No, honey isn’t unhealthy because it spikes your blood sugar, but why does this influencer say the opposite?

Blueberries might contain more antioxidants, but it’s not the only measure that matters. 

It’s true that the antioxidant content of blueberries is generally much higher than that of honey, as reported in the Antioxidant Food Database. However, even this can vary a lot, depending on the variety of blueberry and the variety of honey. While Jessie is likely making a general comparison to show that the amount of antioxidants in honey can be found elsewhere for less sugar, her subsequent claims about health impacts are misleading. Sugar and antioxidants are just two factors of a complex food matrix that exists within honey, and your overall dietary pattern. 

Yes, sugar spikes your blood glucose, but this doesn’t mean honey is bad for you.

“Honey contains glucose and fructose - these both have impacts on your health.” Jessie writes in her caption. 

A diet rich in simple sugars can increase calorie intake beyond needs and is associated with negative health outcomes such as poor cardiovascular health. As with most of Jessie’s posts, she claims that because a food is high in sugar, it spikes blood sugar and is, therefore, not healthy. However, will a teaspoon of honey, poured over a bowl of porridge, spread on your toast, or paired with Greek yoghurt, cause these ill-healths? No, and this is where Jessie’s claim is flawed. 

Pure honey may have health benefits that cannot be understood by examining the blood sugar spike alone. For example, honey contains trace amounts of bioactive compounds with potential antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory effects, depending on the source. Jessie also cites no research to show that honey is associated with poor health outcomes and doesn’t acknowledge the studies that show it may have health benefits.

Honey may confer some small but beneficial effects on your health. A meta-analysis of 18 controlled trials with 1105 participants suggests that honey might improve glycemic control and lipid levels. However it’s important to note that the certainty of the evidence is low, and the effects on fasting glucose and total cholesterol varied by floral source and honey processing. Meta-analyses like these are more reliable data sources than measurements of glucose spikes from an individual, whose health background is completely unknown. 

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Honey probably has varying impacts on your blood glucose levels. 

The graph in Jessie’s post is based on one person’s blood sugar response to honey, most likely recorded using a continuous glucose monitor (CGM). It shows that a teaspoon of honey causes a spike in blood sugar, which then falls back within the normal range. It is important to note that no citations are given for this illustrated graph and in reality there is variation between the type of honey consumed with some varieties considered to be low GI in comparison to glucose.

Even so, this graph may have little meaning for your own health. Research shows that blood sugar spikes, measured with CGMs, can vary greatly in the same person in response to consuming the same meal at different times. So, the one data point Jessie shares has limited meaning for your own health. Another paper showed that CGMs are highly unlikely to be able to tell you what foods are “right” or “wrong” for you based on the glucose response to that food. 

Additionally, there is limited evidence for the negative impact of glucose spikes that fall back within the normal range on long-term health. 

An important distinction here is for people with pre-diabetes or diabetes, where blood sugar control is important and should be monitored with the support of a healthcare team.  

We need context, Jessie! 

Context, context, context. 

Jessie compares a teaspoon of honey to half a blueberry, focusing on the sugar and antioxidant content, and the impact on blood sugar spikes. However, honey is rarely consumed by itself, and is often added to meals. Therefore, the impact on blood glucose spikes (which may have little impact for individuals without diabetes anyway) is likely different to what she shares in her post. There are several ways in which context needs to be reintroduced here:

1. Focusing on realistic eating patterns

Posts like this entirely remove single ingredients or foods from the context of how they’re actually consumed, and more generally of a person’s diet. 

Jessie does point out, “So to me, honey is in the category of eating it for pleasure if you love it, but its health benefits don’t outweigh all of the sugar that it contains and the impact of that sugar on your health.” 

Half a blueberry is also an unlikely serving size for anyone. Blueberries are consumed as a snack or in larger quantities (e.g., a handful), where their antioxidant benefits are cumulative, and they contain more sugar – which, we can’t stress enough, is not inherently bad for you! 

This post is yet another example of a false equivalence, where two foods are presented together in a way that makes them seem equivalent, when in fact they cannot be compared in a meaningful way. Comparing the nutritional impact of a teaspoon of honey to half a blueberry doesn't align with real-world usage patterns and creates an unrealistic framing of their roles in a diet. This type of information might make compelling social media content, but it does little to empower the consumer to gain a better understanding of nutrition.

2. A teaspoon of honey is not just a teaspoon of sugar

“Sugar is sugar”, Jessie writes in her post, which is frequently said by those claiming all sugar is unhealthy, no matter the dietary source. And while too much sugar, in the context of an unhealthy diet, can negatively impact health, the argument can be misleading without added context.

For example, one review reports that different sources of dietary sugars can impact glycaemic control, blood pressure, inflammation, and acute appetite differently. Specifically, they found that compared with sugar-sweetened beverages, honey reduced fasting glucose levels.

Dr Idz commented on this exact issue, in an interview given to BBC Radio London, in which he explains that what we need to focus on is what the sugar is added to. What else does it come with?