Maple Syrup May Be the Next Super Food

University of Rhode Island researchers have identified 54 compounds in maple syrup from Canada, more than twice the amount previously reported, containing superior antioxidant activity and potential health benefits, including anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory agents as well as possible applications in Type 2 diabetes management.

Maple syrup contains polyphenol compounds, several with antioxidant properties and well-documented health benefits. "We found a wide variety of polyphenols in maple syrup," said Dr. Navindra Seeram, assistant pharmacy professor at URI and a lead scientist on the maple syrup research team. "It is a one-stop shop for these beneficial compounds, several of which are also found in berries, tea, red wine and flaxseed, just to name a few. Not all sweeteners are created equal. When choosing a sweetener, pure maple syrup may be a better choice because of the range of antioxidant compounds not found in other sweeteners."

"We discovered that the polyphenols in maple syrup inhibit enzymes that are involved in the conversion of carbohydrate to sugar," said Dr. Seeram. "In fact, in preliminary studies maple syrup had a greater enzyme-inhibiting effect compared to several other healthy plant foods such as berries, when tested on a dry-weight basis. By 2050, one in three people will be afflicted with Type 2 diabetes and more and more people are looking for healthier diets, so finding a potential anti-diabetic compound in maple syrup is interesting for the scientific community and the consumer."

Five of the 54 antioxidants in maple syrup were identified for the first time in nature, and are unique to the natural sweetener. One of the polyphenols, named Quebecol in honor of the province of Quebec, is created during the process of boiling down maple sap into maple syrup. "We don't know yet whether the new compounds contribute to the healthy profile of maple syrup, but we do know that the sheer quantity and variety of identified compounds with documented health benefits qualifies maple syrup as a champion food," commented Seeram, whose findings have recently been published in the Journal of Functional Foods.

Dr. Seeram's work at URI is supported by a grant funded by The Federation of Quebec Maple Syrup Producers, in conjunction with the Conseil pour le développement de l'agriculture du Québec (CDAQ) and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) on behalf of the Canadian Maple Syrup Industry.

These new findings were presented on March 30th at the annual meeting of the American Chemical Society in Anaheim, CA, during a day-long session exclusively examining the bioactive compounds found in natural sweeteners.

Visit http://www.purecanadamaple.com/next-champion-food/ to see a video of Dr. Navindra Seeram at The American Chemical Society's Annual Meeting discussing the groundbreaking new health findings surrounding maple syrup from Canada. For more information about maple syrup, please visit www.purecanadamaple.com.

For more information on other foods with anitoxidant properties, please visit http://www.herbalmd.com