Muffins: a 488 calories portion, and the flour moves the glucose rise

In a randomized crossover trial in 12 healthy adults, muffins baked with oat or barley flour had a glycemic index of 53 and 55, against 74 for wheat, 79 for rice and 74 for corn, measured after single test meals in a small group. Swapping flour for legumes helped less clearly. In 24 healthy adults, a muffin whose 25 g of available carbohydrate came from red lentils lowered the glucose response compared with a wheat muffin (p = 0.02), while the green lentil version did not reach significance (p = 0.07). Both were recipes made for the trial. A typical muffin in US survey data has 375 calories and 16.1 g fat per 3.5 oz (100 g), and a medium one weighs 4.6 oz (130 g), which brings it to about 488 calories and 437 mg sodium.

The numbers, per 3.5 oz (100 g)

As people eat it, per 3.5 oz (100 g)

How much is actually in it

• By US survey data a typical muffin has 375 calories, 16.1 g fat, 53 g carbohydrate, 1.1 g fiber and 336 mg sodium per 3.5 oz (100 g). — USDA FNDDS, Muffin, NFS, fdc_id 2707829 Evidence E source
  Per 100 g: energy 375 calories, fat 16.07 g, carbohydrate 53 g, fiber 1.1 g, sodium 336 mg
• A UK retail American-style muffin has 375 calories, 19.5 g fat, 47.8 g carbohydrate and 5.0 g protein per 3.5 oz (100 g), close to the US figure in energy but higher in fat. — CoFID 2021, Muffins, American, not chocolate, retail, code 11-738 Evidence E source
  Per 100 g: energy 375 calories, fat 19.5 g, carbohydrate 47.8 g, protein 5.0 g, AOAC fiber 1.8 g, saturated fat 2.40 g

What a real portion looks like

• In US survey portions a medium muffin weighs 4.6 oz (130 g) and carries about 488 calories, 21 g fat and 437 mg sodium, while a large one weighs 6.3 oz (180 g). — USDA FNDDS, Muffin, NFS, portions Evidence E source
  Medium 130 g: 487.5 calories, fat 20.9 g, carbohydrate 68.9 g, sodium 436.8 mg; small 70 g, large 180 g, miniature 25 g

What your body absorbs

• In a randomized crossover trial in 12 healthy adults, muffins baked with oat or barley flour had a glycemic index of 53 and 55, against 74 for wheat, 79 for rice and 74 for corn muffins. — 12 healthy adults, single servings of five muffins and glucose reference (n = 12) Evidence B source
  GI: wheat 74, rice 79, corn 74, oat 53, barley 55
• In a randomized crossover study in 24 healthy adults, swapping 25 g of available carbohydrate for red lentils lowered the blood glucose response to a muffin, giving 84% of the wheat muffin's response. — 24 healthy adults aged 18-40, muffins with 25 g available carbohydrate from green lentils, red lentils or wheat (n = 24) Evidence B source
  Red lentil muffin glucose iAUC lower (p = 0.02); relative glycemic response 88% green, 84% red lentil
• In a 12-day randomized crossover trial in 9 adults, muffins from whole-grain orange maize raised serum beta-cryptoxanthin by 131%, more than refined orange maize muffins at 108%. — 9 adults (mean age 23), muffins from biofortified whole-grain orange, refined orange or refined white maize for 12 days each (n = 9) Evidence B source
  Serum BCX rise 131% (whole-grain) vs 108% (refined); white maize no rise

What cooking and storage change

• Among 136 milk-allergic children, 30% reacted to a baked-milk muffin at baseline, close to the 32% who reacted to non-baked milk. — 136 milk-allergic children (median age 7), challenges over 36 months (n = 136) Evidence C source
  Baseline reactions: 30% to muffin, 23% to pizza, 32% to non-baked milk; 48% on baked-milk diet became tolerant to non-baked milk

What it does to your health

• In a randomized crossover trial, muffins with 20-30% sour cherry pomace in place of flour lowered peak glucose by 7.2-11 mg/dL (0.40-0.60 mmol/L) and cut energy eaten 3 hours later by 13.7-15.1% compared with plain muffins. — healthy young adults, single servings of plain or sour cherry pomace muffins Evidence B source
  Incremental peak glucose 7.2 and 11 mg/dL (0.40 and 0.60 mmol/L) lower; next-meal energy intake -13.7% and -15.1%

Safety, limits and interactions

• In an RCT in 84 milk-allergic children aged 6 months to 3 years, eating baked milk as muffins and then pizza for a year led 88.1% to tolerate unheated milk, against 66.7% with strict avoidance. — 84 children aged 6 months-3 years with cow's milk allergy who tolerated a baked-milk muffin challenge, 12 months (n = 84) Evidence B source
  Tolerance to unheated milk 88.1% (37/42) vs 66.7% (28/42), P = 0.018

What people believe that the data does not support

• In a randomized single-blind crossover trial in 16 people with non-celiac gluten sensitivity and 20 controls, 5 days of gluten-containing (16 g) versus gluten-free muffins caused no gluten-specific symptoms. — 16 adults with non-celiac gluten sensitivity and 20 healthy controls, muffins with 16 g gluten or gluten-free for 5 days (n = 36) Evidence B source
  No group-by-nutrient interaction; abdominal pain and bloating higher in NCGS regardless of gluten
• A meta-analysis of 17 prospective cohorts with over 875,000 people found refined grain intake, including indulgent foods such as muffins, not linked with cardiovascular disease (HR 1.08, 95% CI 0.99-1.18). — 17 prospective cohort studies, more than 875,000 participants (n = 875000) Evidence C source
  CVD HR 1.08 (0.99-1.18); stroke HR 1.06 (0.92-1.23); heart failure HR 0.95 (0.77-1.16)
• Under US labeling law, calling a product oat bran muffins is a statement of identity, not by itself a nutrient claim, unless the label suggests a nutrient amount. — US food labels Evidence E source
  Naming a characterizing ingredient is not an implied nutrient content claim

The bottom line

A UK retail American-style muffin lands at the same 375 calories per 3.5 oz (100 g) with 19.5 g fat. A randomized crossover trial in healthy young adults did not give its size in the abstract. In it, swapping 20 to 30% of the flour for sour cherry pomace lowered peak glucose by 7.2 to 11 mg/dL (0.40 to 0.60 mmol/L) and cut the energy eaten 3 hours later by 13.7 to 15.1%. A meta-analysis of 17 cohorts with more than 875,000 people found refined grain intake not linked with cardiovascular disease (HR 1.08, 95% CI 0.99 to 1.18), with muffins counted among indulgent grain foods and never analyzed on their own. Under US labeling law, a name like oat bran muffins is a statement of identity and makes no nutrient claim by itself, and the rule says nothing about how much oat bran is inside. On gluten the data is narrower than the belief. In a randomized single-blind crossover trial in 16 adults with non-celiac gluten sensitivity and 20 controls, five days of muffins with 16 g of gluten a day caused no gluten-specific symptoms compared with gluten-free muffins. The sensitive group reported more pain and bloating on both, and the trial was small. Its participants had non-celiac gluten sensitivity or none, so it says nothing about celiac disease. Who should be careful. Children with cow's milk allergy can react to a muffin. Among 136 milk-allergic children, 30% reacted to a baked-milk muffin at the start of the study, close to the 32% who reacted to unbaked milk. In a randomized trial in 84 milk-allergic children aged 6 months to 3 years who had already passed a muffin challenge, a year of eating baked milk led 88.1% to tolerate unheated milk against 66.7% with strict avoidance. That trial ran under medical supervision and says nothing about starting baked milk at home.

Sources

1. mfn-r4-10 · reference dataset
   FNDDS 2707829 Muffin, NFS (code 52301000): Energy 375 kcal · Total lipid (fat) 16.07 g · Carbohydrate, by difference 53 g · Fiber, total dietary 1.1 g · Sodium, Na 336 mg per 100 g
   USDA FNDDS 2021-2023, food code 52301000 · checked 2026-10-01
2. mfn-r4-12 · reference dataset
   CoFID 11-738 Muffins, American, not chocolate, retail: Energy 375 kcal · Fat 19.5 g · Carbohydrate 47.8 g · Protein 5.0 g · AOAC fibre 1.8 g · Satd FA 2.40 g per 100 g
   CoFID 2021, Public Health England / OGL v3.0, code 11-738 · checked 2026-10-01
3. mfn-r4-11 · reference dataset
   FNDDS 2707829: 1 miniature 25 g · 1 small 70 g · 1 medium 130 g · 1 large 180 g · per 130 g Energy 487.5 kcal · Total lipid 20.9 g · Carbohydrate 68.9 g · Sodium 436.8 mg
   USDA FNDDS 2021-2023, food code 52301000 · checked 2026-10-01
4. mfn-r4-01 · randomized controlled trial
   Twelve healthy participants consumed wheat, rice, corn, oat and barley muffins once and the reference glucose solution three times in a random order on non-consecutive day. ... Muffins baked with wheat, rice, corn, oat and barley flours gave rise to GI values of 74, 79, 74, 53 and 55, respectively.
   Eur J Nutr, 2015 · checked 2026-10-01
5. mfn-r4-02 · randomized controlled trial
   In randomized, crossover studies, healthy adults consumed foods containing 25 g AC from green lentils, red lentils or a control (wheat muffin, n = 24; rice chili, n = 24; potato soup, n = 20). ... Red lentil foods significantly decreased glucose iAUC (muffin p = 0.02; chili p < 0.0001; soup p < 0.0001) compared to controls
   Nutrients, 2024 · checked 2026-10-01
6. mfn-r4-04 · randomized controlled trial
   After a 7-d washout, 9 adults (mean ± SD age: 23.4 ± 2.3 y; 5 men) were provided with muffins made from BCX-enhanced whole-grain orange maize (WGOM), refined orange maize (ROM), or refined white maize (RWM) for 12 d in a randomized, blinded, crossover study followed by a 7-d washout. ... A greater increase occurred in serum BCX from WGOM muffins (131%) than from ROM muffins (108%) (P ≤ 0.003).
   Am J Clin Nutr, 2018 · checked 2026-10-01
7. mfn-r4-06 · clinical trial
   A total of 136 children (70% males) were enrolled in the active group (median age, 7 years). At baseline, 41 (30%) reacted to muffin, 31 (23%) to pizza, 11 (8%) to rice pudding, 43 (32%) to non-baked milk; and 10 (7%) tolerated non-baked milk.
   J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract, 2018 · checked 2026-10-01
8. mfn-r4-03 · randomized controlled trial
   With CP-treated muffins glucose responses were significantly lower at 30, 45, and 60 min intervals, and the incremental peak glucose was 0.40 and 0.60 mmol L(-1) lower than for plain muffins (PM). ... 20% CP and 30% CP resulted in improved satiety and induced a lower energy intake at a test meal ingested 3 h later (-13.7%; -15.1%) as compared to PM, respectively.
   J Sci Food Agric, 2016 · checked 2026-10-01
9. mfn-r4-05 · randomized controlled trial
   A randomized clinical trial was carried out with 84 patients (6 months-3 years old) diagnosed with allergy to cow's milk who tolerated baked milk in form of muffin in oral food challenge (OFC). ... It was shown that by the end of the 1-year study period, 88.1% (37/42) of the patients in the case group and 66.7% (28/42) of those in control group had developed tolerance to unheated milk (P-value: 0.018).
   Pediatr Allergy Immunol, 2018 · checked 2026-10-01
10. mfn-r4-07 · randomized controlled trial
    A randomised, single-blind, crossover study used acute (16 g gluten or whey in yoghurt) and sub-acute (gluten-containing (16 g) or gluten-free muffins per day for 5 days) challenges. ... No significant group-by-nutrient interactions were observed.
    United European Gastroenterol J, 2025 · checked 2026-10-01
11. mfn-r4-08 · meta-analysis of cohort studies
    Meta-analyses of hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) obtained from 17 prospective cohort studies (>875,000 participants) indicated that refined grain intake was not associated with risk of CVD (HR = 1.08, 95% CI, 0.99-1.18, I2 = 70%; 9 cohorts)
    Trends Cardiovasc Med, 2024 · checked 2026-10-01
12. mfn-r4-09 · regulation
    A statement of identity that names as a characterizing ingredient, an ingredient associated with a nutrient benefit (e.g., “corn oil margarine,” “oat bran muffins,” or “whole wheat bagels”), unless such claim is made in a context in which label or labeling statements, symbols, vignettes, or other forms of communication suggest that a nutrient is absent or present in a certain amount; and
    21 CFR 101.65, Implied nutrient content claims and related label statements · checked 2026-10-01