Sweet news for pancake lovers: New research shows pure maple syrup contains natural compounds that hold promise in the fight against Alzheimer's disease.

The findings, presented as part of a two-day symposium at the annual meeting of the American Chemical Society, are based on analysis of 24 studies exploring the beneficial effects of natural products on the prevention of neurodegenerative diseases, particularly Alzheimer's.

A group of international scientists that conducted the review found, for the first time, that real maple syrup is a healthful, functional food that shows promise in protecting brain cells against the kind of damage found in Alzheimer's patients.

One study, presented by Dr. Donald Weaver from the Krembil Research Institute of the University of Toronto, found that an extract of maple syrup may help prevent the clumping of two types of dementia-linked proteins found in brain cells -- beta amyloid and tau peptide. When cellular proteins clump together, they accumulate and form the plaque that is involved in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's and other brain diseases.

Other research presented at the symposium showed that a pure maple syrup extract prevented the tangling of beta amyloid proteins and offered protective effects to brain cells and may prolong the lifespans of those with Alzheimer's.

"Natural food products such as green tea, red wine, berries, curcumin, and pomegranates continue to be studied for their potential benefits in combatting Alzheimer's disease. And now, in preliminary laboratory-based Alzheimer's disease studies, phenolic-enriched extracts of maple syrup from Canada showed neuroprotective effects, similar to resveratrol, a compound found in red wine," said Dr. Navindra P. Seeram, the symposium's organizer.

These preliminary findings echo discoveries made over the past few years on syrup that comes directly from the sap of the maple tree, making it an all-natural product with unique health benefits.

According to the Alzheimer's Association, every 67 seconds, someone in the U.S. develops Alzheimer's, a condition that cannot be cured, prevented, or even slowed. It is the sixth leading cause of death in the U.S., afflicting 11 percent of the U.S. population over the age of 65.