Effects of natural honey intake on glycaemic control and lipid profile in type 2 diabetes

Background: Natural honey is among products that are very rich in antioxidants. Several studies have demonstrated its advantages for human beings. However, diabetic patients are recommended not to consume a great amount because of its high content in sugar. The aim of the current study was to investigate the safety of natural honey in type 2 diabetes. Methods: Thirty-three patients with type 2 diabetes were randomly recruited and ate 10g of natural honey with water per day during ten weeks. During the study period, they did not undergo any changes in their diet, drugs and lifestyle. Before the onset of the study and at the end, lipids, glycemic profile, and HbA1c were measured. The patients performed regularly capillary blood glucose monitoring too. Results: We observed that HbA1c has significantly increased from 7.2% to 7.65% (p 10-5). Preprandial glycaemia has also increased, but not significantly. However, fasting and postprandial glycemias remained unchanged. Contrary to glycemic effects, honey improves lipid profile, but not significantly. Actually, total cholesterol, triglycerides and LDL cholesterol have decreased, and HDL cholesterol has increased. Conclusion: Daily consumption of Natural honey can deteriorate glycemic control of diabetics. However, it is still much better than other sweeteners. So, diabetics should take precautions if they consume honey for its advantages, and they could use low doses of honey, less than 10 g per day. Nevertheless, more studies should be done to investigate if honey can be beneficial and to determine the mechanism by which it can be.