Love sipping on a cool margarita? Turns out doing so could now have health benefits, according to a new study presented at the annual American Chemical Society (ACS) meeting in Dallas, TX.
The research, which was carried out by researchers in Mexico, says that agavins, sugars derived from the agave plant, helped prevent diet-induced obesity in laboratory mice, as well as lower their risk of type 2 diabetes.
Agave is an ingredient commonly used to sweeten alcoholic beverages, such as margaritas.
“We believe agavins have a great potential as a light sweetener,” says Mercedes G. Lopez, Ph.D. of the Centro de Investigacion y de Estudios Avanzados, Biotechnology and Biochemistry Irapuato in Mexico, who helped research the study. “They are sugars, highly soluble, with a low glycemic index and a neutral taste. This puts agavins in a tremendous position for their consumption by obese and diabetic people.”
The Research
Using a group of laboratory mice as their model, Mexican researchers first divided the mice into seven groups, with one serving as the control. This control group simply received a diet of plain water, whereas the other groups received a type of sweetener. The sweeteners included in this study consisted of aspartame, glucose, sucrose, fructose, agavins, and plain agave syrup.
Then researchers observed how this affected their daily eating habits–and something peculiar happened to those who consumed agavins.
“Mice that consumed agavins in their water reduced their food intake, lost weight, and showed a reduction in blood glucose levels,” says Lopez. “They were, most of the time, not different from the control.”
In turn, Lopez also points to previous research, which showed that agavins reduce something called glucagon-like peptide-1, or GLP-1–a hormone shown to slow stomach emptying, something that may inhibits a person’s appetite.
And when a person’s appetite is inhibited, that means they’re consuming fewer calories.
Plus, there’s the added bonus of lower blood glucose, something attributed to its ability to stay indigestible by the body.
“Unlike table sugar, agavins (not to be confused with agave, the sweetener from the same plant) are non-digestible, meaning the body doesn’t actually absorb them,” says Nicole McDermott, who writes for Refinery29. “As a result, the sugar substitute doesn’t raise blood glucose–great news considering the scary health consequences of having too much sugar in the blood (increased risk of diabetes, heart disease, and stroke, to name a few). “
Unfortunately, if you’re hoping to get your hands on this supposed super-sweetener, don’t hold your breath: Scientists have no plans to make this sweetener commercially available yet. And slurping down agave syrup won’t work either; it has extra calories that can contribute to a bigger waistline.
However, adding a weekly margarita drink to your daily diet couldn’t hurt–and its sour-sweet flavor may ward you off eating more calorie-rich foods, such as cake or pie.
Readers: What else do you do to keep hunger at bay?
Sources:
Agavins as Artificial Sweeteners? How This Ingredient Fights Obesity – Refinery29.com
Study: Ingredient in Margaritas May Stop Diet-Induced Obesity – MedPageToday.com
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