maple syrup, a healthy substitute for sugar?

Made from maple sap, maple syrup is a minimally processed sweetener. “It contains more than 100 natural compounds, including polyphenols, which are known to prevent disease in part through their anti-inflammatory effects”declared André Marette, professor at Laval University in Quebec (Canada). “Given that the fundamental chemistry of maple syrup is unique, I wondered whether ingesting maple syrup instead of an equivalent amount of refined sugar would have a different impact on cardiometabolic health and the gut microbiota in humans”, he continued.

Blood sugar, abdominal fat, blood pressure: maple syrup is beneficial for cardiometabolic health

To find out, the researcher and his team carried out research published in the journal The Journal of Nutrition. As part of the study, they recruited 42 adults, aged 18 to 75, who were overweight and had mild cardiometabolic alterations. Participants were instructed to replace 5% of their daily calorie intake (corresponding to 2 tablespoons) of refined sugars with Canadian maple syrup or artificially flavored sucrose syrup. Each stage lasted 8 weeks, with volunteers alternating between the maple syrup and sucrose syrup groups after a four-week washout period.

According to the results, people who consumed pure maple syrup had a better response to the oral glucose tolerance test. Their bodies handled blood sugar levels better after eating. “Replacing refined sugar with maple syrup also significantly reduced systolic blood pressure (-2.72 mm Hg),” while blood pressure increased slightly in the sucrose group (+0.87 mm Hg). Another observation: the android adipose mass, namely the fat of the abdominal region, decreased considerably in the maple syrup group compared to an increase in the group consuming sucrose syrup (-7.83 g against + 67 .61 g). “I didn’t expect to see so much improvement in risk factors in a relatively short treatment period,” said André Marette.

Eating maple syrup helps you have a healthier gut microbiota

“As an exploratory measure, we also observed that replacing refined sugars with maple syrup promoted selective taxonomic changes in the gut microbiota, such as a significant reduction in the abundance of Klebsiella species and a decrease in functional associated with the cytokine response induced by bacteria, compared to substitution with sucrose syrup”, can we read in the works.

According to scientists, reducing these key risk factors together can help reduce the risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. “Committing to lifestyle changes and making small adjustments to your daily diet is important and can be a powerful tool for preventing future illnesses.”