Journal of North Khorasan

Background & Objectives: The prevalence of diabetes is increasing rapidly. Diabetic patients are deprived of sugar sweetener consumption due to their high blood sugar. Choosing appropriate substitutes in the meal plan of diabetic patients is one of the important therapeutic strategies. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of different types of honey on the levels of glucose, fructosamine and insulin of diabetic rats.

Material & Methods: This study was an interventional clinical trial animal study. In this study 64 wistar rats were used, which were divided into 8 groups. The drug of Streptozocin was used to induce diabetes in 4 groups of rats. Three types of Acacia honey, Astragalus honey, and Nodoushan Yazd honey were used in 3 groups of diabetic rats and 3 groups of normal rats. 2 groups also were considered as control groups of diabetic and normal groups.

Results: Difference in blood glucose of diabetic and normal rats was not significant in the receiver groups of different types of honey. Fructosamine levels also did not have significant differences in diabetic and normal groups. On the other hand, the honey consumption significantly increased insulin levels in healthy groups.

Conclusion: The present study showed that three types of honey don’t have any effect on blood glucose and fructosamine levels of serum of diabetic and normal rats, but they cause an increase in serum insulin levels. Based on the findings of this study, it is recommended that honey is a safe natural sweetener and even can be beneficial.

Keywords: Honey, glucose, Diabetes, fructosamine, insulin