Is Honey Good for You If You Have Type 2 Diabetes?

It also contains vitamins and minerals like potassium, calcium, zinc, and vitamin C, and antioxidants. But not in amounts that are significant, so don’t look to honey as a major source of these nutrients.

Honey is different from white or “table” sugar because sugar doesn’t have any vitamins and minerals. Honey has a lower glycemic index (GI) than sugar, too. The glycemic index measures how quickly a carbohydrate raises blood sugar levels. Honey has a GI score of 58, and sugar has a GI value of 60. That means honey (like all carbohydrates) raises blood sugar quickly, but not quite as fast as sugar. Still, it’s not a big difference.

There’s not likely to be a benefit to swapping sugar for honey if you have diabetes, since they affect your blood sugar in similar ways. If you do choose to eat honey, make sure you know how much you’re getting. Foods that have honey in their name or sauce may contain more honey and carbohydrates than you realize. That can negatively affect your blood sugar and your ability to take the right amount of insulin.