Agave
May Fight Osteoporosis and Other Diseases
Foods
spiked with "fructans" from the agave plant
may help protect against osteoporosis by boosting
the body's absorption of calcium and could have other
health benefits, scientists said.
24 Mar 2010 --- The plant that gave the world tequila
contains a substance that seems ideal for use in a
new genre of processed foods -- so-called "functional
foods" -- with health benefits over and above
serving as a source of nutrients, scientists reported
at the 239th National Meeting of the American Chemical
Society (ACS). Foods spiked with "fructans"
from the agave plant may help protect against osteoporosis
by boosting the body's absorption of calcium and could
have other health benefits, they said.
"Fructans
are considered functional food ingredients because
they affect body processes in ways that result in
better health and reduction in the risk of many diseases,"
said Mercedes López, Ph.D., who delivered the
report. She is with the National Polytechnic Institute,
Guanajuato, Mexico. "Experimental studies suggest
that fructans may be beneficial in diabetes, obesity,
stimulating the immune system of the body, decreasing
levels of disease-causing bacteria in the intestine,
relieving constipation, and reducing the risk of colon
cancer."
Fructans
are non-digestible carbohydrates. They consist of
molecules of fructose -- the sugar found in honey,
grapes, and ripe fruits -- linked together into chains.
Rich natural sources include artichokes, Jerusalem
artichokes, garlic and onions, and chicory. Fructans
do not occur in tequila, however, because they change
into alcohol when agave is used to make tequila, López
said.
So-called
"inulin-type" fructans from chicory find
wide use in the United States and other countries
in ice cream, breakfast cereals, baked goods, sauces,
beverages, and other foods. Small fructans have a
sweet taste, while those formed from longer chains
of fructose have a neutral taste and give foods a
smooth, pleasant texture. Scientific studies have
suggested that fructans stimulate the growth of healthful
bacteria in the large intestine in a way that increases
the body's absorption of minerals, including the calcium
and magnesium important for bone growth.
In the
new study, López and colleagues set out to
determine what effects agave fructans actually have
on bone growth. They tested the effects of agave fructans
on laboratory mice, used as stand-ins for humans in
such research. Mice fed agave fructans absorbed more
calcium from food, excreted less calcium in their
feces, and showed a 50 percent increase in levels
of a protein associated with the build-up of new bone
tissue.
"These
results suggest that the supplementation of the standard
diet with agave fructans prevented bone loss and improved
bone formation, indicating the important role of agave
fructans on the maintenance of healthy bone,"
López said. "They can be used in many
products for children and infants to help prevent
various diseases, and can even be used in ice cream
as a sugar substitute."
López
said her findings suggest that agave fructans could
be used in all of the same foods as chicory fructans.
One advantage: Agave grows abundantly in Mexico and
other countries with climates that do not favor growth
of chicory. In addition, the scientists cited hints
from past research that agave fructans may have greater
health benefits. Agave fructans, for instance, seem
to stimulate production of greater amounts incretins
than the inulin-type fructans from chicory. Incretins
are a group of gastrointestinal hormones that increase
in the amount of insulin released by the pancreas.
That could be beneficial for individuals with diabetes
or high blood sugar levels who are at risk of diabetes,
López said. One incretin stimulated by agave
fructans is a good satiety enhancer, which would make
people feel full on less food.
"We
still have a long way to go to determine for which
health benefits agave fructans perform better than
chicory fructans," López said. "However,
the early results are encouraging, and we are working
on it."
 |
 |
 |
 |
24oz net wt. Agave Nectar
(more agave than competitors)
$6.50
 |
3 Pack Agave Nectar
(24 oz each)
$17.49
|
1 Gallon Bottle Agave Nectar
Free Shipping
$49.95
|
5 Gallon Blue Agave Nectar
Free Shipping
$179.95
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
12 (24oz) Bottles Agave Nectar
Free Shipping
$69.95
|
24 (24oz) Bottles Agave Nectar
Free Shipping
$119.95
|
4 Gallons Agave Nectar
Free Shipping
$159.95
|
900 Squeezable Agave Packets
Free Shipping
$179.95
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
PC
Download
$9.95
|
Mac
Download
$9.95
|
|
120 Squeezable Agave Packets
$34.95
|
15 ml Gallon Pump
$6.95
|
|
 |
 |
 |
10 Cook'n with Agave
$74.95
|
Bulk Agave Nectar
Click for best price
 |
Bulk Agave Nectar
Click for best price
|
|
|
