Maple syrup can be part of a healthy diet that supports weight loss, primarily if it’s used to replace refined sugar, Zenker says. “However, maple syrup itself does not directly cause weight loss,” she says. (And remember that consuming high amounts of added sugars, no matter the type, tends to be linked to weight gain.)
In one study, 42 adults who were overweight replaced 5 percent of their total caloric intake from added sugars with maple syrup for eight weeks. Then participants were asked to use an artificially flavored sucrose (table sugar) syrup for another eight weeks.
Researchers discovered that the participants had significantly decreased abdominal fat after the first eight-week period with maple syrup and had increased fat during the second eight-week period with sucrose syrup (a loss of 7.8 grams versus an increase of 67.6 grams). However, the study was partly funded by a maple syrup manufacturer, so more research is needed in larger groups of people to confirm these effects (and how significant they might be).
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Maple syrup’s relatively low GI compared with other sweeteners could also be a point in its favor. The same study concluded that people who substituted maple syrup for refined sugar had better results on an oral blood glucose tolerance test (a test that measures how much blood glucose rises after consuming something high in sugar).
“Maple syrup’s benefits for blood sugar could contribute to easier weight loss,” Zenker says. This is because insulin resistance from high blood sugar promotes fat storage, while stable blood sugar helps promote fat burning.
On the other hand, any effects that you might experience from switching to maple syrup are minor, Zenker says. Moreover, the strategy of swapping refined sugar for maple syrup isn’t nearly as effective as other weight loss strategies, such as a modest calorie deficit.
