Maple syrup might be a part of a nutritious diet that helps weight reduction, primarily if it’s used to exchange refined sugar, Zenker says. “Nonetheless, maple syrup itself doesn’t straight trigger weight reduction,” she says. (And do not forget that consuming excessive quantities of added sugars, irrespective of the sort, tends to be linked to weight acquire.)
In a single examine, 42 adults who have been chubby changed 5 p.c of their complete caloric consumption from added sugars with maple syrup for eight weeks. Then contributors have been requested to make use of an artificially flavored sucrose (desk sugar) syrup for an additional eight weeks.
Maple syrup’s comparatively low GI in contrast with different sweeteners is also some extent in its favor. The identical examine concluded that individuals who substituted maple syrup for refined sugar had higher outcomes on an oral blood glucose tolerance check (a check that measures how a lot blood glucose rises after consuming one thing excessive in sugar).
“Maple syrup’s advantages for blood sugar might contribute to simpler weight reduction,” Zenker says. It is because insulin resistance from excessive blood sugar promotes fats storage, whereas steady blood sugar helps promote fats burning.
However, any results that you simply may expertise from switching to maple syrup are minor, Zenker says. Furthermore, the technique of swapping refined sugar for maple syrup isn’t almost as efficient as different weight reduction methods, equivalent to a modest calorie deficit.