对于糖尿病患者,无论是Ⅰ型还是Ⅱ型,我都会建议他们服用蜂蜜,因为同等克数的蜂蜜比蔗糖具有更高的甜度和更弱的血糖变化效应。糖尿病患者本来就从尿液中流失了大量的糖分,如果再不设法补充反而会带来更多的问题。每天92ml(蜂蜜的密度为1.4左右,92ml×1.4=128.8克)以内都是安全剂量,早餐时间服用对血糖影响更小。当然,为确保安全,不妨从小量开始逐渐增加,并且每天监测各类指标。但要注意不要服用商品加工后的蜂蜜。这里所得出的结论已经得到临床验证,而最早实验数据来自:Glycaemic responses to three different honeys given to normal and alloxan-diabetic rabbits (Akhtar and Khan, 1989)。
【附录】该实验原文: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) .