Pure maple syrup keeps your liver healthy

A diet that includes pure maple syrup may help to promote liver health, according to a new study. 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. In addition to Dr. Abe's recent findings, the 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 Dr. Melissa Palmer, clinical professor and medical director of hepatology at New York University Plainview. 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," she said. "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," she added. The study will be published in the journal Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Biochemistry.