediabetes. You can also learn more about the different types of diabetes in our detailed article

Frequently Asked Questions

There are several questions relating to honey consumption by people with diabetes. The following are some of the most Frequently Asked Questions (F.A.Q.s) :

Question: How much honey should I consume?

Answer: The answer to the question of quantity is best determined with the assistance of a medical practitioner. It must be observed here that honey has several calories, even people with diabetes must eat some calories too. Low glucose amounts can be as dangerous, often more dangerous than higher glucose. People with diabetes are not supposed to keep their glucose levels minimum but only in a healthy range.

Question: What are some other things that can help?

Answer: While honey can help lower some of the effects of diabetes, it is not a magical cure for it. One must also undertake to live a healthier lifestyle. One of the things to do is some light cardiovascular exercise. A more balanced diet in general is desirable.

Question: What are some of the things to be kept in mind when eating honey as a person with diabetes?

Answer: The following are some of the things that should be kept in mind when considering honey for people with diabetes:

• It has already been said a couple of times but it must be repeated honey should only be consumed in moderate amounts.
• One should only go for unprocessed, unrefined, unprocessed, and organic honey to keep the bad effects a minimum.
• The above information is generic and may not apply to a specific case.
• This article should not be considered a substitute for the advice of a medical practitioner. It is critical to get the approval of one’s medical practitioner before making changes to one’s diet.

If the reader has any other questions, they should feel free to ask them here.

The Bottom Line

One can easily wrap up the above discussion by concluding that honey should be consumed only in very moderate amounts by people with diabetes.