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gave nectar syrup has been the shining star of natural and “healthy” alternatives to sugar and other high glycemic load sweeteners for the past few years. It's made from the agave plant (same as tequila) and is popular with vegans as a replacement for honey. On the bottles of agave nectar syrup it says it is a great sweetener for diabetics because of the low amounts of glucose but recent findings are saying it is worse than high fructose corn syrup. Yikes!
Check out what Wikipedia has to say about its composition:
"Agave syrup consists primarily of fructose and glucose. One source[4] gives 92% fructose and 8% glucose; another[5] gives 56% fructose and 20% glucose. These differences presumably reflect variation from one vendor of agave syrup to another. Due to its fructose content and the fact that the glycemic index only measures glucose levels, agave syrup is notable in that its glycemic index and glycemic load are lower than many other natural sweeteners on the market. [6].
However, the extremely high percentage of fructose (higher than that of high-fructose corn syrup) can be deleterious and can trigger fructose malabsorption, metabolic syndrome[7],hypertriglyceridemia, decreased glucose tolerance, hyperinsulinemia, and accelerated uric acid formation.[8][9][10] Low-carb diet advocate Dr. Michael Eades M.D. advises to "avoid it [Agave syrup] like death".[11]
Some criticism [12] has targeted agave syrup. In the late 1990s, the agave syrup on the market contained 90% thermally or chemically hydrolyzed fructose. However, while the salmiana variety syrup on the market today is still primarily fructose, it is enzymatically hydrolyzed using a black mold enzyme.[13]"
It looks like agave nectar has permanently lost its star status in my clean eating diet!!
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