AGAVE THE WORST POISON FOR YOUR BODY
By David Reyes
Agave syrup – or nectar – is harvested from the plant of the same name, commonly used in place of honey or maple syrup in cooking. Tequila comes from the same plant – If we were to recommend one or the other, we’d definitely recommend tequila!
Because agave syrup, originally, comes from a plant, it’s easy to mistake it for a natural product. The reality is that it’s a highly processed substance which is low in glucose, but sky high in fructose. The sweetener you consume is extracted from agave nectar, which contains complex carbohydrates, and broken down into simple sugars. By the time it reaches you, the consumer, it’s nothing more than fructose and water, with no real nutritional value.
The end result is something alarmingly similar to high fructose corn syrup – the stuff which makes so many of the nation’s favorite things like soda, cereal and sauces, so sweet and bad for your health. Many manufacturers of agave strive to get the same level of fructose concentration as HFCS – 55 and 90 percent. Congratulations Agave – You just won the title for most disgusting, nastiest filthy ingredient for your body.
Health Risks of Agave Syrup
- Fructose first needs to be processed by the liver into glycogen – a source of energy. If you don’t burn this energy immediately, the fructose turns into triglycerides – fats in the blood associated with heart disease.
- Risk of Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD). Children are even getting this due to over consumption of soda and processed foods.
- Excess triglycerides increase insulin resistance, boosting insulin production to dangerously high levels and increasing the risk of developing diabetes.
- Fructose can cause tooth and bone demineralization by excreting essential minerals, especially iron, magnesium, zinc and calcium.
- Accelerated aging as a result of oxidative damage. Fructose is the single worst sugar for creating AGEs, or advanced glycated end products, which bond to the sugars in your blood and literally cause them to age faster.
