Glycemic index values of multifloral Turkish honeys and effect of their consumption on glucose metabolism

The purpose of this study was to investigate the glycemic index (GI) of five honeys from different geographical origin in Turkey and the effect of their consumption on glucose metabolism. Five multifloral honeys (Bingol, Semdinli, Kayseri, Yuksekova, and Mu) were used in this study. Processing data from twenty healthy volunteers, GI values were determined from the glycemic values using the incremental area method. The serum insulin and C-peptide levels were also measured just before and 120min after the test. Semdinli and Yuksekova honeys were determined to have low GI while Kayseri and Bingol honeys have medium GI, and Mu honey has the highest GI. No significant correlation has been found between the GI values and sugar contents of the honeys (r=0.42) (p>0.05). Two hours after ingestions, all the honey samples with the exception of Bingol honey have given rise to a statistically significant decrease in serum glucose levels (p<0.05). Honeys have also given rise to a decrease in insulin levels, and this decrease is statistically significant after Semdinli honey. Meanwhile, C-peptide levels generally gave rise to an increase after honey ingestion, and this increase is not statistically significant, except for Mu honey (p>0.05). A comparative research is needed on healthy and diabetic individuals as a future recommendation.