Honey and diabetes: advice and recommendations

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Extract from the article: Honey is a more or less liquid sweet substance produced by bees using flower nectar. It crystallises or remains liquid depending on its fructose and glucose content. The higher the fructose content, the more liquid the honey. Honey has antibacterial

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Honey is a more or less liquid sweet substance produced by bees using flower nectar. It crystallises or remains liquid depending on its fructose and glucose content. The higher the fructose content, the more liquid the honey. Honey has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties, as well as strong healing powers.

Honey contains over 80% carbohydrates, i.e. sugars. It is composed mainly of two simple sugars: fructose and glucose. Various scientific studies have shown that honey has three important health benefits.

« First and foremost, honey is a good source of antioxidants, which play a role in combating free radicals, toxic substances that play a part in the development of cardiovascular disease and certain types of cancer. The darker the colour of the honey, the more flavonoids, and therefore antioxidants, it will contain.Secondly, honey has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties, and above all strong healing powers.In equal quantities, honey has a higher sweetening power than many other sweeteners, such as white sugar.As honey has a higher sweetening power, it will be consumed in smaller quantities », explains Mathieu Tobossi, Specialist in Food Hygiene and Quality.

Should you eat sweet foods if you have diabetes?

There are 2 main types of sugar, known as carbohydrates in nutrition.The first family of carbohydrates are the simple sugars or sucrose, found in white sugar. This is the sugar found in honey, but also the sugar used to make sweets or to add to coffee. The second family is made up of complex sugars or starch, found in bread, cereals including fonio, sorghum, millet, rice, manioc, potatoes and yams.

According to Mathieu Tobossi, « It is impossible for diabetics never to consume sugars.However, you need to choose your sugars carefully, giving priority to complex sugars, which play a central role as our body's main source of energy.It is recommended that diabetic patients consume 250 to 500g of complex carbohydrates a day from cereals such as millet, fonio, rice or roots such as manioc or tubers such as yams ».

 What about the consumption of simple sugars, and therefore honey?

People with diabetes should keep their intake of foods rich in simple sugars such as white sugar, sweets and honey to a minimum. The current recommendation is to consume a maximum of 50g a day, which is equivalent to approximately 10 teaspoons or 3.5 tablespoons. This is an important recommendation, as these foods have the ability to raise blood sugar levels very quickly.

However, when it comes to choosing which 50g of simple sugars to consume, it's better to eat honey rather than table sugar of any colour or sweet confectionery.Honey: « unlike white sugar, honey contains glucose and fructose, which gives it a lower glycaemic index than white sugar, and unlike sweet confectionery, honey contains no fat, which is very important in cases of diabetes », explains Mathieu Tobossi.We need to replace simple industrialised sugars with honey, while remaining very reasonable about the amount we consume.

When it comes to choosing honeys, we recommend those from the central region, particularly from the DOOLE, DEPOND-MON and HASSANA GAFOLE beekeeping cooperatives. The honey from these three co-operatives has been analysed at the University of Lomé's forestry research laboratory and is considered to be fresh, genuine and natural, with no chemical inputs.These three cooperatives are the winners of the 2023 competition for the best honey in the central region, and their honeys are used for therapeutic purposes, making them the ideal sugar substitute for diabetics.

William O.

To contact these beekeeping cooperatives, contact:

SCOOPS DOOLE: + 228 90 34 44 67

SCOOPS DEPOND-MON: +228 91 75 15 54

SCOOPS HASSANA GAFOLE: +228 92 69 30 08