Glycaemic responses to three different honeys given to normal and alloxan-diabetic rabbits

Blood glucose levels of normal and diabetic rabbits were determined after oral administration of graded doses of three different types of honeys; namely honeys of Apis florea (Small-Bee) and Apis dorsata (Large-Bee) and an adulterated commercial honey. The chemical analysis showed that commercial honey was adulterated with a saturated sucrose solution as it contained lower ash but higher nonreducing sugar levels than the natural ones. Oral administration of pure small or large-bee honeys in 5 ml/kg/doses could not produce a significant (P greater than 0.05) increase in glucose levels in normal and alloxan-diabetic rabbits whereas the adulterated honey significantly raised the blood glucose levels in normal and hyperglycaemic rabbits even at this low dosage. In higher doses of 10 ml/kg and 15 ml/kg body weight, all the three honeys produced a significant (P less than 0.05 or P less than 0.001) rise in blood glucose levels of normal as well as alloxan-diabetic rabbits. It may, therefore, be suggested that pure natural honeys in low doses may be recommended as a source of carbohydrates and even as a sweetening agent in place of sucrose to the human patients suffering from diabetes mellitus (JPMA 39: 107, 1989).