For those with a sweet tooth, maple syrup appears to be a healthier choice than sugar. A recent study found a number of health benefits in individuals who consumed some maple syrup daily in place of refined sugar.
Canadian researchers found that replacing just 2 tablespoons of refined sugars with 2 tablespoons of maple sugar daily for 8 weeks had significant beneficial health effects. Regular ingestion of maple syrup resulted in their bodies handling sugar after meals better (improved glycemic response), their blood pressure was significantly lower, their abdominal fat was reduced, an increase in beneficial gut species (bacteria linked with health), and a decrease in some gut bacterial species linked to inflammation and metabolic disorders.
In other words, there was a significant reduction in key cardiometabolic risk factors. By the way, similar results have been found in animal studies. This could be because maple syrup is a minimally processed sweetener rich in a number of beneficial nutrients and polyphenols. It's just boiled maple tree sap, with nothing added.
What made this study convincing was that persons were randomized to different groups (maple sugar or placebo), it was double-blind (no one knew what they were ingesting), and it it was a crossover study (meaning all participants were in both groups for 8 weeks with a gap in the middle). All participants were overweight adults with mild cardiometabolic alterations at the start of the study.
From SciTechDaily: Reducing Abdominal Fat: Researchers Uncover Surprising Health Benefits of Maple Syrup
A study published in The Journal of Nutrition reveals that replacing refined sugars with two tablespoons of maple syrup can significantly improve several cardiometabolic risk factors, such as blood sugar levels, blood pressure, and abdominal fat composition. This was the first placebo-controlled human clinical trial exploring the potential health benefits of maple syrup consumption.
“We know from decades of research that maple syrup is more than just sugar. It contains over 100 natural compounds, including polyphenols, that are known to prevent disease in part through their anti-inflammatory effects,” remarked Dr. André Marette, PhD, and lead scientist on the study. “Because the fundamental chemistry of maple syrup is unique, I wondered if ingesting maple syrup instead of an equivalent amount of refined sugar would differently impact the cardiometabolic health and the intestinal microbiota in humans. The results were extremely encouraging. I did not expect to see so many improvements of risk factors within a relatively short treatment period.”
Study Protocol Forty-two volunteers from the greater Québec city area, between the ages of 18-75, in good health and with a BMI of 23-40, participated in the study. Participants substituted 5% of their daily caloric intake (corresponding to 2 tablespoons) from refined sugars with either Canadian maple syrup or artificially flavored sucrose syrup. Each phase lasted 8 weeks, with participants switching between maple syrup and sucrose syrup groups after a four-week washout period. The cross-over design ensured that the same test subject was under his or her own control, consuming both a placebo and maple syrup. Primary outcomes focused on the oral glucose tolerance test, the OGTT. Secondary outcomes included changes in blood lipid profile, blood pressure, body fat composition (measured by DEXA scan), and changes in gut microbiota composition.
Blood Sugar Lowered Study participants who consumed pure maple syrup had an improved response to the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) than those who received a flavored syrup of refined sugar. Their bodies managed blood sugar levels better after eating (-50.59 vs. +29.93).
Blood Pressure Lowered Blood pressure was also lowered in the subjects who consumed maple syrup during the trial. Systolic blood pressure decreased significantly in the maple syrup group (-2.72 mm Hg) and increased slightly in the sucrose group (+0.87 mm Hg).
Abdominal Fat Reduced Visceral fat is the deep fat that wraps around the internal organs in your belly. It can increase an individual’s risk of serious health problems such as heart disease, diabetes, and stroke. The maple syrup trial showed that android fat mass, the fat in the abdominal region, significantly decreased in the maple syrup group as compared to an increase in the group consuming the sucrose solution (-7.83 g vs. +67.61 g).
Healthier Gut An unexpected discovery was the improved levels of potentially beneficial gut bacteria and a decrease in levels of potentially harmful gut bacteria in the maple syrup participants. The study showed a reduction in Klebsiella species and Bacteroides pectinophilus, which are linked to inflammation and metabolic disorders, and the increased growth of beneficial bacteria like Lactocaseibacillus casei and Clostridium beijerincki.