TORONTO—Researchers at the Universities of Toronto and Rhode Island have delved into Canada’s sweetest export and have come to the conclusion that the signature spring confection is not only tasty, but may also help protect brain cells from some neurodegenerative diseases, in particular they have fingered Alzheimer’s.
The summit of the American Chemical Society in San Diego heard research from scientists at both the University of Toronto and the University of Rhode Island that indicate maple syrup is showing promise in protecting brain cells in patients with neurodegenerative diseases.
The first study presented by Dr. Donald Weaver, of the University of Toronto’s Krembil Research Institute, found an extract of maple syrup may prevent the “misfolding and clumping of two types of proteins, beta amyloid and tau peptide, which have been linked to Alzheimer’s.”
Alzheimer Research has shown that when cellular proteins fold improperly and clump together, they accumulate and develop into a plaque that leads to Alzheimer’s and other brain diseases.
“What we have shown in test tubes is that the extract of maple syrup prevents these, I’ll call them ‘bad proteins,’ from misfolding and behaving badly,” Dr. Weaver explained to the media.
The other study, led by associate professor Navindra P. Seeram of the University of Rhode Island (collaborating with researchers at Texas State University), found that pure maple syrup extract “prevented the tangling of beta amyloid proteins and protected the neurons in rodents’ brain cells, specifically the microglial, which are the primary form of defence against pathogens in the central nervous system.”
Clinical research has linked a decrease in microglial function with Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases. Microglia are a type of cell (found in the brain or spinal cord) that act as the first and main form of active immune defense in the central nervous system. They comprise about 10 to 15 percent of all cells found within the brain.
It gets even better. The maple syrup extract was also found to prolong the lifespan of a roundworm with Alzheimer’s. Not many of us realize that roundworms can contract dementia, but there you have it, even though there is a long evolutionary road from roundworms to humans, the news seems very positive for encouraging another helping of pancakes.
“Natural food products such as green tea, red wine, berries, curcumin and pomegranates continue to be studied for their potential benefits in combatting Alzheimer’s disease,” said Mr. Seeram in a press release. “Now, in preliminary laboratory-based Alzheimer’s disease studies, phenolic-enriched extracts of maple syrup from Canada showed neuroprotective effects, similar to resveratrol, a compound found in red wine.”
“We already know that maple has more than 100 bioactive compounds, some of which have anti-inflammatory properties,” said Serge Beaulieu, president of the Federation of Quebec Maple Syrup Producers. “Brain health is the latest topic of exploration and we look forward to learning more about the potential benefits that maple syrup might have in this area.”
Since the Alzheimer Society of Canada predicts that, at the current rate, there will be as many as 1.4 million people suffering from that dementia by 2031, a little sweet news may be just what the doctor ordered.
