Maple syrup can fight bacteria
Maple syrup may be useful for more than just pancakes — it may actually help antibiotics fight bacteria, which could someday reduce the use of antibiotics, according to study leaders at McGill University in Montreal.
This is because maple syrup’s chemical compounds also help fight pathogens. Researchers combined phenolic-rich extract from maple syrup with antibiotics and tested it on clinical strains of bacteria. Partnering with antibiotics, the phenolic-rich maple syrup extract was found to be effective in destroying biofilms, a group of microorganisms in which cells stick to each other on a surface.
The study suggested that the combination of extract and antibiotics made it easier for the antibiotics to enter the bacteria’s cell membranes. It also repressed multiple drug-resistant genes that strengthen bacteria’s resistance to antibiotics.
“Most bacteria have the ability to transform themselves and mutate,” says Dr. Rami Taha, infectious disease specialist at Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville, Ill. “The more they’re exposed to antibiotics, the more resistant they can become in their community. That would make using antibiotics excessively a problem.”
But, it’s not as simple as consuming maple syrup along with pills.
“There is still more research and testing to be done, but the findings suggest a potentially simple and effective approach for reducing antibiotic usage,” said Nathalie Tufenkji, professor at McGill University, in a news release.
She suggested the maple syrup extract might be added into the capsules of antibiotics down the road.
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health enews staff is a group of experienced writers from our Advocate Health Care and Aurora Health Care sites, which also includes freelance or intern writers.
