Honey May be Used as a Sugar Substitute by Diabetes Patients

The Glycemic and Peak Incremental Indices of Honey, Sucrose and Glucose in Patients with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus: Effects on C-peptide Level—A Pilot Study Acta Diabetologica, Online First

Our study was a case–control cross-sectional study that was conducted on 20 children and adolescents suffering from type 1 diabetes mellitus and ten healthy non-diabetic children and adolescents serving as controls.

The mean age of patients was 10.95 years. Oral sugar tolerance tests using glucose, sucrose and honey and measurement of fasting and postprandial serum C-peptide levels were done for all subjects in three separate sittings. The glycemic index (GI) and the peak incremental index (PII) were then calculated for each subject.

Honey, compared to sucrose, had lower GI and PII in both patients (P < 0.001) and control (P < 0.05) groups. In the patients group, the increase in the level of C-peptide after using honey was not significant when compared with using either glucose or sucrose. However, in the control group, honey produced a significant higher C-peptide level, when compared with either glucose or sucrose.

In conclusion, honey, because of its lower GI and PII when compared with sucrose, may be used as a sugar substitute in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus.