Regardless of whether you have a chronic illness like diabetes or you’re just trying to eat healthier, cutting back on sugar is likely at the top of your list of possible dietary changes. Still, we admit that it’s very difficult to cut out sugar and other sweeteners entirely, which is why we were curious about the best sweeteners to use if you’re watching your blood sugar. Here, find out what experts said about honey vs. agave and which is easier on blood sugar.
Meet the experts: Courtney Pelitera, M.S., R.D.N., a registered dietitian nutritionist at VNutrition; Ankit Shah, M.D., an assistant professor of endocrinology at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.
How does honey impact blood sugar?
One of the easiest metrics to look at when discussing the impact of a sweetener on blood sugar is the food’s glycemic index. “Honey has a slightly lower glycemic index score compared to table sugar, 50 vs 80,” says Courtney Pelitera, M.S., R.D.N., a registered dietitian nutritionist at VNutrition. “That means that honey affects your blood sugar levels slightly less than table sugar because it is digested at a slower rate.”
The make-up of honey is the reason behind this difference. “While table sugar contains an equal mixture of glucose and fructose, honey has slightly more fructose than glucose molecules. Honey also contains water, trace nutrients, and antioxidants,” says Ankit Shah, M.D., an assistant professor of endocrinology at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. “Studies have shown that eating honey, compared with equal amounts of white sugar, results in smaller spikes in blood glucose levels in people with and without diabetes. This occurs because the fructose molecule must first be metabolized in the liver, which blunts the spike in blood glucose levels.”
What’s more, a review published in Nutrition Reviews that looked at 18 controlled trials found that honey (especially robinia, clover, and unprocessed raw honey) may actually improve blood sugar management and lipid levels when consumed as part of a healthy diet.
How does agave impact blood sugar?
Agave nectar, or agave syrup, is a natural sweetener derived from the agave plant (yes, the same one that’s used to make tequila). Like honey, agave is lower on the glycemic index than table sugar. “Agave has a very low glycemic index score of about 20 on average which means that it is digested more slowly compared to table sugar and honey and will have less of an impact on blood sugar,” Pelitera says. She adds that this is mainly because agave is about 80% fructose, which is an even higher percentage of fructose than what’s found in honey.
While this is technically a good thing if you’re diabetic, for instance, and don’t want your blood sugar to spike, consuming too much fructose may have negative effects in the long run. “Excessive fructose consumption can lead to fatty liver disease,” says Dr. Shah. Research in the journal Nature even suggests that high consumption of fructose may contribute to faster tumor growth in certain cancers.
Honey vs. agave: Which is easier on blood sugar?
If you’re looking strictly at the effects on your blood sugar levels, Pelitera says that agave is technically the better option because it creates a smaller spike. “It is also sweeter than table sugar, which hopefully means that someone would be using less agave than they would table sugar to get the same sweetness,” she adds. But looking beyond blood sugar, the lower-in-fructose honey may be a smarter pick overall, especially if you’re choosing a raw honey that also delivers antioxidants.
All that said, Dr. Shah cautions that both honey and agave are considered added sugars and “it is best to limit the amount of added sugar if you are diabetic or prediabetic.” Research has linked consumption of too much added sugar to a slew of health concerns, including an increased risk of obesity, metabolic disorders, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, depression, and cognitive impairment. For this reason, Dr. Shah believes that neither is healthier than the other. Instead, “it should come down to personal taste preferences and what an individual chooses to use in moderation.”
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