Is agave syrup healthy?

Agave nectar, which is often referred to as agave syrup. It’s found in various health foods and marketed as a natural, diabetic-friendly sweetener that doesn’t spike your blood sugar levels.

Agave is a desert plant harvested to make tequila and sweet syrup. It was traditionally believed to have healing properties.

The agave sweetener sold today is made by treating agave sugars with heat and enzymes, which destroys all of its potentially beneficial health effects. The end product is a highly refined, unhealthy syrup.

“While this sap is high in sugar, it also contains healthy fiber like fructans, which are linked to beneficial effects on metabolism and insulin However, when processed into a syrup, the fructans are extracted and broken down into fructose by exposing the sap to heat and/or enzymes.

This process — which is similar to how other unhealthy sweeteners like high fructose corn syrup are made — destroys all of the health-promoting properties of the agave plant.”

Studies show that regular fructose intake is associated with a higher risk of fatty liver disease and insulin resistance, which can impair blood sugar control in the long run. Fructose intake may also increase LDL (bad) cholesterol and triglyceride levels, which are major risk factors for heart disease.

In summary agave plant does have health properties but during the processing and heating all of those healing properties are removed and it turns into a toxic substance not beneficial to health. Probably the only true health claim is the glycemic index on it for sugar consumption but there are much better alternatives than something toxic even if it is a low sugar substitute.

You will see agave nectar in stores and labeled as a health food. It is best to avoid and not use it!

Research sources:

https://www.ajol.info/index.php/ajb/article/view/98718

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17711612/

https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jf902855q

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6024554/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4642413/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12399260/