Although sucrose often gets villainized, researchers have found that the body metabolizes all these sweeteners similarly. For example, a 2015 study from Journal of Nutrition found that participants who consumed 50 grams of carbohydrates from honey, sucrose, or high-fructose corn syrup experienced similar effects on inflammation, cholesterol, or insulin.
Per teaspoon, honey contains 6 grams of sugar and 21 calories. By comparison, table sugar has 4 grams of sugar and 16 calories per teaspoon. That means honey is sweeter than sugar. “Although honey has more calories than sugar, you tend to use less of it,” says Priya Khorana, EdD, doctor of nutrition education at Teachers College of Columbia University.
References
American Diabetes Association. (n.d.). Types of carbohydrates.
American Heart Association. (2021). Added sugars.
Ellis, E. (2021). Feeding children when they are sick. Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
FoodData Central. (2019). Honey. U.S. Department of Agriculture.
FoodData Central. (2019). Sugars, granulated. U.S. Department of Agriculture.
National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. (2020). The common cold and complementary health approaches.
Raatz, S.K., et al. (2015). Consumption of honey, sucrose, and high-fructose corn syrup produces similar metabolic effects in glucose-tolerant and intolerant individuals. The Journal of Nutrition.
U.S. National Library of Medicine. (2023). Sweeteners - sugars.
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