A Key Tequila Ingredient Could Help You Lose Weight and Fight Diabetes, Says Awesome New Study

¡Salud!

Here’s some booze news you can use: Apparently a sweetener derived from the base ingredient in tequila could help you shed pounds and help control blood sugar in diabetics. 

Yes a new study found that naturally occurring sugars in the agave plant, called agavins, are linked to weight loss and can help lower blood sugar. 

The Daily Mail has further details: 

This could mean a new sweetener could be created that could benefit obese people and 28 million Americans who suffer from type 2 diabetes.

Agavins are non-digestible which means they act as a dietary fiber and won’t raise your blood sugar.

Furthermore, agavins can help people feel fuller and therefore cause them to eat less, according to research presented at a meeting of the American Chemical Society in Dallas.

Dr. Mercedes G. Lopez, who carried out the research, is optimistic about the potential of agavins to be used as an alternative to sugar. 

“We believe that agavins have a great potential as light sweeteners since they are sugars, highly soluble, have a low glycemic index, and a neutral taste, but most important, they are not metabolized by humans,” she said. “This puts agavins in a tremendous position for their consumption by obese and diabetic people.”

Experiments tested the glucose levels and weight changes in mice, and the results were promising. 

The mice who were given agavins ate less, lost weight and their blood glucose levels decreased in comparison with other sweeteners such as glucose, fructose, sucrose, agave syrup and aspartame.

Dr López explained that agavins, like other fructans, are the best sugars to help support growth of healthy microbes in the mouth and intestines.

While no other study has reached this conclusion, López also said that “the dangers of drinking lots of alcohol with diabetes remain the same.” 

“This study should in no way encourage you to drink bottles and bottles of tequila,” she said, because the fermentation process removes all agavins from tequila as the sugars are converted into alcohol ethanol. “In the meantime, we have a new low-carb option when we visit the bar.” 

Say no more!