4 heart health reasons to ditch sugar for maple syrup

Whether it’s whipping up special desserts or adding a teaspoon or two to coffee, tea or a warm bowl of oatmeal — or the added sugars that show up in processed and packaged foods, an excess of the sweet stuff is doing some dangerously sour things to our health.

But those non-nutritive low-calorie and no-calorie substitutes have some major drawbacks too. Does that mean we’re doomed to a life of “bland”?

Not if you switch to this truly natural sweetener that not only satisfies your sweet tooth — but also reduces four significant risk factors for cardiometabolic disease…

Maple syrup: more than just sugar

Cardiometabolic diseases are all too common, often very preventable and can come together to do major harm resulting in heart attack, stroke, vascular disease, diabetes, chronic kidney disease and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

Because inflammation is a driving factor in cardiometabolic disease, Dr. Andre Marette, PhD., had an idea…

“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.”

So he and a team of scientists at Laval University conducted the first and only placebo-controlled clinical trial of the health effects of maple syrup.

In all, 42 participants consumed either two tablespoons of Canadian maple syrup or artificially-flavored refined sugar syrup each day for eight weeks, and then switched for another 8 weeks.

Tests were run to measure glucose tolerance, blood lipid profile, blood pressure body fat composition and changes in gut microbiota — and the outcomes were more than the researchers expected…

Maple syrup took down 4 cardiometabolic risk factors

According to Dr. Marette, “I did not expect to see so many improvements of risk factors within a relatively short treatment period… Both individually and collectively, the study findings are quite significant.”

Specifically, they saw…

#1 – Lower blood sugar

The results showed that using maple syrup daily helped participants better manage their blood sugar levels after eating, thanks to improved glucose tolerance.

#2 – Better blood pressure

Switching to maple syrup also led to improved blood pressure. In fact, during the weeks that participants used maple syrup, their systolic blood pressure (the top number in a blood pressure reading that indicates the pressure in your arteries when your heart beats and pumps) decreased significantly by an average of -2.72 mm Hg. On the other hand, when the same participants used regular refined sugar, their systolic pressure went up by approximately +0.87 mm Hg.

#3 – Less abdominal fat

Visceral fat is the dangerous deep belly fat that wraps around your organs and raises your risk of heart disease, diabetes and stroke. Yet, it seems it’s no match for maple syrup. As with blood pressure, maple syrup dramatically reduced visceral abdominal fat, while consuming refined sugar caused it to increase.

This finding adds more significance to a prior study, which found that the everyday sugar we eat actually blocks the bacteria that keep us lean and healthy.

#4 – Improved gut health

Considering the key role gut health plays in your overall health and longevity, possibly the most significant finding was the fact that switching to maple syrup also improved levels of potentially beneficial gut bacteria while decreasing those that harm.

The researchers found that when participants consumed maple syrup, their gut microbiome had fewer Klebsiella and Bacteroides pectinophilus, species, linked to inflammation and metabolic disorders.

Conversely, maple syrup caused an increase in the growth of beneficial bacteria like Lactocaseibacillus casei, which helps your body break down the food you eat and absorb valuable nutrients. It also boosted Clostridium beijerinckii, which supports fermentation in the gut to help break down complex carbohydrates, like fiber and resistance starches, that act as prebiotics.

Small changes for powerful prevention

Dr. Marette and his team have shown that committing to lifestyle changes, even small dietary changes, can be a powerful tool in preventing future diseases.

Diving into the nutritional benefits of maple syrup, there’s no mystery about its powerful effects. Just two tablespoons of maple syrup provides:

• 35% of the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of manganese. Insufficient amounts of this trace mineral can lead to impaired glucose tolerance or prediabetes.
• 15% of the RDA for riboflavin, which helps convert carbs to energy and metabolizes fats.
• 8% of the RDA of copper, necessary for breaking down fat cells for energy.
• 2% of the RDA of potassium, needed to avoid hardening of arteries and support heart health.

Sources:

Why substitute sugar with maple syrup? – EurekAlert!

Lacticaseibacillus Casei – Uses, Side Effects, and More – WebMD