Agave: A Triumph of Marketing over Truth

The popularity of agave syrup, also called agave nectar, is on a meteoric rise -- thanks in large part to clever marketing which positions the product as a healthy alternative to Sugar and artificial sweeteners.



Agave is also heavily promoted as a low glycemic food, enticing diabetics.



I’ll discuss just how “healthy” agave is in a minute.



The Amazing Power of Marketing



In case you doubt the influence of marketing in setting trends and consumer buying habits, look at these statistics:



~ Agave products more than tripled in number between 2003 and 2007.



~ McCormick & Co., a major food manufacturer, placed agave syrup in its “top 10 fla­vors” list for

2009.

Agave can now be found in prepared tea, energy and “health” drinks, nutrition bars, desserts, and other food items typically found in health food stores.



Agave is also quickly crossing over from the health food market to mainstream grocery chains, and consumers (especially vegans and raw food enthusiasts) are buying up bottles of the stuff to use in place of other sweeteners, like honey.



Why Agave Syrup is the Hottest New Trend in Sugar Alternatives



Taste: Agave has a subtle, delicate flavor many people enjoy.



Sweetness: Agave syrup can be up to three times as sweet as table sugar, so it takes less to sweeten a food or beverage.



Public perception: Highly effective agave product marketing campaigns have per­suaded consumers the sweetener is a healthy alternative to sugar. As more and more people veer away from deadly artificial sweeteners and high fructose corn syrup (but not from their Sugar addiction, unfortunately), they are on the hunt for safer, healthier alter­natives.



About the Agave Plant



Agaves grow primarily in Mexico, but you can also find them in the southern and west­ern United States, as well as in South America. Previously, it was most commonly known as a primary ingredient of tequila. Agaves are not cacti, but are actually related to the lily and amaryllis families of plants.



There are over 100 species of agave plants, in a wide variety of sizes and colors.



Edible parts of the agave are the flowers, leaves, stalks and the sap. It is the sap of the plant that is used to make agave syrup.



Commercially available agave syrup or nectar is thought to be produced primarily from blue agave plants grown in Southern Mexico. This is because the blue agave has a high carbohydrate content, which results in a high concentration of fructose in the final prod­uct.



Harvesting the Sap



When an agave plant is about seven to 10 years old, the leaves are removed to expose the core, or pina, of the plant. The harvested pina looks like a large pineapple and can weigh anywhere from 50 to 150 pounds.



Sap is removed from the pina, filtered, and heated to break down the carbohydrates into sugars.



The same agave plant produces all three varieties of commercially sold syrup, depend­ing on the amount of heat used in processing. These varieties include:



Raw (color is similar to maple syrup and flavor is similar to caramel)

Light (lighter color and flavor than raw)

Amber (similar in color and flavor to raw)



Many varieties of agave nectar are processed at relatively low temperatures (below 118°F) and are marketed as a “raw” food.



The Myth of Agave as a “Healthy” Sugar Substitute



Agave syrup is neither a natural food nor organic



Fully chemically processed sap from the agave plant is known as hydrolyzed high fructose inulin syrup.



According to 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, highly processed sugar with great marketing.”



Agave syrup is not low calorie.



Agave syrup is about 16 calories per teaspoon, the same as table sugar.



Agave syrup may not have a low glycemic index.



Depending upon where the agave comes from and the amount of heat used to proc­ess it, your agave syrup can be anywhere from 55 percent to 90 percent fructose! (And it’s likely you won’t be able to tell from the product label.)



This range of fructose content hardly makes agave syrup a logical choice if you’re hoping to avoid the high levels of fructose

in HFCS (high fructose corn syrup).



Since most agave syrup has such a high percentage of fructose, your blood sugar will likely spike just as it would if you were consuming regular sugar or HFCS, and you would also run the risk of raising your triglyceride levels. It’s also important to understand that whereas the glucose in other sugars are converted to blood glucose, fructose is a relatively unregulated source of fuel that your liver converts to fat and cholesterol.



A significant danger here is that fructose does not stimulate your insulin secretion, nor enhance leptin production, which is thought to be involved in appetite regulation. (This was detailed in one of the most thorough scientific analyses published to date on this topic.)



Because insulin and leptin act as key signals in regulating how much food you eat, as well as your body weight, dietary fructose can also contribute to increased food intake and weight gain.



Therefore, if you need to lose weight, fructose is one type of sugar you’ll definitely want to avoid, no matter what the source is.



Other Dangers of Fructose



In addition, consuming high amounts of concentrated fructose may cause health problems ranging from mineral depletion, to insulin resistance, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, and even miscarriage in pregnant women.



Fructose may also interfere with your body’s ability to metabolize copper. This can result in depletion of collagen and elastin, which are vital connective tissues. A copper deficiency can also result in anemia, fragile bones, defects in your arteries, infertility, high choles­terol and heart disease, and uncontrolled blood sugar levels.



Additionally, fructose consumption has been shown to significantly increase uric acid. Elevated lev­els of uric acid are markers for heart disease. It has also been shown to increase blood lactic acid, especially in diabetics. Elevations in lactic acid can result in metabolic acido­sis.



Isolated fructose has no enzymes, vitamins or minerals and can rob your body of these nutrients in order to assimilate itself. Hence, consumption of fructose can also lead to loss of vital minerals like calcium, iron, magnesium, and zinc.



Other Reasons You Should Steer Clear of Agave



1. 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 agave

distributors are using lesser, even toxic, agave plants due to a shortage of blue agave.

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.

2. Agave syrup is not a whole food-- it is fractionated and processed. The sap is sepa­rated from

the plant and treated with heat, similar to how maple sap is made into maple syrup. Agave

nectar is devoid of many of the nutrients contained in the original, whole plant.

3. 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.



4. Agave is, for all intents and purposes, highly concentrated sugar. Sugar and sweet­eners wreak havoc on

your health and are highly addictive.

© Copyright 2009 Dr. Joseph Mercola. All Rights Reserved. This content may be copied in full, with copyright, contact, creation and information intact, without specific permission, when used only in a not-for-profit format. If any other use is desired, permission in writing from Dr. Mercola

***Personal note: Mercola is talking about UNraw, precessed/manufactured agave in this article. There is one line that shows you there is "raw agave" out there. readReadREAD - labels and about the different name brands. I do use agave, but sparingly. I use maple syrup very little, sorghum which isn't a raw sweeter and honey that is "manufactured" by bees, all of occasion. Stevia is my sweetener of choice, but here one must be careful too: stevia is a green leaf, so what have they done to make that white powder? or the clear liquid? My stevia is a clear greenish extract. I don't have a problem with after-taste.



~PC~