Demand for maple syrup rockets as detox diet fad hits Britain

Published on 16/08/2006 02:11

A DIET championed by the singer Beyoncé Knowles which involves slimmers drinking maple syrup for ten days at a time to lose a stone in weight has become the latest diet craze in the UK.

Health food shops have reported a huge increase in sales of Madal Bal Natural Tree Syrup over the summer after fashion magazines such as Elle reported on its popularity across Europe.

Knowles gave the maple syrup diet star billing when she said: "I lived on water, cayenne pepper and maple syrup for 14 days", referring to her regime to lose 22 pounds for her new film Dreamgirls.

The syrup, which costs 39.99 a litre, is made from a blend of maple and palm tree syrups. It is mixed with fresh lemon juice, spring water and a pinch of cayenne pepper and is taken in place of normal meals.

Al Overton, health and body care buyer for Planet Organic, said sales had increased significantly over the last four to six weeks following press reports.

Originally developed in the 1950s by Stanley Burroughs, a naturopath, for a patient with a stomach ulcer it has become highly popular as a "detox" diet, especially among yoga devotees.

Helen Briggs, centre manager of the Aditi Yoga Centre in Edinburgh, the only outlet for the product in Scotland, said: "It is certainly becoming highly popular.

All sorts of people are buying it."

Cuka Clarke, who runs Pure Natural Products in Lincolnshire, the sole UK distributor of the product, said the firm was selling "tremendous amounts" but cautioned that the syrup was not a diet such as the GI (glycaemic index) or Atkins trend. "It is certainly not a diet, it is a detox with weight loss as a side effect," she said.

British Dietetic Association spokeswoman Dr Frankie Phillips said the syrup was unlikely to provide the range of essential nutrients or protein required by the body.

"In principle, it's not a diet we would recommend," she said.