Is maple syrup a superfood? What to know about its health benefits

Maple syrup poured over pancakes, waffles or French toast is a sweet breakfast comfort food, especially on cold winter days.

It has a distinct taste and aroma with notes of caramel, butterscotch and vanilla, complemented by nutty and floral accents.

Maple syrup has been made for centuries by extracting sap from maple trees and then boiling it down — a process that leads to the “miracle of pure maple flavor” and the amber color, created when the amino acids in the sap react with its sugar, the International Maple Syrup Institute notes.

The U.S. is the world’s second-largest producer, behind Canada, with about half of U.S. maple syrup coming from Vermont, according to the Canadian government.

Some maple syrup producers call their product a “superfood,” but is maple syrup really good for you?

Maple syrup nutrition:

Pure maple syrup is 66% sugar — a bit less sweet than honey, which is naturally about 80% sugar.

One tablespoon contains the following, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture:

• 52 calories

• 13 grams of carbohydrates

• 12 grams of sugar

Maple syrup has no fat, protein, fiber or cholesterol, but one tablespoon contains trace amounts of calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, zinc, manganese, selenium and riboflavin.

In all, the syrup contains more than 67 bioactive natural plant compounds with potential health benefits, according to the Collaborative to Communicate Maple Benefits at The University of Rhode Island, which is funded by a federal grant to promote the maple industry. It calls maple syrup "a smarter sweetener."

What are the health benefits of maple syrup?

Maple syrup contains antioxidants and minerals so in the context of substituting one sweetener for another, it offers a few benefits that regular white granulated sugar doesn’t, says Allison Arnett, a registered dietitian and lecturer of nutrition sciences at the University of New Haven in Connecticut.

It also has a slightly lower glycemic index than other sugars, so it raises blood glucose a bit slower, which is meaningful for people with diabetes, she adds.

If you already sweeten your coffee with sugar, exchanging that sugar for maple syrup would be a great option to get some of those antioxidants and minerals like manganese and riboflavin, she says.

“But it certainly wouldn’t make it a health food,” Arnett tells TODAY.com.

“Maple syrup is an added sugar, so as such we should look to consume it in moderation… Yes, it’s rich in antioxidant activity, but vegetables are also very rich in antioxidants.”

Added sugar should be limited to 6 to 8 teaspoons a day from all sources, but most Americans are eating much more, so the trace mineral content of maple syrup is not a reason to add it to your diet — there are healthier ways to get those nutrients, Arnett notes.

Better sources of manganese include brown rice, whole oats and legumes, she says. Foods rich in riboflavin include eggs and milk. Spinach and sweet potatoes are very high in potassium.

Is maple syrup a superfood?

Maple syrup is essentially a concentrated solution of sugar, says Joe Schwarcz, Ph.D., director of the Office for Science and Society at McGill University in Montreal.

“Eating maple syrup for health benefits is nonsense. Eating it for its delightful taste is not,” Schwarcz tells TODAY.com.

“Yes, it does contain some polyphenols that in the lab can be shown to have antioxidant activity, but that is a ‘So what?’”

There are far better sources of polyphenols, such as berries and other plant foods, Schwarcz adds. Polyphenols, also known as phytochemicals, are compounds in plants beneficial for health. The benefits are not seen when polyphenols are isolated and put into pill form, he notes.

Schwarcz calls claims that maple syrup compounds may have potential cancer-fighting abilities “pure marketing hype.”

The findings are based on lab studies involving cancer cells in a petri dish, which is a “long, long way from showing that the trace amounts found in maple syrup have any effect on human health,” he notes.

There's also "nothing earth-shaking" about anti-inflammatory activity found in some maple syrup compounds, according to McGill University's Office for Science and Society. It calls the health claims "sweet hype" and says maple syrup is not a superfood.

Is maple syrup healthier than honey?

Both are added sugars, and both contain antioxidants and plant-based bioactive compounds.

Eating maple syrup will lead to a smaller spike in blood sugar than honey. Maple syrup has a glycemic index of 54, which is considered a low GI food, according to the University of Sydney.

Honey has a glycemic index of 58, says Elisabetta Politi, a clinical dietitian at the Duke Lifestyle and Weight Management Center in Durham, North Carolina, which makes it a medium GI food.

Honey is also slightly higher in calories, carbs and sugar than maple syrup.

What is the healthiest maple syrup?

Always look for pure maple syrup to get the antioxidants and minerals, Arnett says. Pancake syrup, which can look very similar, is often corn syrup with maple flavoring, which doesn’t have the same health benefits, she adds.

Rather than pouring maple syrup over pancakes, drizzle it over healthier choices like unsweetened yogurt or oatmeal, Arnett advises.

“It’s still a sugar so the bottom line is we still want to limit the amount that we’re having every day,” she says.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com