Are you wondering whether brown sugar is better for you than white sugar when you want to eat a sweet treat but need to control your blood sugar levels? Before you grab that dessert, here's what you need to know about brown sugar and diabetes.
Brown Sugar and Blood Sugar Levels
Brown sugar is a combination of table sugar and molasses. The molasses provides it with its unique texture and brown color. Brown sugar has a deeper, more caramel-like flavor than regular sugar, which creates a richer taste in some baked goods.
But molasses is yet another form of sugar. So, just like white sugar, it's a
carbohydrate. That's the
macronutrient with the largest effect on your blood sugar levels.
“Brown sugar really isn't any different than any other type of sugar from a nutrition standpoint,” says
Blake Metcalf, RD, an assistant professor of population health at Arkansas Colleges of Health Education and a delegate for the Arkansas Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics in Fort Smith, Arkansas.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), 1 teaspoon (tsp) of packed brown sugar has:
- Calories: 17.5
- Protein: 0 grams (g)
- Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 4.51 g
White sugar is very similar, based on USDA data, with 1 tsp containing:
- Calories: 16
- Protein: 0 g
- Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 3.98 g
The foods you include in meals also affect your blood sugar levels. If you want to occasionally enjoy a sugary treat or dessert, it’s a good idea to eat it with some
protein or healthy fat to slow down the rise in your blood sugar. In general, you could aim to balance protein,
carbs, and fat at every meal and snack. This should help reduce or prevent blood sugar spikes when you’re living with diabetes, and that's good for your overall self-care.
Added Sugars
Like white sugar, brown sugar is an added sugar. That means it’s not naturally found in foods like
fruits,
vegetables,
whole grains, and dairy products.
Eating foods with a lot of added sugars can increase the risk of weight gain and
obesity. It can also make you more likely to develop long-term (chronic) health conditions like heart disease.
What’s more, a systematic review and meta-analysis from China involving 47 studies and more than 1.2 million participants found a significant link between sugar intake and the risk of
depression.
“It's recommended that people keep added sugars to less than 10 percent of total calories,” Metcalf says. The World Health Organization (WHO) takes it a step further. According to the organization, it’s ideal to limit added sugar to 5 percent or less of your total daily calories for the largest health benefit.
“Most importantly,” Metcalf explains, “a person's blood sugar control and lifestyle habits will ultimately need to be considered before making decisions about when and how often it is appropriate to consider eating added sugars.”
Sugar Substitutes for Baking With Diabetes
If you'd like to replicate the taste of brown sugar without its blood sugar-spiking effects, you can choose from use
several alternatives, often made with sucralose or stevia.
Some sweetener brands also offer a brown-sugar baking blend, which is usually made from 50 percent brown sugar and 50 percent zero-calorie sweetener.
Another idea is to use zero-calorie sweeteners as standalone alternatives to brown sugar. They're 100-percent calorie- and carb-free, but they may contain added flavors and colors to help match the taste and appearance of brown sugar.
While sweeteners like
honey, molasses, and
maple syrup may seem like good alternatives to brown sugar, they're all considered sugars. So eating them will affect your blood sugar levels like brown and white sugar would.
