Pancake syrup is a type of sweetener that you drizzle on your pancakes. Pancake syrup is versatile enough that you can use it as a sweetener for other foods, foods like French toast, crumpets, oatmeal or even waffles. At other times, pancake syrup can also be used as an ingredient in dessert preparation, baking, the manufacture of candy, and even in the process of making beer.

Pancake syrup is very unhealthy for your body, not only because it will increase the chances that you gain weight from eating excessive amounts of it, but also because it is high in elements that cause harmful diseases and conditions in the human body. While pancake syrup is ubiquitous on the breakfast table of many American households, risks are involved with excessive consumption.

Potential Sodium Problems

Pancake syrup is noticeably high in the mineral sodium, or salt. For example, a serving of two ounces of pancake syrup already includes 230 milligrams of sodium. This amount in such a small serving of pancake syrup already accounts for 10 percent of your daily sodium value, so pancake syrup can have harmful effects on the body if consumed in excess. Excessive consumption of sodium can lead to unfavorable diseases and conditions like stroke, cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, heartburn, edema, osteoporosis, stomach cancer and ulcers (both gastric as well as duodenal). Despite all of this, every individual's biochemical diversity ensures that some people have a higher tolerance for sodium in their diets, while others do not.

Calories

Eating even small amounts of pancake syrup already will give you a sizable intake of calories. For example, a mere, two ounce serving will already equal 230 calories. It is interesting to point out that if you want to save about 150 calories, you should substitute butter for the aforementioned pancake syrup. Looked at in a different way of measurement, if you eat only one tablespoon of pancake syrup, you are already exposing your body to an intake of 47 calories. Consume too much pancake syrup, and you are setting yourself up for the need to exercise for a certain period of time to rid yourself of the excess energy intake in the calories.

Carbohydrate Concerns

Carbohydrates are what you call non-essential nutrients because the human body can get all of its required energy through elements like protein and fat. Some forms of carbohydrates are not absorbed easily by the human body and, as a result, do not contribute much to providing food energy. The intake of carbohydrates per one tablespoon serving of pancake syrup is quite high with more than 12 grams being present already. If you seek not to gain weight or at least to maintain your weight, limit your intake of carbohydrate-heavy foods like pancake syrup. Popular diets like the Atkins Diet do not allow pancake syrup precisely because of this problem with its carbohydrates.