Maple syrup: counted as added sugar, with one small trial behind it

A randomized double-blind crossover trial took 42 overweight adults with mild cardiometabolic alterations. Swapping 5 percent of their daily calories from refined sugars to maple syrup for 8 weeks lowered systolic pressure by 2.7 mmHg, against a 0.9 mmHg rise on a flavored sucrose syrup (P = 0.03). It is one small trial, paid for by maple syrup producers, and its effects sit close to the edge of significance. Blood lipids did not change. What the syrup is, per 20 g tablespoon, is about 52 calories and 13.4 g carbohydrate, almost all of it sucrose, plus 0.58 mg manganese. The FDA declined to exclude maple syrup from the definition of added sugars, so on a label it counts the same way table sugar does. One tablespoon, at about 12 g sugars, uses roughly a quarter of the 50 g daily value for added sugars.

The numbers, per 3.5 oz (100 g)

How much is actually in it

• A tablespoon of maple syrup (20 g) carries about 52 calories and 13.4 g carbohydrate, almost all of it sucrose, plus 0.58 mg manganese. — USDA SR Legacy, Syrups, maple (n = 1 food) Evidence E source
  Per 100 g: energy 260 calories, carbohydrate 67.04 g, sucrose 58.32 g, glucose 1.6 g, fructose 0.52 g, manganese 2.908 mg, riboflavin 1.27 mg, calcium 102 mg; 1 tbsp = 20 g

What your body absorbs

• In 85 active men, 6% drinks sweetened with maple syrup or sap raised blood sugar less than glucose drinks during interval cycling, similar to a sports drink. — 85 active men, six 3-min bouts at 95% maximal aerobic power, 1.1 quarts (1 L) of 6% carbohydrate solution (n = 85) Evidence B source
  Lesser glycemia increase with maple products and sports drink than with glucose; no effect on cerebral oxygenation

What it does to your health

• In 42 overweight adults, swapping 5% of calories from refined sugars to maple syrup for 8 weeks lowered systolic pressure by 2.7 mmHg against a 0.9 mmHg rise on sucrose syrup. — 42 overweight adults with mild cardiometabolic alterations, 8 weeks per arm, crossover (n = 42) Evidence B source
  SBP -2.72 vs +0.87 mmHg (P = 0.03); OGTT glucose AUC -50.59 vs +29.93 (P < 0.047); android fat -7.83 vs +67.61 g; lipids unchanged

Safety, limits and interactions

• FDA sets the label daily value for added sugars at no more than 50 g a day, so one tablespoon of maple syrup at about 12 g sugars uses roughly a quarter of it. — US adults and children 4 years and older, 2,000 calories reference Evidence E source
  DRV added sugars 50 g (10% of calories); maple syrup sucrose+glucose+fructose 60.44 g/100 g, about 12.1 g per 20 g tablespoon, 24% of DRV

What people believe that the data does not support

• A 7-day very low calorie program of maple and palm syrups with lemon juice cut body fat and insulin resistance in 84 overweight Korean women, and a pair-fed placebo juice gave similar weight and insulin changes. — 84 premenopausal overweight Korean women, 11 days (7 days juice, 4 days transition) (n = 84) Evidence B source
  Weight, BMI, body fat and HOMA-IR fell in both Lemon-D and pair-fed placebo groups versus controls; hs-CRP fell only with Lemon-D
• FDA declined to exclude maple syrup and honey from the definition of added sugars on the Nutrition Facts label. — US food labeling, Nutrition Facts final rule Evidence E source
  Sugars from maple syrup count as added sugars
• Maple syrup was among the five most common added sugar ingredients across 5744 Australian packaged foods. — 5744 packaged foods in the Australian FoodSwitch database (n = 5744) Evidence C source
  Added sugar ingredients in 61% of foods; maple syrup among top types with sugar, glucose syrup, maltodextrin, glucose/dextrose

What is still unknown

• A second USDA record for Canadian maple syrup lists 0.7 mg zinc and 2.3 mg manganese per 3.5 oz (100 g), against 1.47 mg and 2.9 mg in the generic record. — USDA SR Legacy, Syrup, maple, Canadian (n = 1 food) Evidence E source
  Per 100 g: energy 270 calories, carbohydrate 67.38 g, sucrose 58.93 g, zinc 0.7 mg, manganese 2.3 mg, calcium 109 mg

The bottom line

In 85 active men doing six hard 3-minute cycling bouts, a 6 percent drink sweetened with maple syrup or maple sap raised blood sugar less than a glucose drink, as a commercial sports drink also did. The abstract gives no size for that gap, and it covers a single exercise session. The maple and lemon cleanse diet does not show what its fans think. A 7-day very low calorie program of maple and palm syrups with lemon juice cut weight, body fat and insulin resistance in 84 premenopausal overweight Korean women. A pair-fed placebo juice with the same restriction gave similar changes, and the authors attribute the effect to calorie restriction. Only the inflammation marker hs-CRP fell in the syrup and lemon group alone. The syrup itself was never isolated. Across 5744 Australian packaged foods, maple syrup was among the five most common added sugar ingredients, though a label that says maple syrup does not guarantee the real thing. The mineral numbers are less settled than they look. The generic USDA record lists 1.47 mg zinc and 2.9 mg manganese per 3.5 oz (100 g), a second record for Canadian syrup lists 0.7 mg and 2.3 mg, and neither record says why. The one caution we can back is the added sugar limit above. We found no study or agency position on maple syrup for children, pregnancy or people on medicines, so this page says nothing about them.

Compared with other foods

Sources

1. mpsy-r7-01 · composition dataset
   Syrups, maple, fdc_id 169661, SR Legacy, per 100 g: Energy 260.0 kcal; Carbohydrate, by difference 67.04 g; Sucrose 58.32 g; Glucose 1.6 g; Fructose 0.52 g; Manganese, Mn 2.908 mg; Riboflavin 1.27 mg; Calcium, Ca 102.0 mg; Zinc, Zn 1.47 mg; portion 1.0 tbsp 20.0 g; 1.0 cup 315.0 g
   USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy, FDC 169661, 2019 · checked 2026-09-29
2. mpsy-r7-04 · RCT
   Eighty-five active men completed six 3-min bouts at 95% of their maximal aerobic power on a stationary bike, with 3 min of passive rest between efforts. Subjects were randomly allocated to an ingestion condition. ... RESULTS: The ingestion of maple products and the commercial sports drink led to a lesser increase in glycemia than glucose ingestion.
   Nutrients, 2019 · checked 2026-09-29
3. mpsy-r7-03 · RCT
   In a randomized, double-blind, controlled crossover trial with 42 overweight adults with mild cardiometabolic alterations, participants were instructed to substitute 5% of their total caloric intake from added sugars with either maple syrup or an artificially flavored sucrose syrup for 8 wk. ... Substituting refined sugar with maple syrup also significantly decreased android fat mass (-7.83 ± 175.05 g compared with 67.61 ± 206.71 g; P = 0.02) and systolic blood pressure (-2.72 ± 8.73 mm Hg compared with 0.87 ± 8.99 mm Hg; P = 0.03). No changes in the blood lipid profile were observed.
   J Nutr, 2024 · checked 2026-09-29
4. mpsy-r7-07 · agency rule
   we are establishing a DRV for added sugars for children and adults 4 years of age and older of no more than 10 percent of total calories, or 50 grams using a 2,000 calorie intake reference amount based on food pattern modeling.
   FDA, Food Labeling: Revision of the Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels, final rule, FR Doc. 2016-11867, 2016 · checked 2026-09-29
5. mpsy-r7-05 · RCT
   Eighty-four premenopausal women were randomly divided into 3 groups: a control group without diet restriction (Normal-C), a pair-fed placebo diet group (Positive-C), and a lemon detox diet group (Lemon-D). ... Changes in body weight, body mass index, percentage body fat, and waist-hip ratio were significantly greater in the Lemon-D and Positive-C groups compared to the Normal-C group. ... Therefore, we suppose that the lemon detox program reduces body fat and insulin resistance through caloric restriction and might have a potential beneficial effect on risk factors for cardiovascular disease related to circulating hs-CRP reduction without hematological changes.
   Nutr Res, 2015 · checked 2026-09-29
6. mpsy-r7-06 · agency rule
   However, products such as maple syrups or honey are included in the ``empty calories'' or ``calories for other uses'' category in the USDA Food Patterns. Therefore, we decline to exclude sugars from honey and maple syrup from the added sugars definition.
   FDA, Food Labeling: Revision of the Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels, final rule, FR Doc. 2016-11867, 2016 · checked 2026-09-29
7. mpsy-r7-08 · cross-sectional study
   Added sugar ingredients were found in 61 % of the sample of foods examined and non-nutritive sweetener ingredients were found in 69 %. Only 31 % of foods contained no added sugar or non-nutritive sweetener. Sugar (as an ingredient), glucose syrup, maple syrup, maltodextrin and glucose/dextrose were the most common sugar ingredient types identified.
   Public Health Nutr, 2017 · checked 2026-09-29
8. mpsy-r7-02 · composition dataset
   Syrup, maple, Canadian, fdc_id 170276, SR Legacy, per 100 g: Energy 270.0 kcal; Carbohydrate, by difference 67.38 g; Sucrose 58.93 g; Zinc, Zn 0.7 mg; Manganese, Mn 2.3 mg; Calcium, Ca 109.0 mg; Riboflavin 1.27 mg
   USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy, FDC 170276, 2019 · checked 2026-09-29