Couscous and blood sugar: small trials, several grains

Couscous looks like pasta and has a similar composition, and in the one trial that put them side by side it did not behave like pasta. Eight healthy adults ate 50 g of carbohydrate from each, and their blood glucose was higher after couscous at 30, 45 and 60 minutes. In 6 people with type 1 diabetes the gap pointed the same way, and the group was too small for it to reach significance. That trial is from 1990, and its abstract does not say what grain the couscous was made from. Two other trials on this page used couscous made from millet or corn, and the abstract of the breastfeeding study does not say it was wheat couscous. Keep the grain in mind as you read. One number needs checking before any of them. Dry couscous has 376 kcal per 100 g and cooked couscous has 112, because cooked grain is mostly water. We found nothing we could cite on who should be careful with couscous, so that part of the page is missing. If you avoid certain grains for a medical reason, check the packet for the grain it is made from.

The numbers, per 100 g

How much is actually in it

• Dry couscous is close in the US and UK tables for energy (376 against 364 kcal per 100 g) but differs by 31% for copper (0.247 against 0.36 mg), and fibre reads 5.0 against 3.7 g, partly because the two tables measure fibre by different methods. — Couscous, dry (FDC 169699, SR Legacy) against Couscous, plain, raw (CoFID 11-901) (n = 1 USDA record, 1 CoFID record) Evidence E source
  Energy 376 vs 364 kcal; protein 12.76 vs 12.0 g; carbohydrate 77.43 vs 79.2 g; copper 0.247 vs 0.36 mg; fibre 5.0 (USDA total dietary) vs 3.7 g (AOAC) per 100 g

What a real portion looks like

• Rural women in Burkina Faso picked the correct portion photograph in 55% of 1028 attempts, and couscous was one of two foods where their errors leaned one way instead of balancing out. — women aged 15-45 in rural Burkina Faso, eight common dishes (n = 1028 estimations) Evidence C source
  Correct photo 55%; group mean error -8.4% to +6.3%; under- and overestimation unbalanced only for rice and couscous
• A cup of cooked couscous weighs 160 g in the US dietary survey database, and one ounce (28 g) of dry couscous yields about 90 g cooked. — household measures for Couscous, plain, cooked in the USDA food and nutrient database for dietary studies (n = 3 household measures for FNDDS code 56207160) Evidence E source
  1 cup cooked 160 g; 1 oz dry yields 90 g; quantity not specified 160 g

What your body absorbs

• Couscous made from proso millet raised blood glucose no less than couscous made from refined corn in 12 healthy men (incremental area 66.7 against 43.5 mmol min/l, difference not significant), and the authors conclude that product form mattered more than grain type. — 12 healthy young men (age 26.3, BMI 23.3), each product containing 50 g total starch (n = 12) Evidence B source
  IAUC millet couscous 66.7 +/- 11.6 vs corn couscous 43.5 +/- 5.8 mmol min/l, p>0.05
• Millet couscous took about twice as long to half-empty from the stomach as rice, potato or pasta in 14 healthy adults in Mali (p < 0.0001). — 14 healthy volunteers in Bamako, Mali, plus a 6-person validation study a year later (n = 14 + 6) Evidence B source
  Gastric half-emptying time about 2 times longer for millet couscous and sorghum or millet porridges than for rice, potato or pasta, p<0.0001

What cooking and storage change

• Cooked couscous in the US table has 112 kcal per 100 g against 376 kcal dry, because 100 g of the cooked grain is 72.6 g water, so the same dish looks 3.4 times lighter or heavier depending on which record is read. — Couscous, dry (FDC 169699) and Couscous, cooked (FDC 169700), USDA SR Legacy (n = 1 record each, no Foundation samples) Evidence E source
  Energy 376 vs 112 kcal; protein 12.76 vs 3.79 g; carbohydrate 77.43 vs 23.22 g; fibre 5.0 vs 1.4 g; water 8.56 vs 72.57 g per 100 g
• The UK table gives cooked couscous 178 kcal per 100 g against 112 kcal in the US table, a 59% gap that follows water content (53.8 g against 72.6 g), so the calorie figure for cooked couscous depends on how much water the grain took up. — Couscous, cooked (FDC 169700, SR Legacy) against Couscous, plain, cooked (CoFID 11-902) (n = 1 USDA record, 1 CoFID record) Evidence E source
  Energy 112 vs 178 kcal; water 72.57 vs 53.8 g; protein 3.79 vs 7.2 g; carbohydrate 23.22 vs 37.5 g per 100 g

What it does to your health

• In a 12-week Mediterranean diet trial in 156 adults with at least two traits of metabolic syndrome, a high glycemic index version whose starches included couscous raised 8-hour average glucose in women by 23% on day one and by 37% after 12 weeks compared with the low glycemic index version, with no significant difference in men. — 156 adults (82 women, 74 men) with at least two metabolic syndrome traits, Italy, Sweden and the US (n = 156) Evidence B source
  Women: +23% 8-h mean plasma glucose on day 1 and +37% at 12 weeks on high-GI vs low-GI diet (p<0.05); men: no significant difference

What people believe that the data does not support

• Couscous did not act like pasta for blood sugar despite a similar composition: it raised blood glucose more than pasta in 8 healthy adults given 50 g of carbohydrate, with lower glucose after pasta at 30, 45 and 60 minutes, and in 6 people with type 1 diabetes the area under the curve after a pasta meal was 38% lower, a gap that did not reach significance. — 8 healthy adults after an overnight fast, then 6 adults with type 1 diabetes eating mixed meals, France (n = 8 + 6) Evidence B source
  Glucose lower after pasta at 30, 45, 60 min (p<0.05 to p<0.01) and AUC significantly lower in healthy subjects; AUC 38% lower after pasta in type 1 diabetes, not significant

Who this works differently for

• When 30 breastfeeding mothers ate 70 g of couscous a day for 20 days, their infants gained 33.7 g a day against 24.6 g a day without it (p = .007), and 60% of mothers reported more milk on a subjective scale. — 30 exclusively breastfeeding mothers and their infants, crossover of 20 days on and 20 days off; not blinded; milk production self-rated, not measured (n = 30) Evidence B source
  Infant weight gain 33.7 vs 24.6 g/day, P=.007; 60% of mothers reported a marked increase in milk on a Likert scale; not blinded; milk production self-rated, not measured

What is still unknown

• In 154 adults with COVID-19 in Teresina, Brazil, couscous was one of the three main dietary sources of polyphenols next to beans and coffee, with average total polyphenol intake of 1203 mg a day. — 154 adults with RT-PCR confirmed COVID-19, two primary care units, Teresina, Brazil (n = 154) Evidence C source
  Mean polyphenol intake 1202.59 mg/day; beans, couscous and coffee named as major sources

The bottom line

The most useful thing to know is what a portion weighs. A cup of cooked couscous is 160 g in the US dietary survey database, and one ounce of dry couscous, 28 g, turns into about 90 g cooked. The calorie figure for cooked couscous depends on how much water it took up. The US table gives 112 kcal per 100 g and the UK table 178, with water at 72.6 g against 53.8 g. If you track portions, weigh it dry. In the one study we have, among rural women in Burkina Faso, couscous was one of two foods where their portion guesses leaned more often in one direction, and the abstract does not say which. The dry records in the two tables agree on energy, 376 against 364 kcal, and differ on fibre, 5.0 against 3.7 g, partly because the tables measure fibre by different methods. On blood sugar the evidence is small and points one way. In a 12-week Mediterranean diet trial in 156 adults with at least two traits of metabolic syndrome, women on the high glycemic index version had 8-hour average glucose 23 percent higher on day one and 37 percent higher after 12 weeks. Men showed no significant difference. Couscous sat in that high glycemic group next to jasmine rice and potato, with pasta in the low one, but it was one of five starches and was never measured on its own. So the trial tells you about a way of eating, and much less about couscous by itself. The form of the food may matter more than the grain. In 12 healthy men, millet couscous raised glucose no less than couscous from refined corn, and the authors put that down to the product. Millet couscous also took about twice as long to leave the stomach as rice, potato or pasta in 14 adults in Mali, and fullness in that study was only self-rated. If you manage your blood sugar, thinking of couscous alongside white rice and potato is a fair reading of these trials, and the details belong with whoever treats you. One trial in 30 breastfeeding mothers found that babies gained 33.7 g a day while their mothers ate 70 g of couscous daily, against 24.6 g without it, and 60 percent of mothers felt they had more milk. This is unsettled. It is a single study, nobody was blinded, milk was rated by the mothers and never measured, and the abstract does not say it was wheat couscous. Until someone repeats it with measured milk, it is too early to eat couscous for this reason. Couscous also came up as one of three main sources of polyphenols, plant compounds found in many foods, among 154 adults with COVID-19 in Brazil. The study did not give its share, so we cannot say how much couscous adds. Finally, the gap. We have no card on an upper limit, on interactions with medicines, on allergy or on pregnancy for couscous as a food. That is a gap in what we found, and it does not mean couscous suits everyone.

Sources

1. cous-b5-10 · reference dataset
   Couscous, dry (FDC 169699, SR Legacy) - Energy 376 KCAL - Protein 12.76 G - Carbohydrate 77.43 G - Copper 0.247 MG - Fiber 5.0 G | CoFID 11-901 Couscous, plain, raw - Energy 364 kcal - Protein 12.0 g - Carbohydrate 79.2 g - Copper 0.36 mg - AOAC fibre 3.7 g
   USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy record 169699, with UK CoFID 2021 (Public Health England, OGL v3.0) · checked 2026-09-23
2. cous-b5-07 · cross-sectional
   The correct photograph out of the four proposed was chosen in 55% of 1028 estimations. For each food, proportions of underestimating and overestimating participants were balanced, except for rice and couscous.
   Public Health Nutr, 2008 · checked 2026-09-23
3. cous-b5-11 · reference dataset
   Couscous, plain, cooked - FNDDS 56207160 - 1 cup, cooked 160 g - 1 oz, dry, yields 90 g - Quantity not specified 160 g
   USDA FNDDS, Couscous plain cooked, food code 56207160 · checked 2026-09-23
4. cous-b5-02 · randomised crossover trial
   decorticated proso millet was used to produce four types of common food products (biscuits, couscous, porridge and an extruded snack). ... but individual products (couscous = 66.7 ± 11.6, biscuit = 82.6 ± 13.7, extrudate = 198.7 ± 20.9, porridge = 40.1 ± 5.8) were not significantly lower (couscous = 43.5 ± 5.8, ... Glycaemic response of the products was not dependent on the grain type, but rather product matrix.
   Int J Food Sci Nutr, 2017 · checked 2026-09-23
5. cous-b5-03 · randomised crossover trial
   In both trials, traditional sorghum and millet foods (thick porridges and millet couscous) had gastric half-emptying times about twice as long as rice, potato, or pasta (p < 0.0001).
   Nutrients, 2018 · checked 2026-09-23
6. cous-b5-08 · reference dataset
   Couscous, dry (FDC 169699, SR Legacy) - Energy 376 KCAL - Protein 12.76 G - Carbohydrate 77.43 G - Fiber 5.0 G - Water 8.56 G | Couscous, cooked (FDC 169700, SR Legacy) - Energy 112 KCAL - Protein 3.79 G - Carbohydrate 23.22 G - Fiber 1.4 G - Water 72.57 G
   USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy records 169699 and 169700 · checked 2026-09-23
7. cous-b5-09 · reference dataset
   Couscous, cooked (FDC 169700, SR Legacy) - Energy 112 KCAL - Water 72.57 G - Protein 3.79 G - Carbohydrate 23.22 G | CoFID 11-902 Couscous, plain, cooked - Energy 178 kcal - Water 53.8 g - Protein 7.2 g - Carbohydrate 37.5 g
   USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy record 169700, with UK CoFID 2021 (Public Health England, OGL v3.0) · checked 2026-09-23
8. cous-b5-04 · randomised controlled trial
   except for the major sources of starch that was specific to the low-GI and high-GI groups (pasta, brown rice, flatbread, all bran, and wheat bread plus rye and seeds, vs jasmine rice, potato, couscous, wholegrain bread, and rusks). ... In women, the high-GI induced significantly higher (23%, p < 0.05) 8-h average plasma glucose concentrations in comparison to the low-GI diet already on the first day of the intervention; the difference increased up to 37% (p < 0.05) after 12 weeks of diet. Conversely, there were no significant differences between the two diets in men.
   Clin Nutr, 2023 · checked 2026-09-23
9. cous-b5-01 · randomised crossover trial
   Blood glucose after pasta ingestion was lower at 30 mn (p less than 0.05) at 45 mn (p less than 0.01) and at 60 mn (p less than 0.05). Area under the curve after pasta was significantly reduced (p less than 0.01). ... the area under the curve after the pasta ingestion was reduced of 38% but did'nt reach significance. In conclusion couscous has a higher glycemic effect than pasta although it has a similar composition.
   Diabete Metab, 1990 · checked 2026-09-23
10. cous-b5-05 · randomised crossover trial
    One group consumed 70 g of couscous daily for 20 days, followed by a 20-day period without supplementation, while the other group followed the reverse order. ... Infants whose mothers consumed couscous showed a significantly greater weight gain (33.7 g/day) compared to the group without supplementation (24.6 g/day), with P-value = .007. Additionally, 60% of mothers reported a marked increase in milk production while consuming couscous.
    J Trop Pediatr, 2026 · checked 2026-09-23
11. cous-b5-06 · cross-sectional
    The average intake was 1202.59 mg day-1, with flavonoids being the predominant class. Major dietary sources included beans, couscous, and coffee.
    Food Funct, 2025 · checked 2026-09-23