NEW YORK – September 13, 2011 – New research conducted at the University of Tokyo suggests that pure maple syrup may promote a healthy liver. The pilot study, conducted by Dr. Keiko Abe of the University of Tokyo’s Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, showed that healthy laboratory rats fed a diet in which some of the carbohydrate was replaced with pure maple syrup from Canada yielded significantly better results in liver function tests than the control groups fed a diet with a syrup mix containing a similar sugar content as maple syrup. The results will be published in the November, 2011 issue of “Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Biochemistry.” Although most healthy individuals take liver function for granted, liver health is of great importance because of the hundreds of vital functions it performs that are essential to human life, which include storing energy (glycogen) and regulating blood glucose, the production of certain amino acids (building blocks of protein), filtering harmful substances from the blood.

Liver disease not related to alcohol consumption is estimated to affect 25% of people in the United States, according to the American Liver Foundation. It shows up most often in middle aged people who are overweight, have abnormal blood lipids and diabetes or insulin resistance conditions when grouped together, are known as metabolic syndrome.

“It is important to understand the factors leading to impaired liver function – our lifestyle choices including poor diet, stress and lack of exercise, as well as exposure to environmental pollutants that produce tissue-damaging free radicals,” says Dr. Melissa Palmer, clinical professor and medical director of hepatology at New York University Plainview. “The preliminary results of this research are encouraging and emphasize the importance of choosing a healthy diet to help counteract the lifestyle and environmental factors that may impact liver function, even our choice of a sweetener. In addition to Dr. Abe’s recent findings, published research suggests that pure maple syrup may prove to be a better choice of sweetener because it was found to be rich in polyphenolic antioxidants and contains vitamins and minerals,” notes Palmer.

The animals were evaluated using the latest analytical methods including gene expression profiling called nutrigenomics. In the study, rats were fed diets consisting of 20% pure maple syrup, or 20% syrup mixture with similar sugar content as maple syrup. After 11 days, the rats on the maple syrup diet showed significantly decreased levels of liver enzymes AST, ALT and LDH in the blood, standard biomarkers for evaluating liver function. The gene expression profiling observations also suggest a mechanism whereby the maple syrup diet caused genes involved in the production of harmful ammonia in the liver to down-regulate, that is, to be less active.

“This research contributes to our growing understanding of the incredible health potential of maple syrup,” remarked Serge Beaulieu, President of the Federation of Quebec Maple Syrup Producers. “We learned previously that maple syrup contains antioxidant compounds that may actually help regulate glucose metabolism and increase insulin release, possibly aiding in the management of type 2 diabetes. And now Dr. Abe is exploring the relationship between maple syrup consumption and liver health. Her current findings give us even more reason to enjoy our maple syrup.”

Please visit www.purecanadamaple.com/liver-health for a video of Dr. Melissa Palmer explaining the liver research findings.

This study was funded by the Conseil pour le développement de l’agriculture du Québec (CDAQ) and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) on behalf of the Canadian Maple Syrup Industry and the Federation of Quebec Maple Syrup Producers.

About the Federation and the Canadian maple syrup industry

The Federation of Quebec Maple Syrup Producers was founded in 1966 with the mission of defending and promoting the economic, social and moral interests of its 7,400 maple family farms businesses. These men and women are working together to collectively work on quality standards, create knowledge and market their products. Quebec is responsible for 93 percent of the Canadian production and close to 80 percent of today’s global maple syrup output. Therefore the Federation is proud to lead scientific research in the name of the entire Canadian maple syrup industry. Ontario, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia contribute seven percent of the total Canadian production.

About Keiko Abe, Ph.D,

Dr. Abe is a professor in the Department of Applied Biological Chemistry, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, University of Tokyo. She has received several awards and been honored both nationally and internationally, including the ‘Purple Ribbon’, the Imperial Medal of Honor and the highest award a Japanese citizen can receive for contributions to their country and international recognition. Together with Dr. Arai, Dr. Abe participated in developing the concept of functional foods along with the first publication of the concept in Nature magazine (1993). She leads one of the largest nutrigenomics groups in the world and is consulted by major agri-food corporations. She also serves on the Scientific Steering Committee for Nestlé and acts as consultant for the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare in Japan. Her areas of expertise include food biochemistry, nutrigenomics, the science of taste, and cellular and molecular biology. She is credited with more than 150 publications and has published nine books.

About Melissa Palmer, MD

Dr. Palmer is medical director of hepatology at New York University Hepatology Associates Plainview and a clinical professor of medicine at New York University. She graduated from Columbia University with a Bachelor of Arts and was trained in hepatology and medicine at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City. Dr. Palmer is Board Certified in Gastroenterology and in Internal Medicine. Dr. Palmer released her latest book in September 2011 on “Gastrointestinal and Liver Disease Nutrition Desk Reference,” and is the author of the best-selling book “Dr. Melissa Palmer’s Guide to Hepatitis and Liver Disease.” She has also authored numerous scientific publications in the field of hepatology in such peer-reviewed journals as Hepatology, Gastroenterology, Seminars of Liver Disease, Transplantation, and Archives of Internal Medicine.

Maple syrup should be consumed in moderation.

For more information:

Laura Petrosky
lpetrosky@crt-tanaka.com
Tel: 646 218 6003
Web: purecanadamaple.com/liver-health

New York – April 1, 2011 – There’s more good news about pure maple syrup from the University of Rhode Island (URI). Researchers there have now identified 54 compounds in maple syrup from Canada, double the amount previously reported, and many with antioxidant activity and potential health benefits. In laboratory studies, they acted as anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory agents. Initial studies also suggest that maple compounds may inhibit enzymes relevant in Type 2 diabetes management.

These new findings were presented on March 30^th at the annual meeting of the American Chemical Society in Anaheim, CA, during a day-long session exclusively examining the bioactive compounds found in natural sweeteners. The session was organized and chaired by Dr. Navindra Seeram, assistant pharmacy professor at URI and a lead scientist on the maple syrup research team.

According to the URI research team, maple syrup contains a cocktail of polyphenol compounds, several with antioxidant properties and many with well-documented health benefits. “We found a wide variety of polyphenols in maple syrup,” said Seeram. “It is a one-stop shop for these beneficial compounds, several of which are also found in berries, tea, red wine and flaxseed, just to name a few,” Seeram continued. “Not all sweeteners are created equal. When choosing a sweetener, pure maple syrup may be a better choice because of the range of antioxidant compounds not found in other sweeteners.”

Maple syrup may prove to be relevant in Type 2 diabetes management, although the findings must be verified in clinical trials. “We discovered that the polyphenols in maple syrup inhibit enzymes that are involved in the conversion of carbohydrate to sugar,” said Seeram. “In fact, in preliminary studies maple syrup had a greater enzyme-inhibiting effect compared to several other healthy plant foods such as berries, when tested on a dry-weight basis. By 2050, one in three people will be afflicted with Type 2 diabetes and more and more people are looking for healthier diets, so finding a potential anti-diabetic compound in maple syrup is interesting for the scientific community and the consumer,” said Seeram.

Five of the 54 antioxidants in maple syrup were identified for the first time in nature, and are unique to the natural sweetener. Among the five new compounds never before identified, one polyphenol is of particular interest. Given the common name of Quebecol, in honor of the province of Quebec, this compound is created during the process of boiling down maple sap into maple syrup. “We don’t know yet whether the new compounds contribute to the healthy profile of maple syrup, but we do know that the sheer quantity and variety of identified compounds with documented health benefits qualifies maple syrup as a champion food,” commented Seeram, whose findings have recently been published in the Journal of Functional Foods. Dr. Seeram’s work at URI is supported by a grant funded by The Federation of Quebec Maple Syrup Producers, in conjunction with the Conseil pour le développement de l’agriculture du Québec (CDAQ) and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) on behalf of the Canadian Maple Syrup Industry.

Attendees at the American Chemical Society’s annual meeting also heard promising results from other Canadian researchers who are studying the health benefits of maple syrup. “Part of our New Generation of Maple 2020 strategy is to work with talented scientists to discover and share more knowledge about maple syrup. We are excited that this line of research receives interest from all over the world,” says Serge Beaulieu, President of the Federation and member of the Canadian Maple Industry Advisory Committee. Geneviève Béland, Marketing Director for the Federation, adds “Maple is the most important food derived from the pure sap of trees, and given its amazing potential for human health and great nutritional value, it is a natural choice for a healthy lifestyle.” The Federation’s members produce about 80 percent of the worldwide supply of the natural sweetener.

About the Federation of Quebec Maple Syrup Producers

The Federation of Quebec Maple Syrup Producers was founded in 1966 with the mission of defending and promoting the economic, social and moral interests of its 7,400 maple family farms and businesses. These men and women are working together to collectively create quality standards, knowledge and market their products. Quebec is responsible for 93 percent of the Canadian production and close to 80 percent of today’s global maple syrup output. The Federation is proud to lead the Canadian Maple Innovation Network in the name of the entire Canadian maple syrup industry. Ontario, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia contribute 7 percent of the total Canadian production.

The University of Rhode Island’s research grant was co-founded by the Federation, CDAQ and AAFC. Funding of CDAQ is provided through Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Advancing Canadian Agriculture and Agri-Food (ACAAF) program. AAFC has been able to provide financial support for maple syrup research through the program “Growing Canadian Agri-Innovations.”

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“We already know the maple tree has strong antioxidant mechanisms,” Seeram said.  “Now we are looking more closely at the tree’s sap.” Several of these antioxidant compounds are also reported to have anti-cancer, anti-bacterial and anti-diabetic properties. “People are increasingly interested in healthier food alternatives,” Seeram said.

Prior to the study, The Federation of Quebec Maple Syrup Producers and the Canadian maple syrup industry knew the product was full of natural minerals and vitamins, including zinc, manganese and calcium, providing the basis for a research study with comprehensive health findings. The Federation awarded Seeram a two-year grant funded in conjunction with the Conseil pour le développement de l’agriculture du Québec (CDAQ) and Agriculture and Agrifood Canada (AAC).

Seeram found the same antioxidant compounds also contained in berries, an exciting development because he would not previously have associated a sweetener with healthy biological properties. “Today, Americans have great interest in learning the health benefits of unique foods,” Seeram said.

Seeram also advised that when choosing syrup as a sweetener, it is healthier to use 100 percent pure maple syrup.  He referred to a survey conducted by the Federation, which found that 50 percent of Americans are unaware if the syrup they consume is real maple syrup or pancake syrup.

“Many Quebec producers come from a family with a long tradition of maple syrup production, and we are committed to the product because we know that maple syrup is a sustainable and versatile product,” Serge Beaulieu, president of the Federation said. Geneviève Béland, marketing executive, adds “A healthful alternative to other sugars, pure maple syrup is a flavourful staple for cooking and has various culinary uses beyond breakfast, from a touch of sweet in tea, drizzled over vegetables, or as a glaze for grilled poultry and fish.”

“In a certain sense, people view sap as the life blood of the tree,” Seeram said. “Maple syrup is unique in that it is the only product in our diet that comes from a plant’s sap.” Historically, many cultures have benefited from its health benefits as a homeopathic remedy for ailments, including flu, stomach aches, high blood pressure and cholesterol. Maple syrup’s high levels of zinc and manganese can assist in heart health and boosting the immune system.

About the Federation and the Canadian maple syrup industry

The Federation of Quebec Maple Syrup Producers was founded in 1966 with the mission of defending and promoting the economic, social and moral interests of its 7,400 maple family farms businesses. These men and women are working together to collectively work on quality standards, create knowledge and market their products. Quebec is responsible for 93 percent of the Canadian production and close to 80 percent of today’s global maple syrup output. Therefore the Federation is proud to lead scientific research in the name of the entire Canadian maple syrup industry. Ontario, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia contribute 7 percent of the total Canadian production.

To learn more please visit www.purecanadamaple.com.