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Honey is the only healthy sweetener, even for people with diabetes

As far as its main components are concerned, honey is unique, as it consists almost exclusively (98%) of monosaccharides or single-molecule sugars. There is no other substance that is available in nature and consists of single-molecule sugar or sugars. These facts result in characteristics which set honey very clearly apart from other sugars. Its water content is significantly high, around 8-20%. Its mineral and vitamin content is very low. It is to be noted that bees add various enzymes to honey that, upon entering the gastro-intestinal tract, promote digestion, provided that the honey was not heated or baked before it. It is also worth mentioning that honey may contain many other substances…

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Featured

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 The Sweet Science of Honey

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Articles of Interest

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Learn even more super-sweet facts about honey.

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Honey is seen as something pure and natural, but bees are foragers whose guiding principle is "The sweeter the better"—even if that means making the untraditional choice of gathering artificial sugars from the urban landscape.

Are Honey and Maple Syrup Really Healthier Than Sugar? We Asked Nutritionists

"Honey's advantages over sugar include a slightly lower glycemic index (i.e. it doesn't affect your blood-sugar levels as much)," Dr. Dixon says. "It also contains more vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, such as calcium, potassium, vitamin C, zinc, phenolic acids, and flavonoids."

Bee Superfood: Exploring Honey's Chemical Complexities

Honey bees know a lot about honey, and humans are starting to catch up. Scientists are now looking at how the chemicals in honey affect bee health. With the help of research scientist Bernarda Calla, Short Wave producer Berly McCoy explains the chemical complexities of honey, how it helps keep honey bees resilient, and what role it may play in saving the bees.

Better than Sugar? 5 Natural Sweeteners Demystified

More flavorful alternatives to white sugar abound, but are they any healthier for you? Here’s a guide to what’s actually in your sweetener of choice.

Healthy Eating: Some Not-So-Sweet (And, Frankly, Shocking) News About Honey

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Is Honey Better Than Sugar?

Honey does have more nutrients—including antioxidants—than ordinary refined sugar, nutritionists say, but it isn't better for diabetics, as it still raises blood sugar. Health benefits of honey are mostly unproven, though some studies show taking a spoonful eases coughs in children over a year old and helps them sleep.

Is honey better than sugar? A dietitian shares why she loves its health benefits—and her favorite ways to use it

As a dietitian, I’m often asked if honey is healthier than other sugars and other added sweeteners. The answer? Honey and sugar are both carbohydrates, consisting of the two types of sugar: Glucose and fructose, both of which are broken down quickly by the body and can cause spikes in blood sugar levels. But in my opinion, the upside of choosing honey as your sweetener of choice is that it contains certain health properties other sugars don’t have.

Is Honey Healthier Than Sugar?

So, is honey healthier than sugar? Both provide sweetness and have their place in your kitchen. However, research suggests that honey may have more health benefits than other forms of regular sugar, like granulated and cane.

Is Honey Healthy? Here's What Experts Say

And even though honey comes from a natural source, it is still an added sugar, like corn syrup or cane sugar. “A lot of people feel better when they read a food label and see honey instead of sugar,” says Friedman. “However, in the long run, the nuance is more meaningful to the mind than the body. The body pretty much perceives sugar and honey added to foods the same way.”

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The post, by journalist Andrew Schneider, claimed that most honey on supermarket shelves isn't really honey. As evidence, the site cited tests showing that there is no pollen in most of that honey. (Raw honey contains lots of pollen, which bees collect along with the nectar that they turn into honey.)

Remedies: Honey for Coughing

According to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, honey may be useful in relieving coughing, but it should never be given to children under a year of age because in rare cases it can cause infantile botulism.

Sugar substitutes - honey explained

It's also worth remembering that like other syrups, honey is classed as 'free' sugars – the type we are advised to cut back on. If you do prefer honey, try to choose a raw variety, which contains more vitamins, enzymes, antioxidants and nutrients than white sugar and use it in moderation. It is worth remembering, however, that any nutritional benefit from consuming honey is negligible.

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Just a few weeks ago, a study was published in the Journal of Nutrition that many reports in the news media said proved that honey was no better than sugar as a sweetener, and that high-fructose corn syrup was no worse. This shocked people on all sides of the sweetener debate. It has become an article of faith among many that natural sweeteners like honey are better for you than engineered sweeteners like high-fructose corn syrup, especially for people concerned about diabetes.

Unexpected Honey Study Shows Woes of Nutrition Research

The honey study is a good example of how research can become misinterpreted. It’s among the stronger studies we have available because it’s a randomized controlled trial.

Resources

5 Reasons Why Raw Honey is Better Than White Sugar

Raw honey and white sugar are both carbohydrates. And they both contain two primary sugars: fructose and glucose. But white sugar is 100% sugars (50% fructose and 50% glucose), while raw honey is about 85% sugars with fructose and glucose ratios that vary with each honey variety. The remaining 15% of honey is water, pollen and trace nutrients.

Action on Sugar

Other than in occasional use to sooth acute coughs, the supposed health benefits of honey do not outweigh the contribution of free sugars it provides, particularly when it is widely used in processed manufactured foods.