6:11
- wellness
- May 15, 2019
Is yacon syrup the next big thing?
Yacon is a sweet vegetable grown in areas including Ecuador and Chile.
6:11
The syrup is also available in the raw. It comes from yacon, a sweet, root-like vegetable that grows in the shape of a potato.
The yacon plant is native to the Andes Mountains region of South America.
![\"PHOTO:](\"http://a.abcnews.com/images/GMA/yacon-gty-jpo-190514_hpEmbed_7x5_384.jpg\")
\"Good Morning America\" asked Cynthia Sass, RD, CSSD, a New York City and Los Angeles-based performance nutritionist, to get to the root of yacon syrup and answer our burning questions.
Here are her answers to our top five questions about yacon syrup, in her own words.
One benefit is that making the syrup from juice extracted from the [yacon] plant's roots doesn't require chemicals. The syrup provides soluble fibers, which have been shown to help feed beneficial bacteria in the gut tied to immunity, anti-inflammation, mood and possibly weight loss.
Also, because a portion of the syrup isn't digested, fewer calories are absorbed from the gut into the bloodstream. For this reason, it provides about a third of the calories as the same portion of sugar.
The fiber in yacon syrup has also been shown to reduce appetite-stimulating hormones. And it provides some antioxidants and potassium.
Whether it's a better alternative really depends on how your body reacts to it.
In one weight loss study, nearly 30% of the women dropped out because of the syrup's unpleasant side effects, which may include flatulence, diarrhea, nausea and digestive discomfort. People with IBS are likely more prone to these effects.
However, yacon syrup has been shown to help relieve constipation. It may also help reduce blood sugar, insulin resistance, and \"bad\" LDL cholesterol, but these outcomes haven't been well studied. In animal research it also increased the concentration of minerals in bones.
It should not contain any additional ingredients.
![\"PHOTO:](\"http://a.abcnews.com/images/GMA/syrup-2-gty-er-190513_hpEmbed_3x2_384.jpg\")
I have been asked about yacon syrup for years. It has long been a staple in health food stores.
It is probably [less well-known] because the research is very limited, and it hasn't been heavily promoted or marketed.
The potential digestive side effects are one big deterrent. However, I think it's worth a try.
If you do decide to use yacon syrup I would recommend limiting it to no more than two teaspoons daily. Also, don't introduce any other new foods, supplements, or ingredients at the same time so you can identify if the syrup itself is a trigger of digestive upset.
","canonicalUrl":"https://abcnews.com/GMA/Wellness/yacon-syrup-natural-sweetener-daphne-oz-obsessed/story?id=63009496","legacySlug":"/wellness/story/yacon-syrup-natural-sweetener-daphne-oz-obsessed-63009496","noIndexNoFollow":false},"publishTime":"08:00","publishDate":"05-15-2019","updatedTime":"12:00","updatedDate":"05-15-2019","socialImage":{"alt":"Yacon syrup is pictured in front of yacon roots in an undated stock photo.","credit":"STOCK PHOTO/Getty Images","ratio":"16x9","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/syrup-1-gty-er-190513_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg","width":992,"height":558},"datePublished":"5/15/2019 08:00:32 GMT","video":{"live":false,"id":63009496,"headline":"Is yacon syrup the next big thing?","mediaAssetTitle":"GMA_Yaco sweetener_190513","description":"Yacon is a sweet vegetable grown in areas including Ecuador and Chile.","duration":"6:11","posterImg":{"url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/default-img-undefined.png","width":608,"height":342},"video":{"feed":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2019/04/190424_gmaday_nutrition_trends_115_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8"},"playlist":["61325856","60622690","57122564"]},"relatedItems":[{"contentType":"story","date":"May 13, 2019","headline":"6 health screening tests millennials should know about","section":"wellness","slug":"/wellness/story/health-screening-tests-millennials-61325856","id":61325856,"image":{"alt":"6 health screening tests millennials should know about","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/Health/doctor-fat-shaming-gty-mt-170803_hpMain_3_4x3t_240.jpg","credit":"STOCK PHOTO/Getty Images","ratio":"1x1"}},{"contentType":"story","date":"January 28, 2019","headline":"Daphne Oz shares 3 recipes that are Whole30 and delicious","section":"food","slug":"/food/story/daphne-oz-shares-recipes-whole30-delicious-60622690","id":60622690,"image":{"alt":"Daphne Oz shares 3 recipes that are Whole30 and delicious","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/daphne-oz-file-02-gty-jef-190125_hpMain_4x3t_240.jpg","credit":"ABC via Getty Images","ratio":"1x1"}},{"contentType":"story","date":"August 14, 2018","headline":"Celery juice is the latest wellness trend: Is it one you should follow?","section":"wellness","slug":"/wellness/story/celery-juice-latest-wellness-trend-follow-57122564","id":57122564,"image":{"alt":"Celery juice is the latest wellness trend: Is it one you should follow?","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/Health/celery-juice-julianne-ht-thg-180809_hpMain_4x3t_240.jpg","credit":"JuicingJulianne/Instagram","ratio":"1x1"}}],"relatedContentSection":"news","schemaContent":{"name":"Is yacon syrup the next big thing?","description":"Yacon is a sweet vegetable grown in areas including Ecuador and Chile.","duration":"6:11","uploadDate":"05-15-2019","publication":"05-15-2019","images":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/default-img-undefined.png","url":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2019/04/190424_gmaday_nutrition_trends_115_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8","contentUrl":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2019/04/190424_gmaday_nutrition_trends_115_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8","link":"https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/wellness/story/yacon-syrup-natural-sweetener-daphne-oz-obsessed-63009496"}},"playlist":[{"id":"132998072","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132977374","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132977531","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132962364","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132958371","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132932494","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132927870","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132911868","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132911765","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132880952","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132873763","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132844494","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132840754","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132748964","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132636882","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132747869","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132738086","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132714218","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132701634","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132706335","contentType":"story","section":"news"}],"kvps":{"pgtyp":"article","lang":"en","sp":"goodmorningamerica","programmatic":"true","bundleId":"com.abcnews"}},"analytics":{"accountID":"wdgnewwdgnewgmaweb","ns":"gma","pageName":"gma:wellness:video","pageType":"video","globalSpecVersion":"v1.08","siteDifferentiator":"gma:site","tagID":"g_page01","userABCookie":"0","section":"wellness","title":"Is yacon syrup the next big thing?","pubTime":"04:00","pubDate":"05-15-2019","modTime":"08:00","modDate":"05-15-2019","taxonomyTags":"none","id":63009496,"editorialOtherSubjects":"","wordCount":"none","columns":"none","authors":"","authorsUnit":"none","authorsBureau":"none","subBrand":"Good Morning America","provider":"Good Morning America","videoName":"Is yacon syrup the next big thing?","mediaAssetTitle":"GMA_Yaco sweetener_190513","videoId":63009496,"mediaOnPage":"video","legacySlug":"/wellness/story/yacon-syrup-natural-sweetener-daphne-oz-obsessed-63009496"},"taboola":{}},"request":{"headers":{},"httpVersion":"1.1","method":"GET","url":"/video/63009496","vary":{"host":"www.goodmorningamerica.com","cached":true,"path":"/video/63009496","forwarded-proto":"https","device":"desktop","userab":"0"}},"viewport":{"width":1260,"height":0},"user":{}};