Scientists from the University of Toronto report that honey, when included in a healthy diet, may help improve blood sugar control.
Obesity is a common and serious chronic disease affecting both adults and children. Body mass index (BMI) is often used to assess whether a person is overweight or obese. A BMI between 25.0 and 29.9 is considered overweight, while a BMI of 30.0 or higher falls within the obesity range.
Being overweight or obese is a major risk factor for type 2 diabetes.
Excess intake of free sugars contributes to rising rates of obesity and type 2 diabetes. Honey is classified as a free sugar, but it is often considered a healthier alternative due to its natural origin and bioactive compounds.
Honey has long been used for its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antibacterial properties. It is commonly consumed to relieve coughs and applied topically to treat burns and promote wound healing.
In the current review study, researchers examined the effects of honey consumption on cardiovascular and metabolic risk factors.
They analyzed 18 clinical studies that evaluated the impact of honey intake on body fat, blood sugar, blood pressure, uric acid, inflammation, and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.
Overall, the researchers found that honey consumption was associated with reductions in fasting blood sugar, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL, or “bad” cholesterol), triglycerides, and markers of liver damage. Honey intake was also linked to increased high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL, or “good” cholesterol).
Certain types of honey — including robinia, clover, and raw honey — showed particularly strong benefits for lowering fasting blood sugar and total cholesterol.
Based on these findings, the researchers conclude that honey, especially raw and minimally processed varieties, may improve blood sugar control and lipid levels when consumed as part of a balanced diet.
However, they emphasize that more research is needed, particularly studies examining how the floral source and processing of honey influence its health effects.
The study was conducted by Amna Ahmed and colleagues and published in the journal Nutrition Reviews.
If you care about diabetes, please read studies that not all whole grain foods could benefit people with diabetes, and green tea and coffee could help reduce death risk in diabetes.
For more information about nutrition, please see recent studies that vitamin D could improve blood pressure in people with diabetes, and results showing Mediterranean diet could help reduce the diabetes risk by 30%.
