Maple syrup has been used as a natural sweetener throughout the world by all ages. A recent study out of Japan suggests the sweetener seems to possess various activities such as decreasing blood glucose level and an anticancer effect.
In the study, the researchers evaluated three types of maple syrup, classified by color, to see what effects it had on the proliferation, migration and invasion of colorectal cancer (CRC) cells. This could be an important discovery as CRC is one of the most common types of cancer and is the leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. If maple syrup can be effective in eliminating cancer cells, it could add to natural therapies that are on the rise due to their effect in reducing adverse side effects.
According to the study, “Maple syrup contains not only abundant amounts of sucrose and glucose, but also various other components such as oligosaccharides, organic acids, amino acids, vitamins, and minerals including manganese and zinc. Moreover, recent studies have shown that maple syrup contains various phenolic compounds such as lignans and coumarin, quebecol, and ginnalin.”
One study found a butanol extract from maple syrup demonstrated inhibitory activity toward a-glucosidase. Additionally, ethyl acetate extracts of maple syrup showed antioxidant activity and anti-proliferative effects against cancer cell lines. Ginnalin-A inhibited the cell growth of colon cancer cell lines.
There are several of different hues to maple syrup resulting in different grades depending on when in the syrup season you are. Antioxidant activity in maple syrup is proportional with the darkening color, but this doesn’t seem to have an effect on the anticancer benefits and is therefore irrelevant when evaluating the phytomedicinal effects of maple syrup.
It seems that maple syrup has anticancer properties and should be included in natural remedies for treating cancer, especially since it doesn’t have the same adverse side effects.
Razi Berry, Founder and Publisher of Naturopathic Doctor News & Review (ndnr.com) and NaturalPath (thenatpath.com), has spent the last decade as a natural medicine advocate and marketing whiz. She has galvanized and supported the naturopathic community, bringing a higher quality of healthcare to millions of North Americans through her publications. A self-proclaimed health-food junkie and mother of two; she loves all things nature, is obsessed with organic gardening, growing fruit trees (not easy in Phoenix), laughing until she snorts, and homeschooling. She is a little bit crunchy and yes, that is her real name.
