Is Agave better than sugar?

Did you know that High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) makes you fatter than other sweeteners? No surprise that any sweeteners cause you to gain weight but the latest research at Princeton University confirmed what we suspected all along.

But long before that study was published, people who questioned HFCS’s health benefit, have been flocking to the natural foods aisles at the grocery store to grab Agave nectar as their alternative sweeteners.

But how healthy is agave, really? Is it safe? How does something that tastes that good and that sweet be good for you? I always wondered that. So, I did some digging. It turns out, it is NOT good for you. Surprise! In some cases, Agave is nothing but glorified fructose syrup because some Agave nectar contain between 55% to 90% fructose - that’s higher than the amount of fructose in HFCS!!

What is Agave?

Agaves grow primarily in Mexico, South America, the southern and western United States. Agaves are succulents of the yucca family, more closely related to amaryllis and other lilies. Edible parts of the agave are the flowers, leaves, stalks and the sap. Agave looks like a giant Aloe Vera plant and has a bluish hue. A mature agave can grow to be 7 to 12 feet in diameter with leaves that are 5 to 8 feet tall and there are over 100 species in a wide variety of sizes and colors.

In spite of manufacturer's claims that their agave nectar is straight from the sap of the plant, most agave "nectar" is not made from the sap of the yucca or agave plant but from its pineapple-like root bulb. The root has a complex carbohydrate called inulin, which is made up of fructose molecules. The process which many agave producers use to convert this inulin into "nectar" is very similar to the process by which cornstarch is converted into HFCS.

Though processing methods can differ among manufacturers, most commercially available agave is converted into fructose-rich syrup using genetically modified enzymes and a chemically intensive process involving caustic acids, clarifiers, and filtration chemicals. Here is a partial list of the chemicals many producers use:

• Activated charcoal
• Cationic and ionic resins
• Sulfuric and/or hydrofluoric acid
• Dicalite
• Clarimex
• Inulin enzymes

These chemicals don’t look natural to me. Do they to you? But most agave nectars are marketed as being “100% Natural”, “raw” and from “Agave’s sap.” They also state how agave has been used as natural sweetener for thousands of years in Mexico. That might have been true but not as this bottled nectar form that has high amounts of fructose.

In a confidential FDA letter, Dr. Martin Stutsman of the Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Labeling Enforcement, explains the FDA’s food labeling laws related to agave nectar: “Corn syrup treated with enzymes to enhance the fructose levels is to be labeled ‘High Fructose Corn Syrup.’” According to Mr. Stutsman, agave requires the label “hydrolyzed inulin syrup.” Even though, like corn, agave is a starch and fiber food processed with enzymes, it does not require the label “High Fructose Agave Syrup.” Agave “nectar” is a misnomer; at the very least, it should be labeled “agave syrup.” (westonaprice.org)

But do you think Agave would sell if it was labeled “High Fructose Agave Syrup”? I think not.

Saponin Problem:

Another problem I see with agave is that  chemical called saponins are found in many varieties of agave plants. The saponins are toxic steroid derivatives, capable of disrupting red blood cells, producing diarrhea and vomiting, and they might cause or contribute to miscarriage by stimulating blood flow to the uterus. At the very least, agave products should carry a warning label indicating that the product may cause a miscarriage.

Low Glycemic Index?

While high fructose agave syrup may or may not spike your blood glucose levels because it has low glycemic index, the fructose in it may cause mineral depletion, liver inflammation, hardening of the arteries, insulin resistance leading to diabetes, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease and obesity. Agave's fructose content can range from 55% up to 90%, depending on the processing method used. Agave nectar with 55% fructose is about the same as high fructose corn syrup so there would be no benefit in agave at 55% fructose over sugar. Furthermore, Agave and sugar have approximately the same number of calories….about 16 per teaspoon. So, agave being low glycemic index food doesn't mean that it's good for diabetics.

So, now you know.

Some new sweeteners like agave syrup were introduced into the market to make a profit, not to make consumers healthy. Clever marketing has led many consumers to believe that agave syrup is a safe and a natural sweetener. Agave syrup labels do not conform to FDA labeling requirements, thus deepening the false illusion of an unprocessed product. If a sweetener contains manufactured fructose, through chemical process as in HFCS and agave, it is neither safe, nor natural…especially if fructose level is over 55%.

If you want something that's naturally sweet, the best bet is to have a piece of fruit, not a candy bar labeled as a “health food.” If you want to create something sweet, use sweeteners that are known to be safer, like locally produced raw honey or local organic maple syrup.

I know how you feel. You are wondering, "What will I use in my morning java?" I used to use agave nectar for my coffee in the morning myself since I stopped using all forms of sugar. Now I have to get used to the taste of honey in my coffee. It's an acquired taste but I guess it's better than ingesting all that chemicals from agave.

What do you put in your morning coffee?

Sources:
huffingtonpost.com
westonaprice.org