Is Brown Sugar Better For Diabetics Than White Sugar?

Although both are essentially more or less the same, there are still prevalent misconceptions concerning both white and brown sugar. 

For example, even though they’re made from the same source, brown sugar is usually called as the healthier and more natural option between the two.

Because of this, diabetic people are usually encouraged to choose brown sugar over the white variety, since it’s touted to be the healthier alternative. But is there any real difference?

Let’s find out.

White or Brown?

First off, it’s important to understand what these two variants of sugar are made out of. 

Both brown and white sugar is made from either the sugarcane plant or sugar beet. This means that even though both have different colors, their nutritional value is nearly identical or more or less the same.

In fact, brown sugar is just white sugar, made by mixing refined white sugar with molasses to give it its distinct dark color, as well as a small amount of vitamins and minerals. However, brown sugar also has lower carb and calorie content than white sugar, although the difference is mostly minimal.

Because of the added content, brown sugar also has more potassium, iron and calcium than white sugar. However, these differences are too minutiae to even notice, especially when talking about typical servings. As a result, they’re unlikely to affect your health by a significant amount.

The Healthier Choice

For the same reason, diabetic people would do no better if they chose brown sugar over white sugar. That’s because not only are they linked with a higher risk of heart disease and other conditions, both also increase our blood sugar levels. This is especially dangerous for diabetic people.

There are also various studies that suggest sugar intake can interrupt insulin sensitivity, which is the hormone that helps regulate your blood sugar levels.

Thus, people with diabetes should limit and control their sugar intake, be it brown or white sugar.

Despite differences in appearance and prevalent misconceptions, brown sugar is more or less the same as white sugar, and therefore should be moderated as much as its white variety. This goes for everyone, and not just people with diabetes.