Is apple good for diabetics?
Apple is a low-glycemic food: its glycemic index is 44 (one lab test). A serving of 1 cup, quartered or chopped (4.4 oz, 125 g) has 17.3 g of carbs and 3 g of fiber, a glycemic load of about 6.
This page is for people with diabetes or prediabetes. The glycemic index compares foods, and the glycemic load on this page adjusts it for a real serving. If you follow a meal plan from your care team, use these numbers within it.
Carbs in a serving
| Per 1 cup, quartered or chopped (4.4 oz, 125 g) | Amount |
|---|---|
| Total carbohydrate | 17.3 g |
| Fiber | 3 g |
| Sugars | 13 g |
| Carbs minus fiber | 14.3 g |
| Glycemic load (GI × carbs minus fiber ÷ 100) | 6 |
USDA FoodData Central, Apples, raw, with skin (Includes foods for USDA's Food Distribution Program). Glycemic load uses the median GI below.
Glycemic index tests
| Food as tested | GI | Category | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apples, raw | 44 | low | Australia |
Glucose = 100. Categories from the International Tables: low 55 or less, medium 56 to 69, high 70 or more. Only tests that met the ISO 26642:2010 method (Supplemental Table 1).
Compared with similar foods
| Food | Portion | GI | Carbs | Glycemic load |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apple | 1 cup, quartered or chopped (4.4 oz, 125 g) | 44 | 17.3 g | 6 |
| Watermelon | 1 cup, balls (5.4 oz, 154 g) | 50 | 11.6 g | 6 |
| Banana | 1 banana, peeled (4.1 oz, 115 g) | 52 | 26.4 g | 13 |
| Grapes | 1 cup (5.3 oz, 151 g) | 54 | 27.3 g | 14 |
Same food group in the International Tables, each at its usual US portion (USDA).
How much the glycemic index matters
Studies and guidelines do not agree on how much weight to give the glycemic index.
- Level C A year after the World Health Organization set the glycemic index aside, a meta-analysis of cohorts each over a hundred thousand people linked high glycemic index diets to more diabetes, heart disease and death. Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, 2024
- Level E The World Health Organization examined the glycemic index, found it inconsistent, and refused to build guidance on it. Carbohydrate intake for adults and children: WHO guideline, 2023
- Level C Glycemic index and glycemic load, the other two ways of judging carbohydrate, held up far worse than fiber in the same analysis. Reynolds et al., The Lancet, 2019
What studies found about apple
- Level A The same 2022 meta-analysis rated the certainty of its glucose and insulin results as low by GRADE, below the moderate rating for cholesterol. Frontiers in Nutrition, 2022, Metabolic and Cardiovascular Benefits of Apple and Apple-Derived Products: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials
- Level A A 2019 systematic review of apples and pears found only 2 randomized trials that measured blood glucose, and neither showed a difference between groups. Current Developments in Nutrition, 2019, Effects of Intake of Apples, Pears, or Their Products on Cardiometabolic Risk Factors and Clinical Outcomes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
- Level A A 2018 BMJ meta-analysis found that fruit swapped in for other carbohydrates at equal calories lowered HbA1c by 0.19 percentage points across 6 trial comparisons. BMJ, 2018
Levels: A is a meta-analysis of trials, B a randomized trial, C an observational study, D lab or animal work, E an expert position. How we grade evidence.
In practice
A cup of chopped apple has 17.3 g of carbs and 3 g of fiber. With a GI of 44, its glycemic load is about 6, one of the lowest among common fruits on this page.
Only one apple test met the ISO method, and it was done in healthy adults, so treat 44 as an estimate and not a fixed number. One test cannot show how much variety or ripeness moves it.
Trials on apples themselves are thin. A 2019 review found only 2 randomized trials that measured blood glucose, and neither showed a difference. For fruit in general, swapped in for other carbohydrates at the same calories, a pooled analysis of 6 trial comparisons found HbA1c 0.19 percentage points lower, a small change with results that varied a lot between trials.
Evidence behind this note
- Level A A 2019 systematic review of apples and pears found only 2 randomized trials that measured blood glucose, and neither showed a difference between groups. Current Developments in Nutrition, 2019, Effects of Intake of Apples, Pears, or Their Products on Cardiometabolic Risk Factors and Clinical Outcomes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
- Level A A 2018 BMJ meta-analysis found that fruit swapped in for other carbohydrates at equal calories lowered HbA1c by 0.19 percentage points across 6 trial comparisons. BMJ, 2018
Written from the agency positions and data on this page, reviewed by the Bioma editorial system. How we verify.
Keep exploring
Sources
- Atkinson FS et al. International tables of glycemic index and glycemic load values 2021: a systematic review. Am J Clin Nutr 2021;114(5):1625-1632, Supplemental Table 1, PMID 34258626, doi:10.1093/ajcn/nqab233 (accessed 2026-10-12)
- USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy (2018): Apples, raw, with skin (Includes foods for USDA's Food Distribution Program), FDC ID 171688
- USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy (2018): Watermelon, raw, FDC ID 167765
- USDA FoodData Central, Foundation Foods (release 2025-12-18): Bananas, ripe and slightly ripe, raw, FDC ID 1105314
- USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy (2018): Grapes, red or green (European type, such as Thompson seedless), raw, FDC ID 174683
- Evidence cards: each study above links to its source. Card review dates are listed in our methodology.
Sources checked 2026-10-12. Bioma Learn provides information, not medical advice.