Disclaimer: The findings discussed are lab based and further studies need to be done.

Consider adding high-quality maple products to your shopping list. These products contain maplexins, which are a family of molecules containing antioxidant compounds from the red maple tree.

At the University of Rhode Island, researchers studied how molecules within maple bark could help manage Type 2 Diabetes and found that a compound, called an a-glucosidase inhibitor, extracted from maple bark prevented large sugars and carbohydrates from breaking down.

Moreover, they found that the maple bark products were more effective than Acarbose, a prescription drug used for diabetes management that also inhibits a-glucosidase.