'Tequila' Sweetener Far Worse than High Fructose Corn Syrup

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'Tequila' Sweetener Far Worse than High

Fructose Corn Syrup

 

 

 

Tue, 30 Mar 2010 12:59:17 -0700

 

 

 

Jan Slama <slamajama2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shocking! This

'Tequila'

Sweetener is Far Worse than High Fructose Corn Syrup

Posted by Dr.

Mercola

| March 30 2010 | 159,760

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Many people interested in staying healthy have switched

to agave as a safer "natural" sweetener. They want to avoid well

documented dangerous sweeteners like HFCS (high fructose corn syrup)

but are

unaware that agave is actually WORSE than HFCS.

So just what is

agave?

Blue agave is

an exotic plant

growing in the rich volcanic soil of Mexico under a hot tropical sun,

boasting

a stately flower stem that blooms only once in its lifetime. "Agave"

literally means "noble." It’s generally recognized as a

superstar of the herbal remedy world, claiming to offer relief for

indigestion,

bowel irregularity, and skin wounds.

Ferment it, and

you have Mexico’s

favorite

adult beverage -- tequila.

Just the name

"agave"

conjures up images of romantic tropical excursions and mysterious

shamanic

medicine.

These are the

mental images agave

"nectar" sellers want you to hold. They use agave’s royal

pedigree to cover the truth that what they’re selling you is a bottle

of

high-fructose syrup, so highly processed and refined that it bears NO

resemblance to the plant of its namesake.

What is the

"Real"

Truth about Agave?

If you knew the

truth about

what’s really in it, you’d be dumping it down the drain -- and that

would certainly be bad for sales.

Agave "nectar"

or agave

"syrup" is nothing more than a laboratory-generated super-condensed

fructose syrup, devoid of virtually all nutrient value, offering you

metabolic

misfortune.

Unfortunately,

masterful marketing

has resulted in the astronomical popularity of agave syrup among people

who

believe they are doing their health a favor by avoiding refined sugars

like

high fructose corn syrup, and dangerous artificial sweeteners.

And if you’re

diabetic,

you’ve been especially targeted and told this is simply the best thing

for you since locally grown organic lettuce, that it’s "diabetic

friendly," has a "low glycemic index" and doesn’t spike

your blood sugar.

While agave

syrup does have a

low-glycemic index, so does antifreeze -- that doesn’t mean it’s

good for you. Agave syrup has the highest fructose content of any

commercial

sweetener -- ranging from 70 to 97 percent, depending on the brand,

which is

FAR HIGHER than high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), which averages 55

percent.

This makes

agave actually WORSE than

HFCS.

It is important

to understand that

fructose does not increase insulin levels, which is not necessarily

good as

what it does do is radically increase insulin resistance, which is FAR

more

dangerous. You see, it’s okay for your insulin levels to rise, that is

normal. You just don’t want these insulin levels to remain elevated,

which is what insulin resistance causes.

That is why

fasting insulin is such

a powerful test, as it is a very powerful reflection of your insulin

resistance.

In addition to

insulin resistance,

your risk of liver damage increases, along with triglycerides and a

whole host

of other health problems, as discussed in this CBC News video about the newly discovered dangers of

high

fructose corn syrup. The study discussed in this news report is

about HFCS,

however, it's well worth remembering that agave contains MORE fructose

than

HFCS, and in all likelihood, it's the FRUCTOSE that is causing these

severe

liver problems.

How Agave is

Grown and

Produced Proves it is Unnatural

Agaves grow

primarily in Mexico,

but you can also find them in the

southern and western United States,

as

well as in South America. Agaves are

not

cacti, but 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.

A mature agave

is 7 to 12 feet in

diameter with leaves that are 5 to 8 feet tall -- an impressive plant

in stature,

to be sure. There are over 100 species of agave, in a wide variety of

sizes and

colors.

Although the

industry wants you to

believe that agave nectar runs straight from the plant and into your

jar,

nothing could not be farther from the truth.

In spite of

manufacturer’s

claims, agave "nectar" is not made from the sap of the yucca or agave

plant but from the starch of its pineapple-like root bulb.

The

root is comprised mainly of starch, similar to corn, and a complex

carbohydrate called inulin, which is made up of fructose molecules.

The process by

which agave starch

and inulin are converted into "nectar" is VERY similar to the process

by which cornstarch is converted into HFCS1.

The agave

starch is converted into

fructose-rich syrup using genetically modified enzymes and a chemically

intensive process involving caustic acids, clarifiers, and filtration

chemicals[ii].

Here

is a partial list of the chemicals involved:

·

Activated charcoal

·

Cationic and ionic resins

·

Sulfuric and/or hydrofluoric

acid

·

Dicalite

·

Clarimex

·

Inulin enzymes

·

Fructozyme

How natural

does this sound?

The result is

highly refined

fructose syrup, along with some remaining inulin.

Agave syrup

comes in two colors:

clear or light, and amber. What’s the difference?

Due to poor

quality control in

Mexican processing plants, some of the syrup gets burnt.

Hence, the darker

amber color. Of course, this poor quality control is marketed as an

"artisan" variation, like amber beer, when in fact it contains higher

levels of toxic impurities that arise from the sugar-heating process.

Impurities

aside, agave

"nectar" is neither safe nor natural with laboratory-generated

fructose levels of more

than 80 percent!

It is worth

mentioning that some websites

mention that a natural raw agave product does exist in Mexico,

made

from the actual sap of the agave, but availability is limited because

it is so

expensive to produce. By far, the vast majority of agave syrups offered

commercially are not this unprocessed raw agave from the sap.

Sales are Sweet

for Agave

Companies and Bad for You and Your Family

Growing

consumer resistance to HFCS

has been a hole-in-one for the agave industry. Need a healthy

alternative to

those evil HFS products?

Agave syrup to

the rescue!

In case you

doubt the influence of

marketing in setting trends and consumer buying habits, look at these

statistics:[iii]

·

New agave products more than

tripled in number

between 2003 and 2007, from 56 to 176. Agave syrup is now appearing in

products

such as energy bars, cereals and organic ice creams.

·

Revenues for the category "other

liquid

sweeteners," which includes agave, rose to more than $10.3 million in

2007, which was a 50 percent jump from 2006.

·

McCormick & Co., a major

food manufacturer,

placed agave syrup in its "top 10 flavors" list for 2009.

·

Two of Mexico’s

largest agave syrup manufacturers, Iidea and Nekutli, are sending

increasingly

large shipments of agave syrup to Germany,

Japan and New Zealand

due

to growing global popularity.

Agave is also

quickly crossing over

from the health food market to mainstream grocery chains, restaurants

and

taverns, and consumers (especially vegans and raw food enthusiasts) are

replacing their honey and maple syrup with bottles of agave after being

duped

into believing it’s a more healthful alternative.

The Myth of

Agave as a

"Healthy" Sugar Substitute

It’s important

for you and

your family’s health to remember that agave syrup is neither healthy

nor

natural.

As reported by

Dr. Ingrid Kohlstadt,

a fellow of the American College of Nutrition and an associate faculty

member

at Johns Hopkins School of Public Health:

"Agave is

almost all fructose,

a highly processed sugar with great marketing."

Agave syrup is

not low calorie -- it

has about 16 calories per teaspoon, the same as sucrose (table sugar).

The

glycemic index is immaterial, once you understand the full extent of

the risk

this product poses to your health.

The consumption

of high amounts of

sugar is what is inflating America’s

waistline, as well as escalating rates of diabetes, blood pressure and

heart

disease.

Although

overall sugar consumption

is definitely something to be concerned about, even more problematic is

one

type of sugar that wreaks extraordinary havoc on your body: FRUCTOSE.

And if you want

fructose, agave

products next to pure fructose, have the highest percentage of fructose

of any

sweeteners on the market, over 50 percent more fructose than high

fructose corn

syrup.

Why You Need to

Understand

Why Fructose is so Important

All sugars are

not created equal, in

spite of what you might have been told.

Glucose is the

form of energy your

cells were actually designed to run on. Every cell in your body, every

bacterium -- and in fact, nearly every living thing on the Earth --

uses

glucose for energy.

But as a

country, regular cane

sugar, or sucrose (50 percent glucose and 50 percent fructose), is no

longer

the sugar of choice. It’s

now fructose.

This happened

in the 1970s as a

result of technology that made HFCS far less expensive to produce.

Believe me,

it was NOT done for its health benefits. This was purely an economic

decision.

Let me clear up

any confusion here,

as fructose is the primary sugar in most fruits. It isn’t that fructose

is intrinsically evil -- it is just the MASSIVE DOSES you and your

family are

exposed to that makes it dangerous. Because it is so cheap and makes

foods

taste so much better, it is added to virtually every processed food.

There are two

overall reasons

fructose is so damaging:

1.

Your body metabolizes

fructose

in a much different way than glucose. Fructose is broken down in

your liver just like alcohol and produces many of the side effects of

chronic

alcohol use, right down to the "beer belly"

2.

People are consuming fructose in

quantities that are

400-800 percent higher than they were 100 years ago due to its

pervasive

presence in just about all processed foods

Fructose Turns

to Fat and

Makes You Fat!

Unlike fructose

which is nearly

exclusively broken down in your liver and is directly converted to

dangerous

fats. This is one of the reasons why fructose is the leading cause of

obesity.

However, only 20 percent of glucose is metabolized in your liver. This

is

related to the fact that nearly every cell in your body can directly

use

glucose as a fuel source, so it’s normally "burned up"

immediately after consumption.

It is also

important to understand

that the fructose in fruits and vegetables is not the same fructose

molecule

you’ll find in synthetic high-fructose corn syrup, which is

manufactured

in the lab. Naturally occurring fructose comes along with fiber,

enzymes,

vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, whereas fructose sweeteners have

no

nutritional value at all.

Additionally it

is actually attached

to other sugars and molecules and needs to be broken down before it is

absorbed

which limits the damage it causes. In HFCS it is a free fructose

molecule, just

as the glucose. Because these sugars are in their free forms their

absorption

is radically increased and you actually absorb far more of them had

they been

in their natural joined state which would cause a higher percentage of

the

fructose to pass to the intestine unabsorbed.

But the menace

of

fructose doesn’t stop there.

1.

Fructose

also

elevates your uric acid levels, which is actually more dangerous

than

elevated cholesterol levels as it causes chronic, low-level

inflammation, which

increases your risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke, cancer,

arthritis and

premature aging.

2.

Fructose also "tricks" your body

into

gaining weight by fooling your metabolism -- it actually severely

impairs your

body’s normal appetite-control systems.

3.

Excessive fructose rapidly leads

to weight gain and

abdominal obesity ("beer belly"), decreased HDL, increased LDL,

elevated triglycerides, elevated blood sugar, and high blood pressure

-- i.e.,

classic metabolic syndrome.

4.

Fructose metabolism is very

similar to alcohol

metabolism, which has a multitude of toxic effects, including NAFLD

(non-alcoholic fatty liver disease). Metabolically it’s very similar to

drinking alcohol without the buzz.

Remember to

RADICALLY Reduce

Your Fructose

These

biological changes are not

seen when humans or animals eat starch (or glucose), suggesting that

fructose

is a "bad carbohydrate" when consumed in excess of 25 grams per day.

However, it is

important to remember

that because fructose is so cheap it is added to nearly all processed

foods. So

even if you are seeking to eliminate it from your diet you will EASILY

exceed

25 grams per day because it is "hidden" in so many foods. This is

made worse by the deceptive and lax labeling laws which frequently

allow

gigantic loopholes for agribusiness to include it in the product and

not identify

it.

Making matters

worse, your body

easily becomes sensitized to fructose.

Fructose

activates its own pathways

in your body—those metabolic pathways become "upregulated." In

other words, the more fructose you eat, the more effective your body is

in absorbing

it; and the more you absorb, the more damage you’ll do.

You become

"sensitized" to

fructosr as time goes by, and more sensitive to its toxic effects as

well.

Let me be clear

that it isn’t

fructose that is the problem -- but excessive fructose.

And

especially the concentrated amounts of fructose that your body was

NEVER

designed to process, such as what’s in HFCS and agave syrup.

Agave nectar is

EVEN WORSE than HFCS

because it’s even higher in fructose than HFCS (80 percent and higher),

making it an even worse metabolic menace.

Other Reasons

You Should

Steer Clear of Agave

1.

Poor Quality

Control. There are very few quality

controls in place to monitor the production of agave syrup. Nearly all

agave

sold in the U.S.

comes from Mexico.

Industry

insiders are concerned that agave producers are using lesser, even

toxic, agave plants due to a shortage of blue agave.

2.

Pesticides. There are

also concerns

that some distributors are cutting agave syrup with corn syrup -- how

often and

to what extent is anyone’s guess. In addition, the FDA has refused

shipments of agave syrup due to excessive pesticide

residues.

3.

Saponins. Agave is

known to contain

large amounts of saponins. Saponins are toxic steroid derivatives,

capable of

disrupting red blood cells and producing diarrhea and vomiting. There

is also a

possible link between saponins and miscarriage by stimulating blood

flow to the

uterus, so

if

you’re pregnant, you should definitely avoid agave products.

4.

Hydroxymethylfurfural

(HMF). Some agave syrups

contain a contaminant called hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF, also called

5-hydroxymethyl furfural), an organic heat-formed compound that arises

in the

processing of fructose -- in both agave syrup and HFCS. HMF has potential

toxic, mutagenic

and carcinogenic effects[iv].

HMF

is EXTREMELY toxic to honey bees, which is a problem since commercial

beekeepers feed HFCS to the bees to stimulate honey production when

field-gathered nectar sources are scarce[v].

5.

Nutrient Void. Agave syrup

is not a whole

food -- it is fractionated and processed, devoid of the nutrients

contained

in the original, whole plant.

6.

Enzymes. Agave syrup

is not a live

food. The natural enzymes are removed to prevent agave syrup from

fermenting

and turning into tequila in your food pantry or cabinet.

7.

Addictiveness. Agave is,

for all intents

and purposes, highly concentrated sugar. Sugar and sweeteners wreak

havoc on

your health and are highly

addictive.

What are

Acceptable

Alternatives to Agave?

If you are

craving something sweet,

your best bet is to reach for an apple or a pear. And if you give

yourself a

sugar holiday for even a couple of weeks, you will be amazed at how

much those

cravings will decrease. But be sure and count the grams of fructose and

keep

your total fructose from fruit below 15 grams per day as you are sure

to

consume plenty of "hidden" fructose in the other foods you will be

eating.

You can use the

table below to help

you count your fructose grams.

Fruit

Serving Size

Grams of

Fructose

Limes

1 medium

0

Lemons

1 medium

0.6

Cranberries

1 cup

0.7

Passion fruit

1 medium

0.9

Prune

1 medium

1.2

Apricot

1 medium

1.3

Guava

2 medium

2.2

Date (Deglet Noor style)

1 medium

2.6

Cantaloupe

1/8 of med. melon

2.8

Raspberries

1 cup

3.0

Clementine

1 medium

3.4

Kiwifruit

1 medium

3.4

Blackberries

1 cup

3.5

Star fruit

1 medium

3.6

Cherries, sweet

10

3.8

Strawberries

1 cup

3.8

Cherries, sour

1 cup

4.0

Pineapple

1 slice

(3.5" x .75")

4.0

Grapefruit, pink or red

1/2 medium

4.3

Fruit

Serving Size

Grams of

Fructose

Boysenberries

1 cup

4.6

Tangerine/mandarin orange

1 medium

4.8

Nectarine

1 medium

5.4

Peach

1 medium

5.9

Orange (navel)

1 medium

6.1

Papaya

1/2 medium

6.3

Honeydew

1/8 of med. melon

6.7

Banana

1 medium

7.1

Blueberries

1 cup

7.4

Date (Medjool)

1 medium

7.7

Apple (composite)

1 medium

9.5

Persimmon

1 medium

10.6

Watermelon

1/16 med. melon

11.3

Pear

1 medium

11.8

Raisins

1/4 cup

12.3

Grapes, seedless (green

or red)

1 cup

12.4

Mango

1/2 medium

16.2

Apricots, dried

1 cup

16.4

Figs, dried

1 cup

23.0

If you feel you

must have a

sweetener, here are a few guidelines to follow:

·

Avoid ALL artificial sweeteners.

·

Avoid agave like the plague.

·

Limit sugar of all types as much

as possible. You can

buy pure glucose (dextrose) as a sweetener for about

$1 per

pound, which has none of the adverse effects of fructose if used

moderately. It

is only 70 percent as sweet as sucrose, so you’ll end up using a bit

more

of it for the same amount of sweetness, making it slightly more

expensive than

sucrose -- but still well worth it for your health.

·

Use raw,

organic

honey in

moderation

or avoid it completely as it is 70 percent

fructose which is higher than HFCS. However the fructose is not in its

free

from so that moderates the damage. But each teaspoon of honey has

nearly four

grams of fructose so you will want to carefully add the total grams of

fructose

(including fruits) and keep them under 15 grams per day.

·

Use regular

stevia

in moderation, but

avoid stevia-based

sweeteners like Truvia and PureVia because they have undergone more

processing.

·

Lo Han is another excellent

natural herbal sweetener.

·

Exercise

can be a very powerful tool to help control fructose in a number of

ways. If

you are going to consume fructose it is BEST to do so immediately

before,

during or after INTENSE exercise as your body will tend to use it

directly as

fuel and not convert it to fat Additionally exercise will increase your

insulin

receptor sensitivity and help modulate the negative effects of

fructose. Lastly

exercise will also help to blunt your appetite and control your sweet

tooth.

If you have

insulin issues, high

blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, or if you’re overweight, I

suggest you avoid all sweeteners, including stevia, since any sweetener

can

decrease your insulin sensitivity.

·

Morell

SF

and Nagel R. "Agave nectar: Worse than we thought," April 30,

2009. Weston A. Price Foundation

·

[ii]

"US

Patent 5846333—Method of producing fructose syrup from agave plants,"

Patent

Storm

·

[iii] Carr

C. "Agave’s sweet spot," January 31, 2009. Time

Magazine

·

[iv]

"Heat

forms

potentially harmful substance in high-fructose corn syrup, bee study

finds" ScienceDaily

August 27, 2009

·

[v]

LeBlanc BW, Eggleston G, Sammatarot D, Cornett C, Dufault R, Deeby T,

and St.

Cyr E. "Formation

of

hydroxymethylfurfural in domestic high-fructose corn syrup and its

toxicity

to the honey bee" J. Agric. Food Chem.,

2009, 57(16), pp 7369-7376