Can Diabetic Patient Eat Honey

Since honey is a natural sugar and carbohydrate, it is only natural that it will naturally affect your blood sugar. However, when compared to table sugar ie white sugar, it appears that honey has little or no effect on blood sugar. There was a study in the year 2004 in which the effect of honey and table sugar on blood sugar levels was investigated. In this study, along with people suffering from type 1 diabetes, people who did not have diabetes were also included.

The researchers found that in the diabetic group, there was an initial increase in blood sugar within 30 minutes of consuming honey. However, the participant's blood sugar levels decreased afterward and remained at a low level even after 2 hours. This led researchers to believe that honey, unlike table sugar, may cause an increase in insulin, which is an important hormone for controlling blood sugar. However, more research is needed on this.

Apart from this, a review published in the year 2017 also explored the connection between honey and blood glucose in diabetes patients. During this, the authors of the study found that honey had the following effects on the body -

• Honey helped lower the fasting serum glucose measured by doctors after fasting for at least 8 hours.
• Honey also increased fasting levels of C-peptide, which helps the pancreas determine how much insulin to secrete and plays a role in keeping blood sugar levels stable within a healthy range.
• Honey also increased 2-hour postprandial C-peptide levels, which indicate the amount of peptide made after a person has eaten a meal.

In 2018, a review of studies concluded that honey may be useful for the treatment of type 2 diabetes because of its hypoglycemic effects. In other words, it can help lower blood sugar. However, the researchers cautioned that more studies and longer-term follow-ups would be needed to confirm the effects of consuming honey in patients with diabetes.

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Even though honey may help increase insulin levels and help people with diabetes control their blood sugar, there is no conclusive research to support this. Although this can happen. Researchers have also found a possible link between honey and a low glycemic index.

In a study involving 50 people with type 1 diabetes and 30 people without type 1 diabetes, researchers found that honey had a lower glycemic index than sugar in all participants. Additionally, honey also increased its C-peptide levels. C-peptide is a substance released into the bloodstream when the body produces insulin. Normal levels of C-peptide mean that the body is producing enough insulin. However, more studies are needed to prove whether honey can be used to prevent or treat diabetes.

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Come, now let us know how eating honey is beneficial in diabetes -

• Its first advantage is that consuming honey can increase the level of insulin in the body, which can help in controlling blood sugar.
• If diabetes patients use honey instead of sugar, it can also be beneficial for them because honey contains antioxidants and antioxidants help improve how the body metabolizes sugar. Apart from this, anti-inflammatory properties are also found in honey which can help in reducing the complications caused by diabetes. Inflammation can lead to insulin resistance. This is a problem in which the body does not respond properly to insulin.

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Honey can be a healthier alternative to refined sugars such as white sugar, cane sugar, or powdered sugar. Despite this, people should also use honey in limited quantities, whether they have diabetes or not, because consuming honey can also increase blood sugar levels. Especially when using honey instead of sugar, a person uses honey additionally along with other things.

Apart from this, honey of many companies sold in the market is also such that it is not completely pure and it contains sugar or other sugar syrup. Therefore, consuming this type of honey can also be very harmful to diabetes patients. Therefore, you should come to identify whether your honey is pure or not.

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Well, we all know that raw, natural, and organic honey is the best. But sometimes it becomes very difficult to identify the real and the fake. In such a situation, it becomes especially important for patients with diabetes that they should not consume such honey which does not have adulteration of sugar. So we are telling you how to identify pure honey -

• Thumb test - Apply some honey on the thumb of the finger. Pure honey is thick and sticks to the surface where it is applied and does not drip, but if honey is adulterated, it will spread and drip like any other liquid when applied to the thumb.
• Water test - Add 1 teaspoon of honey to 1 glass of water. Honey that is not completely pure and has sugar adulteration will dissolve completely in water whereas pure honey whose texture is extremely dense will sit at the bottom of a glass of water in the form of lumps.

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Overall, honey is beneficial in many ways and increases the level of insulin higher than other forms of sugar and helps in reducing the level of blood sugar. But more research is needed to confirm whether it is a safe and better option for diabetes patients. Therefore, consume honey in limited quantity, and that too only after asking and consulting the doctor.

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