St. Albans, VT (March, 2021)— Maple water has long been known for its hydrating and antioxidant benefits, but David Bellar, Ph.D. FACSM, FNSCA and his team have found that it helped athletes boost their aerobic performance. This finding inspired him to do further research on how maple water effected overall health.  The results showed that maple water decreased oxidative stress and is beneficial for overall health and wellbeing.

Maple water is a clear liquid that flows from maple trees in the early spring. Also known as sap, maple water goes through a natural process that infuses it with nutrients from the ground. This nutrient-rich water is stored in the trees all winter and provides hydration and nourishment that enables trees’ growth and rejuvenation in the spring season.

Known as nature’s sports drink, people have been drinking maple water for hundreds of years directly from the tree. With no added sugar and ½ of the calories of coconut water, Drink Simple has bottled this delicious natural hydration for people to drink year-round.

Studies have been conducted on maple water showing the wide range of 46 phytonutrients along with anti-aging effects and hangover mitigation, but this is the first study to show exercise performance and recovery improvement.

In the first study, Dr. David Bellar and his team examined the effects of Maple Water on exercise and health. Subjects drank maple water or a placebo before an exercise test to determine maximum aerobic exercise capacity.  When the subjects drank maple water, they achieved a higher aerobic capacity, and had lower levels of inflammatory markers.  Overall, this suggests a positive effect of maple water on exercise performance and recovery.  

“As an endurance athlete, I have the felt superior hydration effects and felt performance gain and recovery effects of maple water. It is exciting to see that the research backed up what I have anecdotally experienced for some time. “ – Kate Weiler, Co-Founder of Drink Simple.

Dr. Bellar and his team did an additional study to see what happened if maple water was the primary source of fluids in the diet over the course of four weeks.  Subjects had significantly lower levels of oxidative stress at the conclusion of the study.  Oxidative stress is associated with the aging process and cancer. Additionally, subjects who were pre-diabetic had improved fasting glucose.  Finally, for all subjects there was in improvement in reported quality of life.  The overall findings suggest a positive role for Maple Water in promoting human health and wellbeing. 

“The research has shown that maple water has the ability to enhance exercise and also promote health.  Not only did we find that it improved physical health, but when people regularly consumed the beverage, they reported feeling better about life in general” -Dr. David Bellar Ph.D. FACSM, FNSCA

About Dr. David Bellar

  Dr. David Bellar has a Ph.D. in Exercise Physiology and has extensively studied the impact of exercise, nutrition and behavior on human health.

About Drink Simple

Drink Simple is a New England based beverage company that harnesses the natural power of trees to create plant-powered, delicious maple water that is enhanced with natural biological benefits and imbued from some magic from Mother Nature. In a world where so many products are full of artificial ingredients, Drink Simple is proud to tap refreshment directly from nature to help people thrive naturally.