HERE is an article about the reality of purportedly healthy sweetener, Agave.
Basically, agave syrup/nectar is high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) with an extremely effective marketing campaign. Much like HFCS, it comes from a natural source (the agave plant, as HFCS originates from corn), but like HFCS, it is processed into a syrup, where the fructose concentration reaches super unhealthy levels. Even the "raw" agave is awful for you! Don't buy the hype!
As an Agave convert who was using it for all my sweetening needs, I was reluctant to believe that this delicious sugar substitute was not only unhealthy, but horrendously bad for me. "It's low on the glycemic index", I told myself, "and it's from a natural source, so how can it be bad for me?" Well, I finally sat down and did some research and, after learning how fructose is broken down in the body, it became very clear that agave syrup should be avoided at all costs.
As piece of mind for all of you out there trying to make sense of the conflicting Agave messages, here is the basic science behind WHY agave is awful for you:
1) Fructose, a monosaccharide (aka simple sugar, mono meaning "one"), is the most unhealthy sugar you can eat UNLESS it is bound to fiber and nutrients, like in fruit, or bonded with glucose (another simple sugar) in which case the bonded glucose and fructose make sucrose, a disaccharide (aka a more complex sugar, di meaning "two"). You can read more about studies that have shown a correlation between increased fructose in diets and inflammation throughout the body here . (So remember: fructose + glucose = sucrose)
2) PROPORTIONS:
-Table sugar is 50%/50% fructose/glucose, and because of the equal proportions, many of the sugars are bound together, creating sucrose (the disaccharide mentioned above).
-HFCS is 55%/45% fructose/glucose. Not a huge difference in proportion, but the slight increase in fructose destroys the balance of fructose to glucose, so almost NONE of the resulting HFCS has bonded sucrose, therefore your body receives a HUGE surge of fructose all at once, rather than having to take the time to digest and break apart the sucrose into glucose and fructose.
-Agave Syrup is 70-90%/30-10% fructose/glucose!!!! With just a 5% difference, there are HUGE negative effects on the body, so just IMAGINE how awful it is for your body to process almost PURE fructose! Due to the proportions, NONE of the sugar in agave is bonded to create sucrose, so your body doesn't slow down the processing by breaking down sugars, it instead has to process a massive load of sugar all at once.
3) While the breakdown of glucose relies on insulin and can take part in almost every cell in the body, Fructose can ONLY be broken down in the liver. Since fructose isn't primarily broken down by insulin, it does not cause an insulin spike, therefore explaining why it is low on the glycemic index. This may make you think, "oh good! no insulin spike, no fat storage", but this is WRONG! Fat metabolism is reliant upon the LIVER, so overburdening the liver with the processing of fructose impairs fat metabolism, making it more likely that calories from fructose will be stored on the body as fat.
4) The liver has difficulty breaking down fructose. When fructose is digested with fibers/nurtrients in fruit, digestion is slowed, preventing the liver from having to process too much fructose at once, therefore preventing the liver from being overwhelmed so it can continue with all of the other processes it is taking care of simultaneously (like fat metabolism and toxin removal). When the liver is given a surge of fructose to process all at once, like with Agave and HFCS, it stops everything it is doing to focus solely on processing the fructose (think of people rowing a boat when suddenly that boat is flooded with water. The rowers stop rowing so they can bail water from the boat in order to keep it afloat. When they are out from underwater, they start rowing again). This leads to impaired liver functioning, toxin build up, and poor fat metabolism. It also causes damage to the liver (in some cases of people frequently eating HFCS/Agave: early signs of cirrosis)
5) When fructose is broken down, the following nasty byproducts are created:
-Triglycerides (which damage the cardiovascular system and increase risk of heart attack and stroke). The triglycerides and stress on the liver also lead to FATTY LIVER, which can lead to liver failure and death.
-Excess uric acid, which is the cause of gout
Not all sugars are created equal, and free fructose (unbound) is the absolute worst for you. Agave is up to 90% free fructose! Despite the low glycemic index, Agave is still absolutely AWFUL for you! Don't buy the hype, listen to the science.
*****Want more proof of the negative effects of fructose? Watch SUPERSIZE ME (if you've already seen it, go back and watch it again). All of the doctors predicted that the high fat content of his McDonald's-tastic diet would impact his cholesterol levels and harm his cardiovascular system. What they DIDN'T predict was the effect on his LIVER, that (when you look into the science behind the breakdown of fructose and compare it to the fructose content of McDonald's foods) was primarily caused by his intake of HFCS. Look at the increase in his triglyceride levels, URIC ACID levels, Amylase and Lipase levels (liver enzymes). All of these are increased when free fructose, like in agave, intake is increased
Want an Agave substitute? Maple syrup is the best and recent research has shown that it may even have anti-cancer properties! So ditch the cactus and sweeten with trees!
Here's to healthy eating :)
