Maple syrup may protect against neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, according to research by international scientists. Results from two dozen studies on diet and a healthy brain suggested that genuine maple syrup might keep two types of brain cell proteins from clumping.
These brain cell proteins are beta amyloids and tau peptides. When they combine and build up together as plaque in the brain, this is considered to be one of the main causes of many brain diseases such as Alzheimer's.
Beta amyloid, when pieces become tangled, form small clusters that could block signaling between cells. This hinders some areas of the brain from sending communications to other regions.
Immune system cells that kick off inflammation and kill disabled cells are set in motion by blockages.
People with an Alzheimer's diagnosis may have a longer life with the ingestion of maple syrup extract. The extract is thought to prevent fibrillation or tangling in the brain cells. This may make it possible for the brain to work normally.
Serge Beaulieu, the president of the Federation of Quebec Maple Syrup Producers said, "We already know that maple has more than 100 bioactive compounds, some of which have anti-inflammatory properties,” according to Medicaldaily.com.
News-medical.net noted that the federation doesn't advocate higher sugar consumption. Pure maple syrup is a healthier replacement for some other types of sugar.
“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," Beaulieu said.
It's speculated that phenol concentrations in the syrup could be pivotal. Phenol compounds have been found to have antioxidant properties, which trap damaging free radicals that cause cellular damage.
The findings were revealed at a two-day symposium at the American Chemical Society’s annual meeting.
Lead researcher and symposium organizer Dr. Navindra P. Seeram, a scientist at Texas State University, was quoted by Medicaldaily.com as saying, "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.”
Researcher Dr. Donald Weaver is from the Krembil Research Institute of the University of Toronto. Weaver said that a maple syrup extract may prevent clumping of tau peptides, along with other brain cell proteins, reported Globalnews.ca. An accumulation of tau proteins has been seen in athletes with brain diseases recently.
Alzheimer's disease is a neurodegenerative disease which is progressive. Eventually it erases memory, and hampers the ability to function.
The Alzheimer’s Association reports that someone in the United States gets Alzheimer's disease every 67 seconds. Alzheimer's is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States. It will hit 11 percent of the U.S. population who are over the age of 65. It imposes an annual health care cost of $226 billion, as estimated in 2015 by the Alzheimer's Association.
No known treatments will stop the disease from progressing, though some may slow things down temporarily. The hope is that dietary changes may delay or halt neurodegenerative diseases.
“However, further animal and eventually human studies would be required to confirm these initial findings,” Seeram said in a statement on Globalnews.ca. More research is needed, and is bound to follow.
Reviewed March 18, 2016
by Michele Blacksberg RN