Glucerna vs. Ensure: Differences and Nutrition
Diet & NutritionBeverages

What’s the Difference Between Glucerna and Ensure?

What’s the Difference Between Glucerna and Ensure?
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Updated on January 23, 2026
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If you have a low appetite or feel that your diet is lacking, you may consider adding a nutritional supplement drink, such as Glucerna or Ensure, to your diet.

While both products contain a variety of nutrients you need for good health, there are some differences to consider before deciding which one is right for you.

Who Needs It?

The same company makes Glucerna and Ensure. The most notable difference between these products is their intended users.

Glucerna is meant for use as a supplement by people who need better blood sugar management, specifically people with diabetes.

Ensure is more of a general nutritional supplement. It’s meant to provide calories, vitamins, and minerals to those who have lost weight, have a low appetite, or are malnourished.

Quick Comparison Table

At a glance, here’s how Glucerna and Ensure differ:

Feature

Glucerna (Original, 8 oz)

Ensure (Original, 8 oz)

Intended user

Meant as a supplement for people who need better blood sugar control, specifically people with diabetes.

A general nutritional supplement that provides calories, vitamins, and minerals to those who have lost weight, have a low appetite, or are malnourished.

Calories

180 calories

220 calories

Carbohydrates

16 g

33 g

Fat

9 g

6 g

Protein

10 g

9 g

Fiber

4 g

1 g

Nutrients

Provides more vitamin C than Ensure

Provides slightly more calcium than Glucerna

Glycemic control

Contains a low-glycemic blend of carbohydrates called Carbsteady Ultra

N/A

Heart health nutrients

The higher fat and fiber content helps delay stomach emptying, which can support better blood sugar control.

Some Ensure products provide omega-3 fatty acids, which may help lower blood cholesterol levels and promote heart health by reducing inflammation.

Calories, Carbs, Protein, and Fat

There are also nutritional differences between the two supplement drinks. Original flavor Glucerna has 180 calories per 8-ounce (oz) bottle, compared with 220 calories in the same serving size of Ensure.

Glucerna is also higher in fat, protein, and fiber and lower in carbohydrates than Ensure. An 8-oz serving of Glucerna provides:

  • 9 grams (g) of fat
  • 16 g of carbs
  • 4 g of fiber
  • 10 g of protein

The same size serving of Ensure contains:

  • 6 g of fat
  • 33 g of carbohydrates
  • 1 g of fiber
  • 9 g of protein

The higher fat and fiber content helps delay stomach emptying, which supports better blood sugar control, according to Mayo Clinic.

Vitamins and Minerals

Both Glucerna and Ensure provide several essential vitamins and minerals, some of them in different amounts. One bottle of Glucerna meets 100 percent of the daily value for vitamin C, while the same serving of Ensure meets 80 percent.

The additional vitamin C in Glucerna is intended to boost its antioxidant content to support immune system health. Comparatively, Ensure is a slightly better source of calcium, meeting 25 percent of the daily value versus Glucerna’s 20 percent.

Additional Ingredients

Both supplements include several nutrients that promote heart health, just different ones. For example, some Ensure products, like Ensure Surgery, provide omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3s help lower blood cholesterol levels and promote heart health by reducing inflammation, according to the National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements.

Glucerna contains a special blend of carbohydrates called Carbsteady Ultra. Blood sugar levels increase less in response to these carbs than high-glycemic carbs, according to Glucerna. This may benefit people with diabetes and others looking to control blood sugar responses to food.

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Tara Collingwood, RDN

Medical Reviewer

Tara Collingwood, RDN, is a board-certified specialist in sports dietetics, an American College of Sports Medicine–certified personal trainer, and a media spokesperson. As a sports dietitian, she has worked with the U.S. Tennis Association, the Orlando Magic, World Wrestling Entertainment, runDisney, the University of Central Florida, and numerous professional and amateur athletes. Collingwood is the author of Pregnancy Cooking and Nutrition for Dummies and a coauthor of the Flat Belly Cookbook for Dummies.

She appears regularly on national and local TV, and speaks around the world to business teams on how to manage energy physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. She previously served as a national spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Collingwood double-majored in dietetics as well as nutrition, fitness, and health at Purdue University and earned a master's degree in health promotion from Purdue University. 

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Jill Corleone, RD

Author

Jill is a registered dietitian and health writer based in Honolulu. She spent the early part of her career working in a traditional setting as a clinical dietitian in a hospital, then transitioned into management. Jill began her career as a health writer in 2007 while working as a clinical nutrition manager in Florida. She became a full-time writer in 2010 after the birth of her first child. Jill has written for numerous publications, including Livestrong; Eat This, Not That!; Fortune Recommends; Hone Health; and Diabetes Self-Management.

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