What Are the Dangers of Agave Nectar?
Agave nectar rose to fame in the early 2000s, proclaimed by celebrities and fitness personalities to be the next big thing and a healthy alternative to sugar. This ancient plant byproduct has been used for thousands of years in recipes and was considered by the Mayans to be a gift from the gods. Yet honey-sweet agave nectar may not be as safe as promoted on TV. A 2009 press release by the Weston A. Price Foundation warns that agave nectar contains dangerously high levels of fructose, which can be hazardous to your health.
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High Levels of Fructose
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Agave nectar naturally contains even more synthetic fructose than dangerous high fructose corn syrup, and the body is unable to use this fructose isomer for energy. Instead, it is transformed into triglycerides--fat. The body accumulates this as body fat rather than absorbs it.
Health Dangers of Fructose
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According to food industry executive Russ Bianchi, the high levels of synthesized fructose put people at risk for obesity, heart disease, artery inflammation, high blood pressure and increased insulin resistance. Sally Fallon Morell and Rami Nagel, authors of "Agave Nectar: Worse Than We Thought," write that obese people who drank fructose sweetened drinks with a meal had blood triglyceride levels 200 times higher than equally obese people who drank glucose-sweetened drinks. In other words, fructose is very bad for you, and agave nectar is packed with it.
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Extra Danger for Pregnant Women
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Agave nectar not only contains high levels of fructose, but also saponins, steroid derivatives known to cause diarrhea and vomiting. They have also been known to cause miscarriages, making it vitally important that pregnant women stay away from agave nectar.
Bottom Line
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The bottom line is that agave nectar is not the miracle replacement for sugar and can do you more harm than good. Not only can it damage your health because of its high levels of fructose, there are few quality controls in Mexico to ensure that you're receiving a safe product. Agave nectar is highly concentrated sugar and will in no way make you healthier. Avoid the hype and stick to natural sweeteners like honey instead.
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