Honey composition, blood sugar effects and health benefits
What it found
Honey contains mainly sugars but its effect on blood sugar varies widely depending on the plant source.
Larger servings of 50 to 80 grams showed nutritional and health benefits.
What they found
Studies in people
Blood sugar response
Even though honey is mostly sugar, its effect on blood sugar levels spans a wide range. The glycemic index goes from 32 to 85 depending on the plant the bees used.
Benefits at larger servings
When people ate bigger portions of 50 to 80 grams at once, honey showed several helpful effects on nutrition and health.
Other findings
Sugars in honey
Most of honey is made up of the sugars fructose and glucose. It also holds around 25 different types of larger sugar molecules.
Other nutrients present
Honey holds tiny quantities of proteins, enzymes, building blocks for proteins, minerals, vitamins and plant compounds. It also has trace elements and substances that give it its smell.
What the authors conclude
- They report that eating honey in larger amounts of 50 to 80 grams per serving can offer several helpful effects for nutrition and health.
- Their work brings together evidence on what honey contains and how those parts act in the body.
How it was done
Honey differs in look, taste and makeup depending on which plants the bees visited. The authors wanted to gather what is known about its nutrients and how it affects the body.
The authors gathered existing research on what honey is made of and how it acts in the body. They looked at its nutrients and its physical effects when eaten. They noted results seen when people took single servings of 50 to 80 grams.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- This work gathers past studies rather than running a new trial. It cannot prove that honey alone caused the health effects seen.
- Results from single large servings may not reflect what happens when people eat smaller everyday amounts.
Who paid
- Authors work at
- Swiss Bee Research Centre, Switzerland
The paper
- Title
- Honey for nutrition and health: a review
- Type
- ReviewThe authors read earlier studies and describe what they found. It isn’t a new study.
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Abstract only
- Cite
- Bogdanov S, Jurendic T, Sieber R, Gallmann P (2008). Honey for nutrition and health: a review. Journal of the American College of Nutrition. doi:10.1080/07315724.2008.10719745PubMed 19155427DOI
Summary written 1 Oct 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error