Melon Glycemic Index (GI) - Is It High or Low?

by Victoria Mazmanyan | Last updated on August 20, 2024

Medically reviewed by Ani Harutyunyan

First, we would like to mention that melons have many species, depending on which the glycemic index can change.

In The International Tables of Glycemic Index study, the cultivar of melon researched was cantaloupe, otherwise known as rockmelon. According to this research, the GI of raw cantaloupe from Australia is 65±9 or 70, depending on the sugar concentration (1).

Another large research conducted by Australian scientists studied the species of melon called honeydew. The result of the GI was 62 (2).

Ultimately, we want to mention an older Iranian study in 1998, including Persian melons. The GI of a Persian melon was found to be much lower, in the range of 44±22 (3).

We have chosen the average glycemic index of a melon to be that of a cantaloupe, as it is the most common one among the researched melons. According to that number, melons are classified as moderate to high glycemic index foods.

Another species of melon, bitter melon, scientifically called Momordica charantia, is famous for its anti-diabetic qualities. One study has tried proving this statement but found that there wasn’t enough evidence due to the lack of well-designed clinical trials with sufficient sample size and that the topic needs further research (4).

Check our glycemic index chart page for more GI values.