Post Time: 2025-02-18
Error: No content files found. Agave nectar is claimed to be natural, and marketed as a diabetic-friendly sweetener that doesn’t spike blood sugar levels.But if we look at what it really contains, it could actually be even worse than plain sugar. The Agave plant grows natively in the southern U.S, Central and South America. Agave nectar is extracted from the agave plant, but the end product would be more accurately labelled as Agave syrup. When processed into the syrup, the healthy fructans in agave are turned into a sugar called fructose, destroying any health properties of the plant. So the agave nectar we buy is NOT truly “nectar” – it's a refined, concentrated syrup MADE from Agave nectar. But the misleading name is just the start. The big problem with Agave nectar is that it is unnaturally high in fructose. Regular sugar and high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) are about half glucose and half fructose, which are sugar molecules. Agave nectar is a whopping 85% fructose, which can wreak havoc on metabolic health in the context of a typical Western diet. Whereas every cell in the human body can metabolize glucose, the liver is the only organ that can metabolize fructose in click this over here now large amounts. STUDY: Consuming unnaturally large quantities of fructose can overload the liver, which starts over here turning the fructose into fat. This can cause loads of problems including an increase in small, dense LDL particles, triglyceride levels, and causes belly fat to accumulate. Now it's true that fructose doesn’t raise blood sugar levels nearly as much as glucose in the short-term. But that doesn't make agave nectar diabetic friendly. Fructose intake - especially in the form of a syrup - can contribute to weight gain and insulin resistance when consumed in look these up large amounts. This can cause major increases in long-term blood sugar and insulin levels, strongly raising the risk of metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes. Keep in mind that none of this applies to fructose in whole fruit, which are loaded with fiber. We're well equipped to handle the small amounts of fructose in fruit. So as you can see, if you must add some extra sweetness to your diet, agave nectar is absolutely NOT the way to do it. There are several natural sweeteners out there that are much healthier… including stevia, erythritol and xylitol. Further reading with much more references: Follow Authority Nutrition: Facebook: Twitter: Google Plus: Pinterest: ---- Don't forget to subscribe on YouTube here: Study mentioned in video: