Maple syrup improved cardiometabolic health than refined sugar 2023

At the Canadian Nutrition Society in Québec City, maple syrup was found to be healthier for cardiovascular health than refined sugars.

The clinical nutrition study found that maple syrup matches the “recognised criteria of a functional food” and supports cardiometabolic health.

Maple syrup may naturally sweeten food and beverages without refined sugars or sweeteners, according to the findings.

Québec Maple Syrup Producers (QMSP) and MAPAQ’s Programme Alimentation santé financed the study.

Université Laval researchers André Marette at the Centre de recherche de l’Institut universitaire de cardiologie et de pneumologie de Québec and Marie-Claude Vohl at the Institute of Nutrition and Functional Foods led it.

Results are in.

“Substituting 5% of the total daily energy provided by added sugars with an equivalent quantity of maple syrup on the composition of subjects’ intestinal microbiota, and its impact on recognised risk factors for cardiometabolic disease” was studied.

42 people with moderate cardiometabolic changes were evaluated for eight weeks. Participants ingested 2tbsp of maple syrup or flavoured sucrose syrup (the placebo) daily during each period. Cardiometabolic risk variables and faecal microbiota were assessed before and after each phase.

Maple syrup reduced belly fat, systolic blood pressure, and glycemic response in an oral glucose tolerance test, enhancing cardiometabolic health.

Marette said, “Until now, there had been no randomised controlled trial on the impact of replacing refined sugars with maple syrup on intestinal microbiota and cardiometabolic risk factors in humans. Our findings imply that maple syrup, a natural sweetener, may improve cardiometabolic health and gut microbiota more than refined sugars.

“This research builds on years of ongoing research on the properties of maple syrup, made solely from the sap of maple trees harvested by our hard-working producers,” said QMSP President Luc Goulet.

Food and beverage manufacturers benefit

The maple tree may help manufacturers address consumer demand for healthy, functional products while improving product formulations.

Maple polyphenols may “exert a probiotic-like action on gut microbiota that improve cardiometabolic wellbeing”. Maple syrup “lessens liver damage and glucose homeostasis” in animals, making it an excellent sugar substitute.

Many households use maple syrup. Its uses may extend beyond the pantry. According to the study, pure maple syrup includes approximately 100 components, including vitamins, minerals, amino acids, phytohormones, and 67 polyphenols. That makes it healthier than refined sweeteners like white sugar.

Paleo, raw, and natural dishes can use maple syrup. It flavors sweets, snacks, and more.