NCT04117802

Effects of Maple Syrup on Gut Microbiota Diversity and Metabolic Syndrome

Completed NA Last updated 15 April 2024

What this trial tests

NA trial testing Maple syrup in Overweight in 47 participants. Completed in 1 December 2021.

Timeline

3 September 2019

Primary endpoint
1 December 2021

1 December 2021

Quick facts

Lead sponsor	Laval University
Phase	NA
Status	Completed
Study type	INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation	randomized
Design	crossover
Masking	quadruple
Primary purpose	prevention
Enrollment	47
Start date	3 September 2019
Primary completion	1 December 2021
Estimated completion	1 December 2021
Sites	1 location across Canada

Drugs / interventions tested

• Maple syrup
• Placebo

Conditions studied

• Overweight — all drugs for Overweight →
• Microbiota — all drugs for Microbiota →
• Endotoxemia — all drugs for Endotoxemia →
• Metabolic Syndrome — all drugs for Metabolic Syndrome →

Sponsor

Laval University

Who can join

Adults 18 to 75, any sex, with Overweight or Microbiota. Patients with the condition only — healthy volunteers not accepted.

Sponsor's own description

It has been suggested that the actual obesity epidemy is related to chronic overconsumption of added or free sugars. The increasing popularity of artificial sweeteners attest the population willingness to reduce added sugars intake and to use alternatives to alleviate health impact of free sugar overconsumption. However, recent findings suggest that artificial sweeteners may rather contribute to obesity epidemy and its associated adverse health effects, potentially via a negative impact on gut microbiota. It has been shown in various studies that, for the same amount of sucrose, unrefined sugars (such as maple syrup) are associated with favorable metabolic effects. The polyphenols contained in maple syrup, especially lignans, could contribute to these positive effects. Indeed, the strong impact of those biomolecules on the modulation of gut microbiota and on gastro-intestinal and metabolic health has been demonstrated in several studies. It is therefore highly relevant to test the hypothesis that the substitution of refined sugar by an equivalent amount of maple syrup (5% of daily energy intake) result in a lesser metabolic deterioration, by the modulation of maple syrup on gut microbiota, than the one observed with refined sugar.

Publications & conference data

2 peer-reviewed publications reference this trial (live from Europe PMC):

1. Substituting Refined Sugars With Maple Syrup Decreases Key Cardiometabolic Risk Factors in Individuals With Mild Metabolic Alterations: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Controlled Crossover Trial.
   Morissette A, Agrinier AL, Gignac T, Ramadan L, et al · · 2024 · cited 2× · PMID 39163971 · DOI 10.1016/j.tjnut.2024.08.014
2. Roles of short-chain fatty acids in metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis.
   Zhang CY, Liu S, Sui YX, Yang M. · · 2025 · PMID 41368119 · DOI 10.4254/wjh.v17.i11.113756