Tequila: Your New Sugar Substitute?

by Ramona Emerson

Unless your doctor got her degree from Hollywood Upstairs Medical College, this isn't going to have her writing you a prescription for Jose Cuervo, but here goes: A new study shows that agavins, sugars found in the agave plant from which tequila is made, may actually help people lose weight.

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In the study, when Mexican researchers fed mice their regular diet but added agavins to their water (don't worry, no animals had fun in the making of this experiment), the mice had lower blood-sugar levels and ate less overall. The effects were stronger than with the artificial sweetener aspartame or with sucrose. Because of their long, chainlike molecular structure, agavins can't be digested by the body, which is why they don't raise blood sugar or pack on the pounds.

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There isn't an easily accessible form of agavins on the market yet, but I predict some clever sweetener manufacturer will take advantage of this effect and produce something soon. In the meantime, agave syrup doesn't qualify. Yes, it does contain agavins, but in the syrup, those long, nondigestible chains are broken down, so the body treats them just like regular sugar. And what about chugging tequila? That won't help either. The agave in your favorite spring-break beverage is converted to ethanol during fermentation, so there are actually no agavins in tequila. Which is too bad, considering how marketable a margarita cleanse would be.

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