Maple Syrup: Is It Good for You? (2024)

What Is Maple Syrup?

Few things in nature are as sweet as real maple syrup. To get it, workers drive a tap into the bark of a maple tree — usually a sugar or black maple — and collect the sap that flows out. The sap is then concentrated, which increases the sugar content from about 2% to around 66%. This process also darkens the color.

Maple syrup is produced in a variety of places across the northern region of North America, including much of Canada and parts of the U.S. East Coast and Midwest. Syrup producers take pride in the quality of their product and praise its natural tastiness. Some also advertise potential maple syrup health benefits.

What does research say about maple syrup and health? Is it even possible for something so sweet to be good for you?

Maple Syrup Nutrition

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that maple syrup is a high-calorie food. It has 12 grams of sugar in a single tablespoon. That tablespoon also includes:

• Calories: 52
• Protein: 0 grams
• Fat: 0 grams
• Carbohydrates: 13 grams
• Fiber: 0 grams

The vitamin content of maple syrup is extremely low — almost nonexistent. But, it does have quite a few minerals in measurable quantities. One tablespoon of maple syrup has about 33% of your daily value of manganese, which is essential for healthy bones. Other minerals found in maple syrup include:

• Zinc
• Copper
• Calcium
• Iron
• Magnesium
• Potassium

Maple Syrup Benefits

Real maple syrup is plant-based, and like many plant-based foods it is rich in antioxidants, which reduce damage molecules called free radicals can do. When too many free radicals build up, they can harm cells. This can lead to conditions like cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. The antioxidants and the nutrients in maple syrup result in certain health benefits:

Lower cholesterol

In animal studies, scientists find that maple syrup may have effects on cholesterol. Not only does maple syrup lower cholesterol in mice, it also has the potential to prevent inflammation.

Better brain health

Research into maple syrup’s effects on brain health is just coming to light, but the findings hint at exciting benefits. Maple syrup appears to help prevent the differences of certain proteins found in brain cells that link to the development of Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases. Animal studies also connect the syrup to longer lifespans with Alzheimer’s.

Getting enough manganese

The high manganese content of maple syrup makes it an easy way to make sure you get enough manganese in your diet. While an uncommon disorder, manganese deficiency can cause serious harm, including poor skeletal growth and slow wound healing.

Possible Risks of Maple Syrup

The biggest health risks of maple syrup come from its high sugar content. Too much sugar in your diet can cause a wide range of health problems and can also lead to complications in people with diabetes. Consider the following before eating maple syrup:

Tooth decay

All sugar can cause tooth decay, especially in large amounts. That's because the bacteria that causes tooth decay can feed on sugar in the mouth and multiply. The more sugar a person has, the more likely they are to get dental cavities.

Diabetes complications

Maple syrup gives you carbohydrates in the form of sugars without fiber. As a result, maple syrup can cause swings in blood sugar and insulin levels. Insulin is a hormone that moves sugar in our blood to cells that convert it to energy. People with diabetes may have bad side effects from the sugar in maple syrup.

Maple Syrup Grades

Maple syrup is graded based on two things: color and flavor. In 2015, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) set guidelines for how to best classify maple syrup. There are four grades:

• Golden. Lightest color and delicate flavor. This grade of maple syrup usually comes from the first sap during the sugaring season.
• Amber. Rich flavor with a bit darker color than golden. It has a full-bodied taste. This is usually the kind people look for when they want classic maple syrup.
• Dark. This grade is stronger than the first two and, overall, has a more pure maple flavor.
• Very dark. Darkest color and strongest flavor. It's good for cooking.

When grading maple syrup, taste always takes priority over color. So you might have a syrup that's golden in color but has a strong flavor. In that case, it it would get the dark grade.

What Is Maple Sugar?

Maple sugar is a natural sweetener.It's made from boiling the tree’s sap, which cuts its water content until it’s a solid sugar. Native Americans first discovered this method.

You can use maple sugar as a replacement for other sugar products like white or brown sugar. It’s naturally sweeter, so you can use less of it for the same effect in the kitchen.

Maple Sugar Nutrition

Because it's made from maple syrup, maple sugar has the same nutrition makeup, mostly sugar and carbohydrates. And it has the same minerals.

One tablespoon of maple sugar contains:

• Calories: 52
• Protein: 0 grams
• Fat: 0 gram
• Carbohydrates: 13 grams
• Fiber: 0 grams
• Sugar: 12 grams

Maple sugar is a source of:

• Manganese
• Zinc
• Calcium
• Iron
• Potassium

Possible Health Benefits of Maple Sugar

Pure maple sugar may offer health benefits over other sugars, including:

Anticancer properties

Maple sugar contains manyantioxidants, substances that help fight and reversecell damagein your body. One of these antioxidants, quebecol, only exists in pure maple products. One study found quebecol killedcervical,ovarian,breast, andcolon cancer cells, and may behave almost like a common chemotherapy drug.

Less stress on the liver

The antioxidants in maple sugar may also protect againstliver damage. One study found that maple sugar cuts down ammonia in the blood, which, in high levels, can cause liver disease.

Improves gut health

Maple sugar containsinsulin. Researchers believe insulin may work with maple sugar’s antioxidants and nutrients to boost the growth ofgood bacteria in the gut.

This balance of bacteria helps support a healthy immune system and can protect the body againsthealth issues likechronic inflammation.

Lower risk of blood sugar spikes

Maple sugar contains low amounts offructose, which gives it a lowerglycemic index than white and brown sugars. This glycemic index ranks foods based on how quickly they cause your blood sugar to rise.

Blood sugar spikes can cause tiredness and hunger soon after a meal. Over time, high levels ofblood sugar can increase your risk of diabetes and heart disease.

May increase the effects of antibiotics

In the past, Native Americans used maple sugar to treat infections. One study suggests that this practice may actually be beneficial.

Researchers found that the antioxidants in maple syrup may improve the effectiveness ofantibiotics, though much more research is needed to confirm this.