Honey vs. Sugar: Which One Is Better?

We’re often told to limit our sugar intake. But you may have wondered whether that applies to all types of sugar. Some sugars — like honey — are advertised as more natural alternatives to sugar. So, is honey healthier than traditional white table sugar? 

Here, we’ll break down what sets honey apart from white sugar, including its nutritional differences, potential downsides, and reasons to choose one over the other. 

Is honey a healthier choice than sugar?

In general, yes. While they are both forms of added sugar in your diet, honey has a few advantages over regular white sugar. 

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It contains antioxidants

Honey contains plant compounds called flavonoids and phenolic acids, which are types of antioxidants. Antioxidants fight against free radicals, which are things that can damage your body’s cells and lead to disease. Eating honey can therefore help contribute to the total antioxidants in your diet, which helps keep your body healthy. 

It has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties

Honey has been used for centuries to treat a variety of wounds — like burns, scrapes, and surgical incisions. It has been used in both hospital settings and at home for this purpose. 

The antibacterial properties of honey — along with its ability to help reduce inflammation — make it effective at treating other health conditions like upper respiratory tract infections. In fact, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends honey as a remedy for treating coughs in children older than 1 year. 

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It’s better for your blood sugar

Honey has a lower glycemic index compared to granulated white sugar. This means honey won’t raise your blood sugar as much as white sugar — assuming you’re using similar serving sizes. This makes it a better sweetener choice for people with diabetes. Still, since honey is a concentrated form of sugar, its use should still be limited.

It contains trace amounts of vitamins and minerals

Honey contains vitamins and minerals like calcium, zinc, and B vitamins — but in very small amounts. So honey isn’t a significant source of these nutrients in anyone’s diet. 

Can using honey instead of sugar help you lose weight?

Probably not. The research on honey and weight loss has been a bit conflicting. Some research suggests that honey can help manage health conditions associated with excess weight. More specifically, it may improve:  

• Blood sugar levels

• Cholesterol

• Insulin sensitivity, which also improves blood sugar levels

• Oxidative stress associated with excess weight

• Blood vessel health

But it’s not clear if honey actually helps someone lose weight. Another more recent analysis found that honey didn’t have any reliable weight-reducing effects in humans. Even though it seemed to reduce body weight in animal studies, honey didn’t help with weight loss in human studies. 

So until there are more human trials, people shouldn’t eat honey specifically to lose weight. This is especially true since an abundance of research — and recommendations from the CDC — report that consuming added sugars of any kind is a major contributor to obesity. 

Nutritional differences of honey vs. sugar

Here’s the nutritional breakdown of 1 tbsp of honey and 1 tbsp of granulated white sugar:

Disadvantages of using honey over sugar

While honey is a generally good choice of sweetener, it does have a few downsides.

It’s not safe for babies 

Honey can contain a type of bacteria called Clostridium. This bacteria can cause a disease called botulism. In infants, botulism can cause muscle weakness that may lead to poor feeding, difficulty breathing, and even death. So you should never give honey to an infant under the age of 1.

Keep in mind, though, that the USDA recommends that kids younger than 2 years not have added sugars at all in their diet. 

It doesn’t dissolve as well 

Honey is much thicker and has a different texture than sugar. So it may not dissolve as well in things like cold beverages. So depending on what you’re making or using it for, it may or may not be the right choice. 

It’s sweeter and contains more sugar per serving 

Compared to white sugar, honey provides about 4 g more of sugar per tablespoon. However, because it’s sweeter, you may not need as much of it. This may actually help you cut down on your sugar intake. So the fact that it contains more sugar could be a downside or a benefit, depending on how much you’re using. 

It may not be tolerated well by people with digestive issues like IBS 

Honey is high in monosaccharides, a type of FODMAP. These are carbohydrates that are harder to digest. People who are following a low FODMAP diet — which was designed for people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) — should avoid using honey to help ease their digestive issues. 

Are some types of honey healthier than others?

Yes, some varieties of honey are healthier choices than others. 

Raw, unpasteurized honey is typically believed to be the gold standard of honey types. This is because it’s honey as it exists in nature — without any heating or processing. 

Pasteurized honey, on the other hand, is heated. The heating process extends the shelf life and maintains its smooth texture. It also helps kill potentially harmful pathogens that could be a problem for people with a weakened immune system, including pregnant women. 

The downside of heating is that it can kill some of honey’s beneficial properties including its antioxidants, vitamins, and beneficial enzymes.

Manuka honey is another type of honey that may have greater health benefits. This type of honey is created by bees in Australia and New Zealand. It has been found to have especially strong antibacterial properties. So some people favor it for things like wound healing. And there’s even some evidence that it stops cancer cells from growing.  

Lastly, organic honey is also a great choice. This means the honey will come from flowers that are free from pesticides or other chemicals. Any type of honey can be organic, including manuka and raw, unpasteurized honey. 

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Written by:

Joanna Foley, RD

Joanna Foley, RD, is a registered dietitian (RD) and the owner of joannafoleynutrition.com, a private nutrition consulting business. She has previously worked as a clinical dietitian and outpatient renal dietitian.

Edited by:

Katie E. Golden, MD

Katie E. Golden, MD, is a board-certified emergency medicine physician and a medical editor at GoodRx.

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