Even though antibiotics help doctors save thousands of lives every day they sometimes cause problems because these pills can be too strong and they can also kill healthy cells. Now, a new study shows that maple syrup might be used for something more than pancakes, the delicious nectar enhancing the power of antibiotics.
Exaggerated Antibiotic Use Leads to the Appearance of Superbugs
The biggest issue with antibiotics is that, when they are taken for a long time, the bacteria they target mutates and gives birth to drug-resistant superbugs. Luckily, new research conducted by scientists at McGill University shows that maple syrup extract can be used to enhance the power of antibiotics.
By using antibiotics to improve the range of common antibiotics, doctors will be able to stave off infections better, eliminating the emergence of superbugs – who are harder to kill and more deadly. The new study is a great first step towards cutting down the dosage of antibiotics, a concerningly rising problem in the world.
“Native populations in Canada have long used maple syrup to fight infections. I’ve always been interested in the science behind these folk medicines,” mentioned the leader of the study, Dr. Nathalie Tufenkji
The leader of the study also stated that in her previous work she found that cranberries have anti-cancer properties. Moreover, the red fruits are a well-known effective treatment against urinary tract infections. Knowing that most treatments are derived from natural solutions, Tufenkji decided to look into the healing powers of maple syrup.
In order to conduct the study, the researchers separated the syrup from water and sugar. The extract of maple syrup was then exposed to several bacterial strains. At first, there were no changes. When they added antibiotics they observed that the antibiotics were stronger when combined with the maple syrup extract.
This study worked with different antibiotics and bacterial strains. The researchers observed that bacteria like Pseudomonas Aeruginosa and E.coli were destroyed by the mixture of maple syrup extract and antibiotics. Researchers plan to use the mixture of maple syrup extract and antibiotics on mice in order to test its effectiveness. If the mixture is as effective as previously demonstrated, researchers are going to make a human trail.
The mixture of maple syrup extract and antibiotic might even be released commercially. This means that people would need to take fewer antibiotics when they suffer from a bacterial infection. It is also going to prevent superbugs from appearing.
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