Maple Water’s Mineral Powerhouse: Manganese
Maple water has tons of benefits — just read the bottle.
Many sound impressive, but what do they really mean?
One major claim to fame is that maple water provides more manganese than a cup of kale!
But wait… what is manganese and why is it important?
We’ll break down this amazing mineral so you know why you should be making a point to get enough manganese into your body.
WHAT IS MANGANESE?
Manganese (not magnesium!) is a trace element that is naturally found in certain foods (like Drink Simple maple water! And kale, as we mentioned before).
Other foods that naturally contain manganese are nuts, seeds, whole grains, and leafy green vegetables. Manganese is considered an essential nutrient, because your body cannot make it naturally and has to get it through food, drink, or supplements.
WHAT DOES MANGANESE DO?
This super mineral plays a huge role in your health; adequate manganese intake helps:
- Support Bone Health in Combination With Calcium, Zinc, and Copper
Bone health is an important focus throughout life. Many of us know that calcium helps keep bones and your pearly-white teeth healthy and strong, but other nutrients like manganese may play a positive role as well.
Getting in enough manganese can help you avoid the side effects of weak bones, like- fractures. Trust us when we say you want to take care of your bones before it’s too late.
- Act As An Antioxidant and May Reduce Risk Of Developing Heart Disease
“Antioxidant” is a fancy word that gets thrown around a lot on food labels and health clams... and for good reason.
Antioxidants are awesome!
They are natural substances that protect the body from oxidative damage caused by factors like smoking, eating processed foods, being exposed to environmental pollution, or many other factors.
Eating more antioxidants protects the body from oxidative damage; think of them as little oxidative damage warriors.
We often hear about the importance of antioxidants found in berries, but did you know that manganese is also considered an antioxidant in your body?
Therefore, it helps combat oxidative damage that could potentially cause damage to certain tissues in your body.
Data also suggests that the specific antioxidant properties that manganese offers may play a role in heart disease risk reduction.
So if you have a family history of heart disease, getting in enough manganese from sources like maple water could help support your heart health.
- Support Reduction of Inflammation
Anti-inflammatory foods are having their moment in the spotlight, and we are 100% ok with that!
Inflammation can result in unwanted health outcomes, so it’s important to eat anti-inflammatory foods.
The antioxidant properties of manganese also plays a role in combating inflammation.
Combining manganese with glucosamine and chondroitin (structural parts of your cartilage) can reduce osteoarthritis pain caused by the wearing down of cartilage in the joints.
Therefore, if you have ever experienced joint pain due to an injury, long-term sports, or physical activity, this may provide you with some relief.
- Regulate Blood Sugar
Managing blood sugar is important for everyone, but it is especially key for those with a diagnosis of diabetes or insulin resistance.
According to data, manganese deficiency may result in glucose intolerance. Data also suggests that people with a diagnosis of diabetes have lower manganese levels.
Manganese helps create insulin, which is the hormone that helps your body use sugar and carbohydrates as fuel. If insulin is not available, it may result in above average blood sugar.
Keeping your blood sugar within a healthy range can make you feel less fatigued and weak, allowing you to have more energy to do the activities that you love.
Of course, you don’t want to guzzle super-sugary drinks if you are trying to manage your blood sugar. If you need something sweet, Drink Simple maple water has about half of the sugar of coconut water and supplies the body with sugar-managing manganese.
Drinking maple water is a simple way to make sure you are getting manganese into your diet to support your health without touching a piece of kale — one 12-ounce bottle of Drink Simple maple water provides 40% of an average person’s daily requirements of manganese.
For a simple way to sneak in some manganese, try this Mint Chocolate Chia Pudding recipe for your next breakfast.
Special thanks to Sydney Smith, Dietetic Intern at the Medical University of South Carolina for her assistance with this article.
Written by Lauren Manaker MS, RDN, LD, CLEC.
Lauren is a nutritionist and executive committee member of the Women's Health DPG of Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, a recipient of Emerging Leader in Women's Health Award from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, and the author of Fueling Male Fertility. You can find her on Instagram at @LaurenManaker_rdn or on her website, Nutrition Now Counseling.
Edited by Nancy Chen.