Sweeteners and Glycemic Index

“Glycemic index refers to a food’s ability to raise blood sugar to a particular level within a given period of time. Glycemic index applies only to carbohydrate foods because they are the foods that most affect blood sugar levels.” [WebMD.com]

“Glycemic index should not be used in isolation and other nutritional factors — calories, fat, fiber, vitamins, and other nutrients — should [always be] considered.” [MayoClinic.org]

The higher the consumption of high glycemic sweeteners, the higher the risk of health problems, such as dental decay, diabetes, heart disease, fatty liver disease, and obesity.

In the list below, sweeteners are listed from highest to lowest on the glycemic index. II have included how each sweetener is most commonly used in parenthesis below each entry.

Glycemic Index of Sweeteners

Sweetener Type Glycemic Index
Maltodextrin
(sodas, candy)
Sugar 110
Maltose
(beverages, beer, cereal, pasta, potatoes)
Sugar 105
Dextrose
(bakery goods)
Sugar 100
Glucose
(used in invert sugar, see below)
Sugar 100
Trehalose
(nutritional drinks, energy products)
Sugar 70
High Fructose Corn Syrup-42
(beverages, processed foods, cereals, baked goods)
Modified Sugar 68
Sucrose
(table sugar)
Sugar 65
Caramel
(desserts)
Modified Sugar 60
Golden Syrup
(baking, desserts)
Modified Sugar 60
Inverted Sugar
(jams, jellies, syrups, chocolates, alcoholic beverages)
Modified Sugar 60
Refiners Syrup, aka molasses, treacle
(rum, stout, porter, rye bread, cookies)
Modified Sugar 60
High Fructose Corn Syrup-55
(soft drinks)
Modified Sugar 58
Blackstrap Molasses
(baking, “health foods”)
Sugar Extract 55
Maple Syrup
(food topping, flavoring)
Natural Sugar 54
Honey
(cooking, baking, sweetener)
Natural Sugar 50
Sorghum Syrup
(uses similar to maple syrup)
Natural Sugar 50
Lactose
(infant formula)
Sugar 45
Cane Juice
(packaged drinks and foods)
Sugar Extract 43
Barley Malt Syrup
(“health food” sweetener)
Modified Sugar 42
HSH (hydrogenated starch hydrolysates)
(sugar substitute in commercial foods)
Sugar Alcohol 35
Coconut Palm Sugar
(sugar substitute in commercial foods)
Natural Sugar 35
Maltitol
(hard candies, chewing gum, chocolates, baked goods, ice cream)
Sugar Alcohol 35
High Fructose Corn Syrup-90
(“natural” and “light” foods)
Modified Sugar 31
Brown Rice Syrup
(“health food” sweetener)
Modified Sugar 25
Fructose
(many commercial foods and drinks)
Sugar 25
Galactose
(milk and milk products)
Sugar 25
Agave Syrup
(comparable to fructose, marketed as “healthy”)
Modified Sugar 15
Xylitol
(sugar substitute, deadly to dogs)
Sugar Alcohol 12
Glycerol
(low-fat foods, thickening agent, sugar substitute)
Sugar Alcohol 5
Sorbitol
(diet foods, sugar-free candies, medicines)
Sugar Alcohol 4
Lactitol
(sugar-free candies, cookies, chocolate, ice cream)
Sugar Alcohol 3
Isomalt
(cake decorating)
Sugar Alcohol 2
Mannitol
(coating for hard candies, dried fruits, chewing gums)
Sugar Alcohol 2
Erythritol
(sugar substitute)
Sugar Alcohol 1
Yacon Syrup
(sugar substitute; tastes similar to molasses or caramelized sugar)
Natural Sweetener 1
Oligofructose
(sugar substitute, some health benefits, added to milk products)
Sugar Fiber 1
Inulin
(processed foods; health benefits)
Sugar Fiber 1
Brazzein
(sugar substitute, used in blends with other sweeteners)
Natural Sweetener 0
Curculin
(used as food sweetener in Japan)
Natural Sweetener 0
Glycyrrhizin
(emulsifier and gel-forming agent; strongly anti-viral)
Natural Sweetener 0
Luo Han Guo
(sugar substitute)
Natural Sweetener 0
Miraculin
(used as food sweetener in Japan)
Natural Sweetener 0
Monellin
(used as food sweetener in Japan)
Natural Sweetener 0
Pentadin
(sugar substitute; undeveloped commercially)
Natural Sweetener 0
Stevia
(sugar substitute)
Natural Sweetener 0
Thaumatin
(regarded as “safe flavoring agent” by FDA, but not as sweetener)
Natural Sweetener 0
Acesulfame K
(sodas, protein shakes, medicine; possibly carcinogenic)
Artificial Sweetener 0
Alitame
(banned in US)
Artificial Sweetener 0
Aspartame
(sugar substitute; health problems)
Artificial Sweetener 0
Cyclamate
(banned in US; health problems)
Artificial Sweetener 0
Neotame
(approved by FDA, not widely used, similar to aspartame)
Artificial Sweetener 0
Saccharin
(drinks, candies, cookies, medicines, toothpaste)
Artificial Sweetener 0
Sucralose
(sugar substitute; health problems in large quantities)
Artificial Sweetener 0

Note: there is also the concept of “glycemic load”, which takes into account that some sweeteners and/or foods with an extremely high glycemic index are used in such tiny quantities that they do not contribute to a rise in blood glucose levels.

“The glycemic load of a food is calculated by multiplying the glycemic index by the amount of carbohydrate in grams provided by a food and dividing the total by 100. Dietary glycemic load is the sum of the glycemic loads for all foods consumed in the diet. The concept of glycemic load was developed by scientists to simultaneously describe the quality (glycemic index) and *quantity* of carbohydrate in a meal or diet.” –Linus Pauling Institute