A Healthy Pour? Syrup as Superfood

Maple syrup glass light leaf by anolobb, on Flickr
Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic License  by  anolobb 

If it’s true, it’s nutritional gold for Vermonters and Canucks and everyone in between: maple syrup could be considered the latest superfood. Something supersweet and superhealthy? Only a sap would be unmoved.

It’s smart to be cautious, however. The term “superfood” gets a significant amount of media play, and we don’t want to condone overuse. Such nutritional hyperbole only contributes to confusion when it comes to what is healthy and nutritious. But lovers of this eleven-point leaf may have reason to be guardedly hopeful.

The Road to Super 

First, a look at the superfood nomenclature: We’ve traced the origin of the superfood before, and found nutrition specialist Steven Pratt MD, at the source. In his 2004 book, SuperFoods Rx: Fourteen Foods That Will Change Your Life, he identified key nutrient-rich foods deserved of the superfood label. Foods included on the Superfoods List were all powerfully nutritious and were chosen for their particular ability to prevent disease and support optimum health.

Foods like blueberries, particularly wild blueberries, are widely known as one of the most popular superfoods due their very high levels of antioxidant phytonutrients, which have been proven to help prevent and, in some cases, reverse the well-known effects of aging, including cardiovascular disease, type II diabetes, hypertension and certain cancers. Wild salmon, tomatoes, and walnuts were also on the list, and these original superfoods continue to be lauded for there healthful properties.

The super potential of maple syrup, according to researchers from the University of Rhode Island, lies in the detection of previously undiscovered chemical compounds with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, similar to those found in blueberries. Also, part of the interest surrounds the existence of a potential anti-diabetic compound in maple syrup that could help control the conversion of carbohydrates to sugar.

An Anti-Diabetic Compound

It’s true that the data was collected during a research study funded by the Federation of Quebec Maple Syrup Producers and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. And, the benefits must be confirmed. But putting aside the source for a moment, any contribution to the research concerning how to reduce the risk of diabetes is exciting.

There are 25.8 million children and adults in the United States – 8.3% of the population – who have diabetes.  Canada itself is no exception. The country has unprecedented numbers when it comes to diabetes, according to the Canadian Diabetes Association – one in four Canadians are affected by the disease. While further study is called for, reports indicate that there are “potentially significant implications” to the research that point to maple syrup as a potential new superfood.

Not Far From the Tree

If the news is substantiated, blueberries and syrup — already a perfect combination thanks to the world’s favorite pancake – could be a better one. We advise not going ape (or mape?) with maple syrup until we know more about its benefits, but since we’re just leaving the tree-tapping season, there’s no better time try these blueberry and syrup combinations. In moderation, there’s little doubt that they are mighty super already.

Blueberry Bread Pudding. Served hot, this dish offers a beautiful blue take on a favorite. Make it with frozen wild blueberries, and top with local syrup if you happen to live near bountiful trees.

Wild Blueberry & Maple Breakfast Quinoa With Toasted Pecans. Today, quinoa is a hot ticket—it’s both hip and healthy. Complete with pecans, this is a morning treat that shines with a hint of maple.

Ricotta Pancakes with Blueberries. Here’s the classic combo with a cheesy addition courtesy of Giada de Laurentis, and purported to be excellent in taste and satisfaction.

Baked French Toast With Blueberries. A mix of healthy fruit on top will add a heap of nutrients to this indulgent dish. Make it beforehand for overnight guests who love hearty and healthy.

Antioxidant Superfruit or Super Supplements?

The more we know about antioxidants, the more we realize that a diet that provides plenty of them is an important defense against disease. However, these benefits may not hold for those taking supplements to get their antioxidants rather than relying on dietary antioxidants – those occurring naturally in foods like fruits and vegetables. According to a new study, supplements meant to provide protection against disease may actually increase health risks.


An Antioxidant Primer

Antioxidants are important because they wage the battle against “free radicals”. Free radicals are unstable oxygen molecules that cause cancer and heart disease. Aging itself has been determined to be an accumulation of “oxidative stress” which is the result of damage done by these free radical forms of oxygen. Dietary antioxidants – those found in fruits and vegetables – neutralize these free radicals and prevent the cell damage at the source of these diseases.

Antioxidants also protect against inflammation and are thought to be a leading factor in brain aging, Alzheimer’s disease and other diseases of aging. Scientists continue to study the potential benefits of antioxidants in brain health, urinary tract health, vision health, and heart health, in addition to cancer prevention. As scientists have come to understand the oxidative process in the body, they have also come to understand that those people who eat lots of fruits and vegetables, which provide these crucial antioxidants, tend to live longer and be healthier.

We talk about wild blueberries a lot at Wild About Health! because antioxidant amounts are notoriously high in deeply colored pigments of the skins of fruits and vegetables. That’s especially true of wild blueberries, because of their deep-blue skin and their high skin-to-pulp ratio. While the “antioxidant superfruit” moniker conjures otherworldly powers, they are grounded in a very natural potency that does battle against free radicals and the diseases caused by aging the best way we know how.

An Important Knowledge Gap

It stands to reason that in an effort to get the benefits of antioxidants we would turn to supplements. However, a recent study out of Cedar-Sinai in Los Angeles has called supplements into question. The report posits that high doses of antioxidant supplements, such as vitamins C and E, raise the risk of dangerous changes in human cells, and as a result, may actually increase the risk of cancer.

Researchers associated with the study assure us that taking a multivitamin is still OK, but caution that more does not mean better, and could mean worse. George Jetson may have been served his meal in pill form by his robotic maid, but such a lifestyle may contradict good health. In fact, it is in the comparison of natural nutrients and supplements where we reach a gap in our knowledge.

Antioxidants in a supplement simply do not have the same effect as those found naturally in fruits and vegetables. What’s more, the potential negative effects of high dosing that can occur in supplements are not replicated in foods. Something is missing – something happens with antioxidants occurring naturally in food that cannot be reproduced in a supplement. From the article in UK’s Telegraph:

“Yet if the value of antioxidant supplements is at best uncertain, the evidence for the life-prolonging benefits of a diet rich in fruit and vegetables seems clear. The challenge now is to explain why they work in this form but appear to fail as isolated key chemicals.”

While the study prompts questions about supplement dosing (when a dose becomes an overdose), other questions concern how nutrients in naturally occurring antioxidants work in combination with other chemicals enabling the positive effects. Is it a secret synchronicity provided by nature? Or is it simply that those who eat foods high in antioxidants, like fruits and veggies, do other things that are healthy too?


 The Bottom Line

The bottom line is: there may be no short cut to good health. In a world rife with easy answers to health, this latest information reinforces the need to hold our natural sources of nutrients in the highest esteem while remaining informed about the consequences of those that come in a bottle. Foods, compared with supplements, come out on top. For now, George Jetson can keep his bite-sized meal – along with his flying car and robotic maid.

Start engaging in natural anti-aging: Find out about the #1 Antioxidant Superfruit.