{"id":548660,"date":"2026-03-27T15:22:14","date_gmt":"2026-03-27T15:22:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/548660\/"},"modified":"2026-03-27T15:22:14","modified_gmt":"2026-03-27T15:22:14","slug":"experts-reveal-the-number-1-sweetener-to-avoid-blood-sugar-spikes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/548660\/","title":{"rendered":"Experts Reveal the Number-1 Sweetener to Avoid Blood Sugar Spikes"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img src=\"https:\/\/www.prevention.com\/_assets\/design-tokens\/fre\/static\/icons\/clock-regular.4ddebeb.svg\" alt=\"Estimated read time\" width=\"16\" height=\"16\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\"\/>2 min read<\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"0\" class=\"css-6wxqfj emevuu60\">If you have a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.prevention.com\/health\/health-conditions\/a65290015\/diabetes-types-symptoms-treatments\/\" target=\"_self\" data-vars-ga-outbound-link=\"https:\/\/www.prevention.com\/health\/health-conditions\/a65290015\/diabetes-types-symptoms-treatments\/\" data-vars-ga-ux-element=\"Hyperlink\" data-vars-ga-call-to-action=\"kind of diabetes\" data-node-id=\"0.1\" class=\"body-link css-1xnf0nh emevuu60\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">kind of diabetes<\/a> and want to add <a href=\"https:\/\/www.prevention.com\/health\/a70625633\/foods-to-support-blood-sugar\/\" data-vars-ga-outbound-link=\"https:\/\/www.prevention.com\/health\/a70625633\/foods-to-support-blood-sugar\/\" data-vars-ga-ux-element=\"Hyperlink\" data-vars-ga-call-to-action=\"foods to your routine to keep your blood sugar stable\" data-node-id=\"0.3\" class=\"body-link css-1xnf0nh emevuu60\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">foods to your routine to keep your blood sugar stable<\/a>, it can be difficult to find a little something sweet that won\u2019t impact your blood glucose (a.k.a. blood sugar) levels. People with diabetes can have sugar\u2014just in moderation (and\/or with a bit of medication if needed). But knowing the number-one sweetener a doctor and a dietitian say shouldn\u2019t lead to a blood sugar spike may help you feel more confident in your eating plan.<\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"1\" class=\"body-tip css-txvov emevuu60\">Meet the experts: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vnutritionandwellness.com\/author\/courtney-pelitera\/\" data-vars-ga-outbound-link=\"https:\/\/www.vnutritionandwellness.com\/author\/courtney-pelitera\/\" data-vars-ga-ux-element=\"Hyperlink\" data-vars-ga-call-to-action=\"Courtney Pelitera, M.S., R.D.N.\" data-node-id=\"1.1\" class=\"body-link css-1xnf0nh emevuu60\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Courtney Pelitera, M.S., R.D.N.<\/a>, a registered dietitian nutritionist at VNutrition; <a href=\"https:\/\/rwjms.rutgers.edu\/people\/ankit-shah\" data-vars-ga-outbound-link=\"https:\/\/rwjms.rutgers.edu\/people\/ankit-shah\" data-vars-ga-ux-element=\"Hyperlink\" data-vars-ga-call-to-action=\"Ankit Shah, M.D.\" data-node-id=\"1.3\" class=\"body-link css-1xnf0nh emevuu60\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Ankit Shah, M.D.<\/a>, an assistant professor of endocrinology at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.<\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"2\" class=\"css-6wxqfj emevuu60\">The experts we spoke with said that if you\u2019re bypassing table sugar, consider trying agave. Agave nectar, or agave syrup, is a natural sweetener derived from the agave plant. \u201cAgave has a very low glycemic index score of about 20 on average, which means that it is digested more slowly compared to table sugar and will have less of an impact on blood sugar,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vnutritionandwellness.com\/author\/courtney-pelitera\/\" data-vars-ga-outbound-link=\"https:\/\/www.vnutritionandwellness.com\/author\/courtney-pelitera\/\" data-vars-ga-ux-element=\"Hyperlink\" data-vars-ga-call-to-action=\"Courtney Pelitera, M.S., R.D.N.\" data-node-id=\"2.1\" class=\"body-link css-1xnf0nh emevuu60\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Courtney Pelitera, M.S., R.D.N.<\/a>, a registered dietitian nutritionist at VNutrition, previously told Prevention. <\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"4\" class=\"css-6wxqfj emevuu60\">Table sugar has a GI of 80, Pelitera added, so it\u2019s processed significantly faster by the body. This is because agave is about 80% fructose and 20% glucose, compared to a 50\/50 split in table sugar. \u201cThe fructose molecule must first be metabolized in the liver, which blunts the spike in blood glucose levels,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/rwjms.rutgers.edu\/people\/ankit-shah\" data-vars-ga-outbound-link=\"https:\/\/rwjms.rutgers.edu\/people\/ankit-shah\" data-vars-ga-ux-element=\"Hyperlink\" data-vars-ga-call-to-action=\"Ankit Shah, M.D.\" data-node-id=\"4.1\" class=\"body-link css-1xnf0nh emevuu60\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Ankit Shah, M.D.<\/a>, an assistant professor of endocrinology at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, explained.<\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"5\" class=\"css-6wxqfj emevuu60\">As a no-sugar option, Pelitera also suggested giving stevia a try. A natural, zero-calorie sweetener, it\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/abs\/pii\/S187140212400153X\" target=\"_blank\" data-vars-ga-outbound-link=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/abs\/pii\/S187140212400153X\" data-vars-ga-ux-element=\"Hyperlink\" data-vars-ga-call-to-action=\"been linked\" data-node-id=\"5.1\" class=\"body-link css-1xnf0nh emevuu60\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">been linked<\/a> to a reduction in blood glucose levels in people with diabetes and high blood pressure. However, stevia does have a slightly bitter, slightly herbal aftertaste that turns some people off and may cause stomach upset or GI intolerance, Pelitera added.<\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"6\" class=\"css-6wxqfj emevuu60\">Ultimately, if swapping sugar for a lower-GI sweetener like agave feels doable, it may be a smart move. \u201cIt is best to limit the amount of added sugar if one is diabetic or prediabetic,\u201d said Dr. Shah, and using agave as a replacement for maple syrup, honey, or sugar in drinks or baking may help you do that.<\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"7\" class=\"css-6wxqfj emevuu60\">Dr. Shah added that while he doesn\u2019t consider any form of sweetener healthier than another, \u201cit should come down to personal taste preferences and what an individual chooses to use in moderation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>RELATED STORIES<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"2 min read If you have a kind of diabetes and want to add foods to your routine&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":548661,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[211610,979,244445,874,97,873,221536,244444],"class_list":{"0":"post-548660","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-health","8":"tag-collection-diabetes","9":"tag-content-type-how-to-service","10":"tag-contentid-8bfddbcf-ea8a-449e-b03d-556c196b2f2d","11":"tag-displaytype-standard-article","12":"tag-health","13":"tag-locale-us","14":"tag-read_time-2","15":"tag-shorttitle-the-number-1-sweetener-for-better-blood-sugar"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/548660","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=548660"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/548660\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/548661"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=548660"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=548660"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=548660"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}