Bye or Buy? Maple Water

In a market flooded with drinks that promise to improve hydration, health and exercise performance, one is emerging as a truly all-natural option: maple water. You can think of maple water as the North American answer to coconut water. It is the clear, nonsticky sap that flows from maple trees in the spring before it’s boiled down into maple syrup. Each sip has subtle flavor notes that speak to its origins.

The primary nutrient in maple water appears to be manganese, a mineral that is necessary for the proper functioning of enzymes that are involved in numerous biological processes in the body, including those associated with metabolism and bone-building.

But you should know that manganese is one of the easiest nutrients to obtain in the diet, so guzzling back expensive maple water won’t likely alleviate any deficiencies. There may also be some phytonutrients in the drink, but it’s not known if levels are high enough to have health benefits.

A recent study in the Journal of Food and Nutrition Research suggests that drinking maple water can have an ergogenic effect by helping athletes increase their oxygen consumption rate during activity and reducing inflammation postexercise, which could expedite recovery. Note that it’s yet to be determined if this has any meaningful benefit to overall performance or if maple water performs better than the slew of other drinks out there targeted towards athletes. One can appreciate that the majority of products for sale are free of any added sugars or artificial sweeteners—each cup serving has about 10 grams of naturally occurring sugars.

The verdict: Sure, maple water can be an enjoyable way to stay hydrated. But it costs a lot more than what flows out of your tap, and so far the sales pitch is outpacing the science on its benefits. So it’s fine if you prefer to stick with using maple syrup on your Sunday pancakes and take a pass on drinking agua tapped from trees.

See also: Alkaline Water: Buy or Bye?