Highlights
- Honey is between one and one-and-a-half times sweeter than sucrose (table sugar).
- Honey is approximately 40% fructose, 30% glucose and 17% water, with the remainder being other sugars, carbohydrates and a small amount of vitamins and minerals.
- North Dakota produces the most honey of all the states in the United States.
- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has established specific requirements for the labeling of sugars in pure honey.
- A potential health benefit of honey is its role in cough suppression.
- Infants under one year old should not be given honey due to its risk of containing the bacteria that causes infant botulism.
There are many different types of sugars, and one of the most familiar is honey. Breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, dinner or dessert—the food uses for honey are wide-ranging. Scientifically speaking, honey is a type of carbohydrate, mainly consisting of the monosaccharides fructose and glucose.
Where does honey come from?
Honey is made by honeybees. Honeybees collect pollen and nectar from the flowering plants that they pollinate and transport it back to the hive for worker bees to process. Eventually, with the help of enzymes provided by the worker bees, the nectar ripens into honey and can be harvested for consumption. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, honey is produced in all 50 states, with North Dakota leading the way.
Is honey a natural or added sugar?
Honey is a naturally occurring sugar and is also considered an added sugar, which can be confusing. Although pure honey is made by nature and no sugars are added during its production, consuming pure honey contributes added sugars to the diet. The requirements for the way sugars are labelled on the Nutrition Facts label of pure honey attempts to address this nuance. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, pure honey is not required to declare its sugar content as “Added Sugars.” Instead, the sugars in pure honey can be listed as “Total Sugars.” However, a “†” symbol must appear alongside the percent Daily Value (DV) on the Nutrition Facts label of pure honey. This symbol directs consumers to a footnote in the Nutrition Facts label box that includes a description of the gram amount of sugar added to the diet by one serving of the product as well as its contribution to the percent DV for added sugars. Here’s an example of the “†” symbol statement: “One serving adds 17g of sugar to your diet and represents 34% of the Daily Value for Added Sugars.”
Although the amount of added sugars that Americans consume has decreased during the last two decades, about six in ten U.S. adults still eat more added sugars than is recommended.
How is honey digested?
One tablespoon of honey provides about 60 calories and 17 grams of sugars. Honey is primarily made up of sugars (approximately 40% fructose and 30% glucose) and water (17%), with the remainder being other sugars, carbohydrates and a small amount of vitamins and minerals. By comparison, sucrose is a disaccharide made of equal parts of two monosaccharides: 50% fructose and 50% glucose. Due to its inherent mixture of sugars, honey is between one and one-and-a-half times sweeter than sucrose, yet honey and sucrose impact blood glucose levels similarly.
When we consume honey, our bodies break it down for energy in a way similar to how other sugars are digested. Glucose ultimately gets taken up by our cells with the help of insulin, while fructose is handled in the liver and does not need insulin to be absorbed.
Does honey have health benefits?
A potential benefit of honey is its role in cough suppression. A 2018 Cochrane Review found that while there was no strong evidence for or against the use of honey to relieve cough in children, honey may be equal to or better than over-the-counter cough remedies or not treating the cough at all. According to The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), honey helps to thin mucus and loosen coughs. The AAP supports the use of small amounts of honey for children one year and older as a home remedy for coughing. The AAP and other health authorities such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advise that infants under one year old should not be given honey because it can contain the bacteria that causes infant botulism. Honey is safe for people one year of age and older.
Added sugars, including honey, have come under increased scrutiny in recent decades. The impact of added sugars on diet and health have been extensively studied, including whether or not certain types of added sugars impact health differently than others. For example, in 2015 researchers at the U.S. Department of Agriculture compared the consumption of honey, sucrose and high fructose corn syrup and found no difference in metabolic effects such as glycemic response, lipid metabolism and inflammation.
Because honey has more vitamins and minerals per gram than other sugars such as table sugar (sucrose), some view it as healthier. However, to get a meaningful benefit from the micronutrients in honey, the large number of calories from sugar you would have to eat effectively negates any expected health benefit. Further, there are no official recommendations on the types of added sugars we should consume or avoid. It is recommended that added sugars (regardless of the type) make up less than ten percent of the total calories we eat—or less than 50 grams of added sugars per 2,000 calories.
To learn more about carbohydrates and sugars like honey, watch this video.
FAQs
Honey is primarily made up of sugars (approximately 40% fructose and 30% glucose) and water (17%), with the remainder being other sugars, carbohydrates and a small amount of vitamins and minerals.
Is a spoonful of raw honey a day good for you? ›
Health benefits of eating a spoonful of honey everyday include diabetes management, cancer management, better heart health, and other benefits. Honey is a brown, sticky, sugar-saturated solution made by bees. Honey bees or forage bees collect nectar from flowers and add some enzymes to the nectar.
What does honey do to your body? ›
Honey has a potential therapeutic role in the treatment of disease by phytochemical, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and antioxidant properties. Flavonoids and polyphenols, which act as antioxidants, are two main bioactive molecules present in honey.
Is honey good for you, NHS? ›
The government recommends that free sugars – sugars added to food or drinks, and sugars found naturally in honey, syrups, and unsweetened fruit and vegetable juices, smoothies and purées – should not make up more than 5% of the energy (calories) you get from food and drink each day.
What are the side effects of honey on your stomach? ›
Side Effects of Having Excess Honey:
It has the potential to boost your blood sugar levels. People with diabetes should use it with caution and see a doctor before including it into their diet. Stomach Cramps: Consistently consuming too much honey can cause stomach cramps.
What happens if you eat honey every day for a month? ›
However, remember that honey is a type of sugar, so consuming it will cause your blood sugar levels to rise. Eating large quantities of honey, especially consistently over a long period, can contribute to weight gain and increase your risk of diseases like type 2 diabetes or heart disease ( 15 ).
What are the disadvantages of raw honey? ›
Unlike processed honey, raw honey may contain small amounts of pollen grains. According to literature, there were cases of allergic reactions after ingestion of raw honey that contained pollen. Symptoms could range from itching in the oral mucosa to anaphylactic shock.
What are the pros and cons of honey? ›
The Bottom Line. Honey has been linked to health benefits like improved heart health, wound healing, and blood antioxidant status. However, consuming too much may cause adverse effects due to its high sugar and calorie content. Thus, it's best to use honey to replace other forms of sugar and enjoy it in moderation.
What is the healthiest type of honey? ›
When it comes to choosing the healthiest honey, you should look for one that is raw. Raw honeys are not pasteurized and bypass filtration, a process that may reduce its nutrients. A great variety of raw and unfiltered honey is available on Amazon.
What does honey do to the face? ›
Honey has the unique ability to promote skin cell regeneration and healing, while also softening, brightening, and clarifying the skin. Incorporating honey into your daily routine promotes skin health naturally, making it an essential part of any skincare regimen.
Risk of other health conditions: As honey contains sugar, consuming too much of it may increase a person's risk of developing obesity, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes.
Who should not take honey? ›
Avoid giving honey — even a tiny taste — to babies under the age of 1 year. Honey can cause a rare but serious gastrointestinal condition (infant botulism) caused by exposure to Clostridium botulinum spores. Bacteria from the spores can grow and multiply in a baby's intestines, producing a dangerous toxin.
Is Rowse honey real honey? ›
The term “raw” isn't recognised in the UK honey regulations and we believe the term is misleading, therefore we do not use it in our labelling, marketing or website. However, Rowse honey is 100% pure and natural, arriving in its natural state and gently warmed through to pack into our bottles and jars.
Is honey a laxative? ›
The answer to — is honey good for constipation — is yes. Honey for constipation relief is a well-known cure because it acts as a mild laxative. Honey is laden with enzymes that aid digestive health. You can have honey by itself or even add it to a glass of warm water to treat constipation and stabilise digestion.
Is 2 tablespoons of honey a day too much? ›
Honey is still a form of sugar and intake should be moderate. The American Heart Association recommends that women get no more than 100 calories a day from added sugars; men no more than 150 calories a day. This is a little over two tablespoons for women and three tablespoons for men.
Why do I feel bad after eating honey? ›
A honey allergy describes a rare type of food allergy. It is often the honey's pollen or bee protein content that triggers an allergic reaction in certain individuals. People with pollen allergies, bee sting allergies, or seasonal allergies are more likely to experience honey allergies.
Is it better to eat raw honey at night or in the morning? ›
It should come as no surprise that honey is advised to be eaten before going to sleep by health experts. Consuming honey with a glass of warm milk ensures a good night's sleep. Your body absorbs all the goodness from this superfood at night to keep you healthy.
What happens if you take honey every morning? ›
If so, there are health benefits of eating honey daily, especially on an empty stomach. Many people believe that one of the benefits of honey in the morning is detoxification. Many people also report having good digestion when consuming honey. Honey consumption on a daily basis can also aid in healthy and radiant skin.
Which is healthier honey or raw honey? ›
When it comes to choosing the healthiest honey, you should look for one that is raw. Raw honeys are not pasteurized and bypass filtration, a process that may reduce its nutrients. A great variety of raw and unfiltered honey is available on Amazon.
What does 100% raw honey do? ›
Since raw honey has no added ingredients and does not get heated through pasteurization, it contains the highest amounts of active enzymes and antioxidants possible. The antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and anti-viral properties of raw, unfiltered honey are also the strongest compared to processed honey.
