Is Brown Rice Syrup Actually Healthier Than Sugar? The ‘Natural’ Sweetener Label Trick, Debunked
aop3d techShare
Is Brown Rice Syrup Actually Healthier Than Sugar? The ‘Natural’ Sweetener Label Trick, Debunked
It hides in organic granola bars and ‘healthy’ snacks wearing an earthy brown halo. But brown rice syrup may spike your blood sugar harder than the white sugar it replaced. Here is the real story.
The Halo Effect
Brown rice syrup is made by cooking brown rice and breaking its starches down with enzymes into a thick amber syrup. Because it shows up in organic and health-food products, shoppers assume it is the virtuous cousin of refined sugar. Marketers lean into words like ‘natural’, ‘fructose-free’, and ‘whole grain’ — and the halo does the rest.
The Glycemic Truth
Here is the number that ruins the story: brown rice syrup has a glycemic index of 98 (Sydney University GI database), versus roughly 64 for table sugar. It is about 3% glucose, 45% maltose and 52% maltotriose — names that sound fancy but all convert to blood sugar extremely fast. Being fructose-free is its one real advantage, since fructose is mostly metabolized by the liver. Everything else about it hits your bloodstream like a sugar cannon.
The Sweetener Showdown
| Sweetener | Glycemic Index | The Catch |
|---|---|---|
| Brown rice syrup | ~98 | Highest spike of the bunch |
| Table sugar | ~64 | 50% fructose, refined |
| Honey | ~58 | Still sugar, in a fancier jar |
| Maple syrup | ~54 | Trace minerals, milder spike |
The irony: the two old-fashioned sweeteners grandma used both beat the ‘health’ syrup on blood sugar.
The Arsenic Footnote
There is a second wrinkle. Rice plants absorb arsenic from soil and water, and studies have found significant arsenic levels in organic brown rice syrup and in products sweetened with it — including infant formula. The FDA maintains these amounts are too small to be dangerous, but it is one more reason this is not the free pass the label implies, especially for kids.
What To Actually Do
- Read the fine print: ‘organic brown rice syrup’ on an ingredient list is still added sugar — do not pay a premium for the halo.
- Treat it like sugar, because metabolically it basically is: small amounts, real occasions.
- Better bets: whole fruit for everyday sweetness; small amounts of honey or maple syrup when a recipe needs a liquid sweetener.
Disclaimer: All content provided is for informational and educational purposes only.