Agave Syrup – Blessing or Curse for Diabetics

Agave syrup (also known as agave nectar), long since used to make products with less than desirable health effects (like tequila), is actually very sweet, much sweeter than sugar. Due to the smaller volumes required to sweeten something to the same level of sweetness, in addition to a few other factors, a few companies have made claims that agave syrup is a natural sugar substitute for diabetics. But, really, is it healthier for diabetics than sugar is?

As it turns out, the path to the answer is through a little bit of science. Just a little bit, I promise! It just so happens that normal table sugar is 50% fructose and 50% glucose. Fructose sugars are absorbed into the body much slower than glucose sugars, which causes it to encourage obesity when too much of it is used, but it can also result in a better sugar for diabetics since it can help them avoid dangerous blood sugar level spikes.

Agave syrup, which is 90% fructose and 10% glucose in most cases, has a lower glycemic index than table sugar. The problem is that there are variants of agave syrup out there that have 45% glucose and 55% fructose, meaning that it is only slightly better for a diabetic than normal sugar. In fact, there is another sweetener with the same distribution of glucose and fructose; high fructose corn syrup. It's just not good enough.

It is important to note that standard sugar and agave syrup both have the same number of calories per ounce. The catch is that agave syrup is significantly sweeter than normal sugar, so you can use less of it to get the same taste effect, which has the obvious benefit of ingesting less sugar.

So, which is better for diabetics? Agave syrup or sugar? If you can manage to get the right kind, it can be. But, since it is still a type of sugar, the benefits are limited. Since agave syrup can vary so much, diabetics should thoroughly research each food that contains agave syrup to know what exactly it is that they are eating, since eating something that is not as healthy as you think it is could lead to eating too much of it, which is potentially quite dangerous for a diabetic.

While I have covered a fair amount of information, you should always do more research on anything like agave syrup before deciding if it is good or bad for diabetics. As always, whenever you try anything new, especially substitutes for sugar, you should monitor your blood sugar level especially closely in case your body does not react to it the way you thought it would. Good luck, and watch what you eat!

Tagged with: agave • agave nectar • agave syrup • Diabetes • Diabetics • health • natural diabetes remedies • natural remedies • sugar substitute